Chapter 65 Rat

<Mia>

"Ethan, I have a question."

We're still at the Shangri-la hotel, and we won't be going home just yet.

"Hmm," he replied, holding my hand.

"I noticed something. I'm not being judgmental; I'm just a little curious. It seems like Kuya Mark is the only one different among all of you. What I meant is, he's the only one not wealthy in your family."

He takes a sip of his black americano coffee, while I'm having my hot chocolate.

"What do you expect from him? He is old enough, and he has no plans for his life. Mark is comfortable in his comfort zone and has a lot of excuses. Nate tried to help him with his business, but Mark was waiting for motivation, a miracle, before taking action. He doesn't want to take risks; risks are very dangerous, but they will provide valuable lessons. Mark is waiting for nothing, unmotivated, and doesn't know which path to take. The world has many opportunities, but he must know where to go," he said, licking his lips. We're on the balcony, watching the people below.

"Yes, why hasn't he gotten married?"

He seems very chill in life, unlike the rest of you.

"I'm going to pity his future wife if he ever gets one."

"You're being judgmental!" I accused him.

He hugged me.

"If you desire something, you have to focus and know your goals. Your goals lead you to your destiny. Trying everything, or trying nothing, will suck the life out of you."

I nodded, understanding his point. It reminded me of what Father often preached.

"That's why you always have something to do?" I often notice him being occupied with something; I rarely see him resting.

He nodded. "I have ideas in my head, and I'm taking action to make them a reality. Most people don't take action. Everyone has potential, but not everyone is willing to learn and unlock their talents. I want to become rich, and I am sacrificing a comfortable life. That's the reason why not everyone becomes a billionaire – unlocking knowledge, procrastination, waiting to get motivated. We are the doers. Motivation doesn't come to us – we take action."

"Err, did you read that from a book?" I teased him.

"Read a book, and you'll learn a lot of things that school didn't teach you," he said seriously.

I leaned against his shoulder and took a sip of my hot chocolate. It's still early.

A moment like this with him feels romantic; we're having a deep conversation. When I say Ethan helps me with everything, this is what I meant. He helps me in life, financially, in work, and emotionally; he is emotionally intelligent.

"Just like Robert Kiyosaki said, education teaches people to become employees, not employers. I'll teach our future kids to become employers – how to make money work for them."

"Why do you still work then?" I asked him, watching him take a sip of his coffee. It looks more delicious in his hands than in mine. Maybe I should have ordered coffee instead.

"That's what you know," he said softly. I couldn't hear him very well.

"Before I leave my job, I need to make sure I can survive with the money I have without working. I need to make sure I can feed my wife and my future dozen kids," he said with a hint of pride.

"A dozen kids? You're exaggerating," I joked, playfully slapping his arm.

He giggles. His laugh is cute. I gaze at his face for a long time.

"Hey," I come back to reality.

I suddenly hugged him.

"Thank you for coming into my life. For never giving up and always understanding me, even when I get difficult," I sincerely told him. I can't say these things to him face-to-face; I can't look into his eyes while saying them.

"I know I've hurt you multiple times, but you're still here with me, loving me unconditionally."

He stopped, seemingly not expecting me to say all this.

I faced him, feeling teary. I really appreciate him. He's the only person who never gave up on me, no matter how much I hurt him.

It's true what they say about someone not causing you trauma. The right person won't traumatize you.

Ethan is the right husband for me, and I'm not yet the right wife for him. I'm still healing from my traumas.

He stared at me, cupping my cheeks.

"Sorry for everything I've done, huh? I was blinded. My focus was on other people, thinking they wouldn't hurt me. But you, your love is different. Among all those who loved me, yours stood out. I didn't appreciate you back then because I hated you. I didn't love you. I didn't realize you're not hard to love. I regret what I did to you."

"Shh…" I tried to calm him.

"You never hurt me," I swallowed to clear the lump in my throat.

"It's okay… shh."

"Maybe if you came first, I wouldn't have hurt you like that."

"I wasn't the first because I was the last," he said in a deep voice while gazing into my eyes.

"I'll be your last," he said and smiled slightly at me.

Ethan's heart is so pure if only everyone knew.

"I love you," I said, tears streaming down my face.

He seemed stunned by what I said, not moving or blinking.

"Fuck! Did I hear that right?" He couldn't believe it, trying to hide his smile. His surprise still showed on his face.

"You're the one who made me fall in love," I said in a shaky voice, not breaking eye contact.

"I love you too, Mia," he said sincerely, then kissed me on the lips.

Loving Ethan is so fulfilling. As my pops said, life with Ethan will be beautiful, and it's true. It's just that I'm stubborn, and I didn't want things to go smoothly.

I can't blame myself; Yunnie saved me from the time I was deeply hurt and didn't believe in love anymore. I thought after my relationship with Daze, I wouldn't be able to love again. Until Yunnie came and loved me unconditionally.

But Yunnie also ended up leaving me.

"But I'm still scared. Because maybe we'll be separated," I said fearfully. That's always what happens in my past relationships. I don't know what curse was placed on me. Everyone I love gets taken away from me.

"I won't leave you. Nothing can separate us."

"Your mother might separate us. She might find a way to ruin us," I said anxiously. I still have traumas from my past relationships, and I need to fight them all.

"I'm here. I won't let it happen," he assured me.

"Don't think negatively," he said softly.

I hugged him again, and he hugged me back.

Ethan is quiet, but he's affectionate. His love language is acts of service.

"I'll introduce you to someone. Someone who had a significant impact on my life," he said with a smile.

We were facing each other.

"Someone. A special part of my life."

My heart started beating faster. Why does he have a special someone? What about me? Am I not special in his life?

"What's with that face?" he asked, noticing my reaction.

He seemed happy to share this with me.

"Who's that someone? Do I really need to meet them?"

He smiled at me and held my hand, not answering my question.

I'm at the hospital. I was with Ethan earlier, but he had work, so he left. I'm wandering around the hospital because Ethan and I agreed that I shouldn't work for now. Besides, I don't feel like working.

I just realized that I'm a trophy wife.

"Mia! Mia!" I turned to the person calling my name.

I saw Dashie waving happily at me.

He hugged me and kissed my cheek as he approached. I noticed that the man with him was looking at me differently. I knew Nate would make a big deal out of what Dashie did to me.

I know Nate doesn't like me. Who could possibly like me anyway?

"N-nate," I called his name, but he just smiled at me.

"You seem to know each other very well," Nate said, giving me a mean look.

Dashie held me close and proudly answered Nate.

"Yes! We were schoolmates, and we became special to each other."

I let go of Dashie's embrace because I know Nate will complain to his twin brother.

"Something special? What do you mean?" Nate inquired.

"Uhm, Dashie, why are you here?" I changed the topic.

"I'm visiting Daze. What about you? Have you visited Daze? It's a small world, right? Your ex-boyfriend is confined here, in the hospital owned by your husband's family, where you also work. And guess what, Mia, I'm friends with your brother-in-law!" Dashie said excitedly. I felt awkward with what he said.

"Do you know Mia? It's like we never had anything. I only found out that you're married through someone else. It's like you never told me you got married," Dashie said playfully. I gave him a faint smile. I don't feel comfortable speaking right now, especially with Nate listening.

"Wait, are the two of you ex-lovers?" Nate asked.

"Yes! And I'm getting married, bro! You're invited to my wedding. Be there, you jerk."

"Yeah, I'll come."

"Daze is confined here? What happened to him?" I couldn't help but ask out of concern. Daze was my first love, and I still worry about him.

"Didn't you know? He had an accident. Remember when you broke up? Never mind. I'm just teasing. Daze is fine when you broke up. I only found out lately that he's in the hospital. Daze's mom reached out to me and told me he's confined here."

"What happened to him?" I anxiously asked. "And where's his room?"

"I don't know all the details. Daze's mom said he was found inside his house all bloodied. Until now, he hasn't woken up. Even though I used to get jealous of Daze, I still want him to wake up."

"Can you take me to see him? I just want to check on him and see how he's doing. After all, we used to have something together," I said, and I ignored Nate's judgmental gaze.

"Sure! Let's go together."

Nate was still with us.

What is Nate doing here at the hospital? Doesn't he have work?

"Dashie, I won't cause any trouble or get into a fight. I just want to check on Daze and see how he's doing," I said worriedly.

"Why are you still worried about your ex-boyfriend, Mia? Do you still love him?" Nate asked straight to the point.

Before I could answer, Dashie spoke up.

"Mia is already married. She's just a concerned citizen, bro. Don't be an issue. Even though we're no longer friends with Daze, I'm still here as his friend. I want to check on him because we used to be close friends," Dashie explained.

"Tsk!" Nate said.

"Nate is just being an issue, that's why he doesn't have a girlfriend," Dashie said as Nate walked away after receiving a phone call.

"So, have you known Nate for a long time?" I asked.

"We've known each other for a while. We met at an event. I can't remember which event. After that, we became friends because of common friends."

We arrived at Daze's room, and I saw him lying in bed with a bandage on his head and a tube in his mouth. I felt weak seeing him in that condition.

After so many years, I'm seeing him now, in an unexpected situation.

I glanced at Daze's mom, and I was the first to look away.

"Dashie, I thought you were going home?" Daze's mom asked.

Nate had already left; he didn't stay long because he received a call.

"I forgot something, Auntie," Dashie said.

I lost weight. Daze's mom speaks softly now, unlike before when she used to yell.

"My son still wakes up sometimes. I hope he wakes up soon because he's my only child. I'm sure he'll be happy that you both visited him."