Chapter 44 Back

<Mia>

She's also against it; even she's against me. Only my sister is truly on my side in this house.

"It's because of love, Zoey," my sister spoke up.

They ganged up on me.

"You're so foolish, so stupid to love," she said harshly.

"Now, we'll help you escape. Go far away and fix your life. Don't go back to that woman," my mother told me.

"Go back to your husband and tell him to keep you away because your father will keep looking for you until you straighten up. He won't believe you. Think about your husband; he'll get involved too," my mother gently advised me. I know she's also angry with what I did.

Who sent those pictures to her? There's only one person in my mind who could have done that.

I nodded to them as I cried.

"Let's hurry before Ramon comes home," my mother said in a rush.

They helped me escape with the help of the household staff. Even though I wanted to thank them, I couldn't. I'll be more respectful to them when I'm back in our house with Ethan.

They hid me from the guards at home, and my sister drove me away. But she told me not to go to Yunnie. She explained that they asked Mom's help, and she also wants to send me abroad. She seemed disappointed when I asked her not to take me back to Ethan's house. "Mia!" she said in frustration, "if you think of going to Yunnie, don't do it because this is my last favor to you! I pleaded with Mom to send you abroad too. Think about us, not just yourself!"

I fell silent, realizing they were right. I don't want to see Yunnie again. I want to distance myself from them and never show up again.

No one believes that Yunnie and I have broken up. How many times have I tried to convince them? After all my efforts and sacrifices, it seems nothing is worth it.

"If you do something foolish again and you haven't broken up with Yunnie, I'll let Mom and Dad do whatever they want with you! You're hard to defend, Mia, you're putting yourself in danger!" My sister is also angry with what I did. They're all angry with me, and I've caused harm to so many people. I feel sorry for Yunnie; I didn't want her family to suffer. I'll pray for her, for her to get out of jail, and for my father to change.

I couldn't speak and held back my tears. I arrived at Ethan's house with my sister driving. Why isn't Ethan looking for me?

My sister said her husband was also involved, and they are working on prolonging the meeting.

I'm going to fix everything now. I don't want to go back to that dark room; I'm scared of it now. I'm afraid for myself.

The surroundings fell silent. I arrived at the house with my sister's help, and she escorted me inside.

My world stopped when I saw Ethan with messy hair, and red eyes, looking troubled, and probably not having taken a bath for days. I may not feel like eating in my room, but I still shower there.

He seems worried and deep in thought. He was staring at the screen of his phone, lost in thought.

"E-Ethan..." I softly and weakly called out his name. I wasn't sure if he heard me because it seemed like a whisper.

He quickly looked up, looking surprised to see me in front of him, "W-wife?" he said, his voice choked with tears. He wasn't sure yet.

He rushed towards me and hugged me tightly. He didn't waste a second.

As he hugged me, my tears started flowing, which I'd been holding back since my sister's car. The weight of my emotions overwhelmed me, and suddenly, the room felt smaller, making it hard for me to breathe, but I didn't mind.

"I won't lock you up here in the house anymore... Don't leave me again," he pleaded, tears streaming down his face.

"I-I didn't... I didn't leave you," I managed to say amid my sobs.

I loosened myself from his embrace and faced him. I was right; he was crying. He doesn't seem ashamed to cry in front of me. His eyes were filled with sadness, and he looked like he hadn't slept for days.

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

"S-Sorry too." After three years of marriage, I finally said that word to him.

"Don't leave me again," he said, afraid.

"H-Hindi... I-I didn't leave you," I said amidst my sobs.

I realized my sister was no longer there; she left us.

"I love you... don't leave me again. I w-won't be hard on you. I won't get mad again," he repeatedly apologized, gently kissing my forehead.

"Why didn't you come for me? Why didn't you take me away from them?" I reproached him, feeling hurt by that. I felt a bit of resentment because of that. He let me suffer during those days.

He paused his forehead kisses and looked at me with confusion in his eyes, his brow slightly furrowed.

"I waited for you there, but you didn't come for me. You didn't take me away from her," I reproached him.

"I waited for you, and you never came," I added. I stopped crying and just sniffled. Perhaps, I've exhausted all my tears. I must have shed a bucketful of tears in that room.

"What do you mean?" He checked my body, "where did you get these cuts?" He asked, noticing the wounds on my wrists. I tried to hide them from him, but he tightened his grip on my wrists.

I tried to kill myself; I did it when I woke up in the middle of the night. It must have been early morning because the sun appeared after a couple of hours.

"What are these, wife?" He asked, this time with a hint of anger.

I started crying again, saying, "I waited for you." Repeating it over and over, I couldn't help but feel upset. He disappointed me for the first time. He made me wait in vain.

I kept repeating it because I was truly upset.

"I waited for you at home, but I was locked up for days, and you didn't show up."

I thought I had no more tears to shed, but my eyes still hurt from crying. Enough, eyes, please.

I approached him, pulled the sleeves of his white shirt, and wiped my snot there. He didn't react.

"You didn't run away? What happened, tell me!" He said, trying to contain his emotions.

"They locked me up in the house and didn't give me food or water," I complained to him.

He didn't respond immediately; it seemed like he was processing everything.

"And these," he pointed to the cuts on my wrists, "who f*cking did this to you?! Who hurt you?!"

He was angry, not at me. His teeth were gritted in rage.

Afraid, I hugged him tightly, and he hugged me back.

"Tell me the truth. I'll avenge you on them," he said, his voice becoming more forceful as he gently caressed my back.

His mood shifted quickly.

"It was Pops; he had me abducted and brought to their house. Then he locked me in a room... without food or water," I told him.

He tried to gently pull me away from our embrace to look at me. I couldn't bear to look at him. It was a violent experience for me, and I felt so embarrassed about it.

I didn't know if they still considered me as their child.

His face turned dark as I faced him. He wiped my tears again.

"I came there, and they said they don't know where the hell you are!" He was restraining his anger.

"I asked everyone, even the policemen. I was about to hire a private investigator to find you. What did they do to you, huh?! Did they hurt you so badly? They'll pay for what they did to you."

Again, I feel safe with him.

"You went to their house?" My face brightened.

"Yes, wife... your father said he didn't know your whereabouts. I even asked your sister, and she lied."

All this time, he went to their house to look for me. I thought he didn't bother searching for me.

"Then, they locked you in your room. I used to get locked in our house, but I couldn't do that to you. I may be a demon sometimes, but I can't keep you locked in a room for long."

What he said was true. Life in this house is comfortable. Whether I go out or not, I feel safe here. Sometimes, I think he's not mad at all, despite all the effort he puts in. He always calls me to check on me and asks for updates. Sometimes, I'm the one who locks myself in our room because I'm busy watching movies. I like showing off, I want to watch all the movies available there.

"What else did they do to you?"

"Hubby, promise! Yunnie and I are no longer together!" I answered differently to his question. I pretended to be safe because I'm afraid that the issue would be with him this time, and that they would send pictures to him again.

"Believe me! When I cried to you before, it was true that we broke up. Please, believe me!" I desperately pleaded with him, slightly shaking his shoulder.

"Calm down, I believe you, wife." He smiled reassuringly at me.

"And then, Pops!" I started crying again. Fear was evident on my face.

"He wants to take me. He plans to send me to another country! If it wasn't for my sister helping me, I wouldn't be able to come back here. H-hubby, please help me!" I said to him, scared and restless.

I might face torture again if I were taken there. I'd rather live alone in the countryside or in the forest with the animals.

"Wife, calm down... calm down..." He looked at me intently, "I won't allow him to take you away from me. I won't let him separate us. We'll die before that happens." He assured me.

"Ethan, maybe... maybe he's looking for me. He might be on his way here." I said, sounding somewhat frantic.

"Ethan..."

"Wife, calm down." He tried to calm me, and he was calm.

"Let's leave this place! I don't want to stay here anymore! He'll take me from you! I don't want to be far away from you." I hugged him tightly.

I heard him curse, "Calm down, please. He wouldn't dare." He assured me, and I felt him kiss the top of my head. His jaw clenched.