Chapter 21 Clingy

<Mia>

"You judged me first," he said firmly, "and what do you think about me, Mia? That I'll let you cheat behind my back?" He asked with bitterness in his voice.

"But I don't love you! I love Yunnie!"

"Fck it!" He cursed angrily, giving me a scornful look.

"I should be the one who's mad because you've been cheating on me since day one! But you're the one who's angry at both of us!"

"Well, if you had just let us be and not told Pops!" I cried, he was the one who reported it. We were already breaking up, and yet he still had to make it worse for me.

He rubbed his temples in frustration at my words.

"My god, Mia," he said weakly, "believe what you want to believe!"

"Now, you told me the truth. You'll never see her again, and you won't leave the house without my permission," he said firmly.

"What?!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He was even worse than Pops.

"I have a job!" I argued with him. He couldn't forbid me. Jarold's son's birthday is coming up, and he might get mad at me if he finds out about this. It would ruin my reputation with clients.

"I let you work. It's been three years, Mia! We had an agreement! You stay in the house and bear my child!"

"I don't want to!"

"What the fck? You agreed to me that you'd stop working three years ago and bear my child! I gave you time! I'm already thirty-two, Mia! I'm not getting any younger!" He said angrily.

"I just said that! I don't want to have a child with you! You can have a child on your own!"

My tears suddenly stopped flowing, replaced by anger because of what this man was saying.

"You agreed to me!" He insisted.

"I don't want to! Yunnie will hate me and leave me if we have a child!" I said shaking my head. I've already hurt that woman so much, and I don't want to hurt her even more when she finds out we're having a child.

"I don't give a fck about your ex! I gave in to you before! And now it's my turn to be in control!"

"I don't want to! I don't want to! I don't want to!" I repeated over and over again, shaking my head.

"Let's see then," he said and stood up.

"Where are you going?" I asked, but he didn't answer my question.

"Ethan! Let me go! You jerk!" I chased after him, but he quickly locked the door.

I clenched my fists tightly in frustration.

Two hours passed, and he returned to my room.

"Wife, let's eat," I heard him invite me.

"I know you are awake," he said and faced me towards him.

There was no more time for me to pretend. I knew my eyes were swollen from crying.

"Look, your eyes are swollen. Stop crying." He approached me and gently wiped my face. He's comforting me now, but earlier, he let me cry and even left me alone.

"Where did you go?" I asked, my voice stuttering.

"I was in my working room," he said, referring to his laboratory of some sort. He licked his lower lip while his eyes were fixed on my face, and his fingers were busy wiping my tears.

"What did you do there?" I managed to ask.

He looked at me and smiled faintly.

"I did some work," he said as he wiped my tears again.

"Ethan..."

"I know that sound, wife. It won't work on me this time," he threatened.

I fell silent.

"Let's eat and stop crying," he said.

He tried to make me stand up, but I resisted.

"Mia..." he warned me.

"I don't want to eat. I have no appetite," I withdrew my hand and lay back on the bed. My heart was hurting.

"No, you will eat. We'll eat together," he said, sounding like a boss.

I didn't respond and lay facing away from him on the bed.

Suddenly, I felt myself being lifted, but I didn't react. He carried me without any resistance.

He carried me to the kitchen, where we found the household staff preparing our meal. Why are they still here?

He made me sit down and arranged the food for us. I glanced at one of the maids, and she smiled at me.

"Mia Zoey," he called my name sternly when I didn't respond.

I looked at him and shook my head.

"Do you want us to fight over this?" he asked in disbelief.

I slumped in my chair. I didn't answer his question because, at this moment, all I wanted was Yunnie.

He sighed and took the spoon and fork, maneuvering the food towards my mouth. He offered me a spoonful of rice and viand.

We locked eyes, and he gave me a threatening look. I had no choice but to let him feed me.

I felt uncomfortable with the maids standing on the sidelines, especially the curly-haired girl who had been smiling at both of us since earlier.

"Send away those who don't belong here," I rudely remarked and scanned them with my eyes.

"You heard my wife. Come back here if we're done eating our dinner," Ethan informed them with authority before leaving the two of us.

"You're so moody, do you have your red days?" He furrowed his brows as he continued to feed me. He had been taking care of my meal, not touching his own.

I didn't respond to his question. He knew when I was giving him the cold shoulder.

"Ethan, I'm done," I refused to accept the food he was offering me.

"C'mon, one more bite," he insisted.

"No! I'm full," I protested.

"Mia Zoey."

I reluctantly took it just to end the conversation.

"Drink water." He handed me a glass of water, and I drank from it.

"I'm going upstairs." I didn't wait for his response and left him.

I lay on the bed, not knowing how many minutes I spent lying there.

I glanced at him when he entered the room, grabbed a towel, and headed to the bathroom. Ethan wouldn't lie on the bed until he had taken a shower; that's one thing I noticed about him. He always slept fresh, and sometimes he smelled like sandalwood. I grabbed my cellphone to check if I had a message from Lorena.

I opened a text message from an unknown number.

I deleted his messages, it's better to avoid him for now.

I was about to put away my cell phone when I received another message. I thought it was from Lorena.

"Let's meet tomorrow, babes."

"Hey, reply already. It seems like you didn't enjoy it."

I ignored his message. I didn't have time for him right now because I was heartbroken. I didn't want him to involve me in his nonsense.

An hour passed before Ethan came out of the bathroom, drying his wet hair. He was already dressed. We looked into each other's eyes, and I swallowed. He looked fresh, and even from where I was sitting, I could smell his scent.

Fun fact: He takes longer to shower than me. At first, I thought he was gay, but no, he's not because he constantly tells me he wants to have children.

"Mia, did you take a bath?" he asked as he sat beside me.

"Yes, what do you think? That I don't shower every day?"

"You said that, not me," he innocently replied.

"Hey! I do shower every day!"

"I didn't say anything, Mia Zoey. Why do you sound defensive?" he furrowed his brows while asking.

I pondered over his words. Oh yeah, I subtly smelled myself.

"Don't sleep without brushing your teeth," he reminded me. "C'mon, let me brush your teeth." He carried me to the bathroom, where he brushed my teeth and fetched my sleepwear. He also applied my skincare products, which he bought and chose for me.

After changing, I saw him still looking at his cellphone, typing away. I rarely see him using it. His forehead was creased.

I sat beside him, and he set aside his smartphone.

"Wife..." he called me.

"Are you okay?"

I looked at him. Does he think I'm okay in this state? My eyes were swollen from crying.

He heaved a sigh.

"I'm sorry..." he apologized.

"Tell me what happened, and I'll listen. It's okay... I won't get mad. I promise you, right? I will be your best friend before a lover."

He made me cry again.

"Yunnie broke up with me," I sobbed. This man keeps making me cry.

He lifted me and pulled me closer to him.

"After I did everything for her. And now she's leaving me."

He gently wiped my tears.

"I made a promise to her when we got married that I would wait for the right timing and then we would be together. That's why I didn't want you to get pregnant, and I wanted to work for both of us so we could leave. But it took me three years, and my savings still weren't enough... and then she decided to leave me because... she said there's no hope for us anymore... and... she doesn't want me anymore."

Before I could wipe my tears, he beat me to it.

"It's okay..." he said in a soothing voice.

"I'm also hurt because of the men and women she's with. I don't know them, and I don't open that door because I don't want us to fight, and we only have limited time together. I know she's struggling and making sacrifices for me, but why can't she wait?" I asked him, looking up at him.

"Because I won't give you to her," he answered my question.

"She can't have you because you are mine, legally mine," he possessively declared.

"The moment you agreed to marry me, I had no plans to let you go," he admitted to me.

I just cried, "I'm here... you have me, I won't leave you." Ethan hugged me gently and whispered those words to me. And he kissed my forehead every now and then.

"It's okay, wife... cry all your pain today and tomorrow; promise yourself that you'll be okay," he said softly.

He let me cry in his arms, and he didn't get angry like earlier. He didn't say anything else.

"Tell me, is that the reason why your father gets mad?" he asked me softly.

"Yes, he doesn't like me, and my sister is his favorite. Because she obeys him. And I'm the rebellious one," I quickly answered him.

"Well, it seems true," he whispered.

"Are you saying something?"

"Nothing, let's sleep."

My tears stopped flowing, and the pain I felt suddenly vanished.

He made me cry again.

"Yunnie broke up with me," I sobbed. This man keeps making me cry.

He lifted me and pulled me closer to him.

"After I did everything for her. And now she's leaving me."

He gently wiped my tears.

My tears stopped flowing, and the pain I felt suddenly vanished.