Chapter 55 Deep Talks

<Third Person>

"Listen to us, Etheus. We are your dad's good friends," Tor whispered to the child. "You're handsome, so don't waste your good looks."

Ethan sat on the other sofa with Thunder beside him, while Tor and Moonraker were in front with Etheus.

"When you grow up, you'll have a girlfriend, and of course, don't let the girl ghost you! You should be the one to do that. Got it?"

Etheus nodded his head even though he didn't fully understand what his uncle was saying.

"Don't imitate your dad, who doesn't know how to court a girl, okay?" Tor added.

They continued giving the child various pieces of advice.

Etheus came near his father, "I want to pee, po," he said in a soft voice.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Ethan asked his son.

"No, po."

"I'll ask Nate's secretary to assist you," Ethan replied before leaving the office with his son.

"Hey, I'm leaving. I can't wait for Nate anymore," Thunder said, closing the door.

"I thought we were going to have drinks?" Moonraker asked.

"Yeah," Tor agreed.

"I'll be back later tonight. I still have something to take care of," Thunder stated.

Ethan spent half the day with his son, and at nine in the evening, he dropped him off at home. The child didn't want to leave and wanted to stay with his father, but his mother called, asking him to send the child home.

"I promise to have more bonding moments with you. This is not our last bonding, okay?" Ethan ruffled his hair as he always did.

"Sleep well and drink your milk," he reminded the child.

"Yes, po, daddy! I'll miss you! Take care while driving!" The child said happily to him.

Ethan smiled at his son as he closed the car door. He waited until the child was safely inside the house before he left.

"That's why I don't want to be tied down. Nowadays, married couples separate. The meaning of marriage is lost!" Thunder said.

"You're being too advanced, Tor. They're not separated yet!" Tor countered.

"But that's where they're headed!" Thunder insisted.

"We won't separate," Ethan said firmly, seeming sure about that.

They were in a private bar, availing a VIP room to avoid disturbances. They didn't want a repeat of the past when Thunder had sex with a woman, leading to the breakup with his fiancee.

"I don't want to get married. It's scary; I've been traumatized by my past relationships. I'm serious, bro, but why do women keep leaving me? I even offered them marriage, and yet they still declined," Moonraker said dramatically.

"It's not because you're there that you'll be chosen," Tor advised his friend, Moonraker, who had been left by his ex-girlfriends. One went back to her ex, and the other just took advantage of him. He was traumatized by women.

"My heart is always open for the right woman," Tor declared firmly.

"You idiot!" Thunder said.

"Don't be bitter, you animal!" Tor playfully cursed at his bitter friend, Thunder, who seemed to be the most bitter among them. He was left for someone closer.

"I'm bitter because I was replaced with someone closer!" Thunder retorted, seeking revenge.

The two of them laughed.

"I won't get married anymore," Thunder said seriously, "what's the point of getting married if we'll just end up separating anyway? So many married couples end up breaking up," he added.

"You're an idiot, then!" Tor said.

Moonraker smirked and let go of the bottle of alcohol he was holding, "I don't believe in marriage anymore. Surrendering is real. We just got married, and we're already separated. Why should we believe in marriage, Tor? So many artists have failed marriages. Take note, it went viral one after another."

"I agree with Moonraker, it's just a waste of money to spend on a wedding if we'll just end up separated. I'd rather not get married, as we'll end up there eventually," Tor said.

"Just because there are many viral failed marriages of artists, it doesn't mean you won't believe in marriage anymore. You sound like fools, saying you don't believe in marriage because of the few cases of failed marriages. Out of billions of successful marriages, you're defining marriage based on a few failed ones. Didn't you believe in marriage before it became a trend?" Moonraker asked his two friends, and they both nodded in response.

"Well, it's different now, Raker. The past is different from what's happening now," Thunder emphasized.

"Exactly! And even women cheat! When women cheat, society curses us, men," Tor seconded the motion.

Ethan didn't join in their conversation. He remained silent, just listening to them.

"Why are you defining marriage based on what's happening now? Are your parents in a failed marriage too? No, right? Damn it! You're getting married, but your parents haven't separated! Damn it! It's because you define things based on what's happening. Blame it on your social media obsession!" Moonraker said, annoyed.

"It won't be a failed marriage if you keep choosing each other through the bad and good times. It's about staying and choosing each other despite temptations. It's easy to give up, but it's hard to stay. But staying is worth it because I chose my wife despite her flaws. I will choose my wife over everything. I didn't agree to marry her with the mindset that we would separate. Nothing is perfect in this world, including marriage. But it's about working together. I choose to love her despite the thought that it won't work. I love her. I know I am the right person for her, as she is for me," Ethan unexpectedly spoke up, leaving his three friends gaping in surprise.

Thunder clapped his hands in amusement.

"That's the point!" Moonraker agreed with what Ethan said. "You marry someone because you love them and have committed to them! Like what I heard, marriage is like playing a song in a Spotify playlist, and you have to choose one song that you'll be playing for the rest of your life. That's true love, brothers! The pain is part of it! It's better to love than be a coward. It feels so good to be in love and to love someone. I love the feeling of being in love."

Thunder pondered over his friends' words.

"If you change your perspective on marriage because of the issues you see, then you're looking up to the wrong person. Don't define your life based on other people's experiences. You are unique; your story is different. Marriages are failing because, from the very start, they knew it wouldn't work and still decided to take the next step, trying to make it work, which is wrong. Marriage is a lifelong commitment. Don't be stupid and stop following the dictates of society," Moonraker passionately expressed.

"But it hurts so much when you get hurt. It's scary to get hurt," Tor said, not agreeing either. "I don't want to love anymore. I don't want to get married. The wrong people always end up with me."

Ethan continued to drink.

"You know why you keep having failed relationships? It's because you're not with the right person. You're with the wrong person, and you need to fix your mindset. Don't stop yourself from loving and being in love because of your failed relationships. Be thankful that your past relationships ended because you'll learn many things - you'll know more about yourself and become powerful and stronger. You're already in your thirties, brother; don't hold yourself back from experiencing what you truly deserve because of your past. Someone told me that pain is potential, and it's true. You'll become stronger after experiencing pain," Moonraker said deeply.

"It's traumatizing, Moonraker," Thunder didn't agree either. "You haven't experienced being cheated on multiple times. It's really traumatic."

"You two are fools! Stop entering relationships until you've healed from your past trauma. Heal your trauma first because if you don't, you'll unconsciously pass your trauma to your partner. Eventually, you'll ruin someone's life because of your unresolved trauma. Fix yourself, love yourself, heal your traumas, and be the right person."

"I broke up with one of my exes because it felt like déjà vu. I felt like she was going to cheat on me, so I broke up with her before she had the chance. I've already broken up with her," Tor explained.

"Moonraker and Ethan, you both know a lot. Let's just drink," Thunder suggested.

Ethan's phone suddenly rang, and he answered it in front of his friends. He rolled his eyes before picking up the call.

"What?" Tor asked irritably to the person on the other line.

"Where are you, kid? You left the Aridiente child at the restaurant! What are you doing, kid?" Ethan's grandfather scolded him.

Moonraker shook his head upon hearing Tor's grandfather.

"Lo! I don't want to get married! I will get married whenever I want!" Tor retorted to his grandfather and gripped his iPhone tightly.

"You're getting old, and you still haven't gotten married! At your age, you should already have kids! You're not young anymore! You've embarrassed me many times -"

Tor ended the call and angrily placed his cellphone on the center table.

"Oh, what did your grandfather say?" Moonraker asked, even though he heard the conversation between Tor and his grandfather.

"He's getting on my nerves! Why do they keep pressuring me to get married? My family is pressuring me to settle down and have kids. Damn it! What can they do? I'm not ready yet, and I'm still enjoying my life!" Tor ranted while holding his glass of alcohol tightly.

Thunder just laughed. "Guess what? My family is pressuring me to find a girlfriend."

"Damn it!" Tor cursed. He didn't want anyone interfering in his life decisions.

"My side is with you. Don't get married because of pressure. That's right, brother. Enjoy your life first. You might end up making your future wife miserable if you get married when you're not ready," Moonraker said and patted Tor's shoulder.

"We can't do anything about the elders. They are living in a deadline culture," Thunder commented. "That's why I don't listen to them. They don't know what's best for me."

Ethan just shook his head and drank his alcohol.

Remember: who you admire is who you are. Don't decide your life based on what you see on social media or what's happening to other people.

The next day...

"Where's your wife?" Nathan immediately asked his twin brother.

Ethan looked up.

"I saw her with another man," Nathan said straightforwardly.

"What are you talking about?" Ethan asked, still reading the blood test results.

"I saw her with another man," Nathan repeated.

"If you came here to badmouth my wife, leave now," Ethan said, trying to keep his composure.

"Damn it! What did that woman feed you, and why are you so foolish? Did she put a spell on you, huh?"

"If you're here to slander my wife, leave."

"It's up to you, Ethan. I've warned you many times. I'm telling you that woman will hurt you deeply."

Ethan ignored his brother, focusing on the test results in his hands.

"That's enough meddling from you. Grandfather wants me to use my medical knowledge. What's the point of having a license if I won't use it? He went to my company earlier and warned me. What a fucking dictator," Nathan hissed.

"He wants me to study at Oxford University and pass the exam," Ethan stated.

"Damn it! We're already adults, and he's still meddling in my life. He forced me into a medical mission without my fucking permission! What do I know about that? I have a project to take care of!" Nathan ranted about their grandfather, feeling frustrated because he was raised by their grandfather, but it

Nathan's face tensed as he heard what was being said.

Nathan massaged his temple.

"The new project in the company is huge, and I can't just step down from it!" Nathan said angrily.

"Do whatever you want; you've never listened to grandpa since you finished studying," Ethan said nonchalantly, "as if you'll be threatened and follow what he wants."

"What annoys me is that he won't leave me alone! Why doesn't he meddle with Mark instead? He's just a nurse and doesn't have his life together."

"We couldn't do anything about it. We owe a debt of gratitude to the McLaren family. They raised us when mother abandoned us," Ethan said with bitterness.

"Damn it! That's it! Don't even think about competing for their wealth! Let them fight over it!" Nathan said angrily to his twin, clenching his fists.

"Tito Alfred and his son are after the hospital," Ethan informed him.

"Fuck them!"

Ethan changed the topic, as the issue about the McLaren family was a long-standing one and it wouldn't end.

"Don't you have work? I thought you were busy?"

Ethan sat on his swivel chair as his twin's aura darkened.

"Mom was at my company!"

Ethan didn't immediately respond.

"What does that woman want? Doesn't she have money? She can ask grandpa."

"She wants to be with us. She wants to see you. She has the nerve. After abandoning us and not showing up for us, she's going to show up as if she didn't leave us and abandon us!" Nathan said angrily.

Ethan changed the topic, "Since you're one of the volunteers for the campaign, I declined to be a volunteer, and grandpa wants to see me in the afternoon. They need more medical doctors, and I don't belong there."

Nathan sat on the table and rolled up his long-sleeved shirt to his elbows. "Why the sudden change of mind? Aren't you supposed to be in the meeting? Grandpa included me in the medical mission, but I'm not part of the meeting. Grandpa is crazy; he includes me in these things even though he knows I'm busy with the company."

Ethan sighed, "I don't want my wife to get jealous."

Nathan expected his twin's response and just shook his head.

"What time do you get off? Let's eat outside. Or do you want to go to Korea for dinner?"

"Nah, my wife is waiting for me, and I can't leave her alone. A coffee in Rockwell will be fine."

Nathan rolled his eyes, "Someone is waiting for me at home too," he said, raising his eyebrows at his twin.

"Buy whatever you want; it's on me."

Nathan, who always treats and is super kind.