Chapter 70 Status: Complicated

<Mia>

I just stared blankly. I wasn't in the mood while Lorena was in front of me, narrating the events of her life.

We both have problems, and we can't support each other.

She's here at the house because I can't go out. Ethan no longer allows me to leave, and he also hired new household staff. He hired older unmarried women, and they look unfriendly. They glare at me.

"Kieffer left me. After he got me pregnant, he suddenly disappeared like a bubble. I thought he'd marry me," Lorena said, tears streaming.

"His wife was pregnant too when he got involved with me. Then he did the same thing to me. He ghosted me. What about my child, Mia? I can't do this alone."

"You're a whore anyway. I know you can handle it," I said weakly.

But she just cried more.

How can we comfort each other when we're both going through so much?

"They're right that we can choose our spouse, but we can't choose the father of our children. I can't believe I loved a jerk."

"Are you realizing that just now?" I sarcastically asked her. I've grown tired of Lorena's foolishness, so I just let her be.

No matter what I say, it won't get through her head until she learns it for herself.

"Ethan doesn't want me anymore. He doesn't love me anymore. He leaves without me knowing, probably meeting nurses at the hospital and flirting around. It's all my fault," I blamed myself.

"You're stupid. It's all your fault," she blamed me.

"He took away all my gadgets. I have no privacy left because he installed cameras here. He knows you're here too, he might even be watching us," I informed her. Only the bathroom doesn't have a CCTV camera in our room.

When I leave the room, there's a whispering sound, but it disappears after a few minutes. I feel like I'm in a prison and that I've committed a huge crime. I've surpassed being a criminal in my situation.

Lorena, on the other hand, visits without warning.

I sent Lorena home late at night. She was supposed to go home in the afternoon, but I didn't want to send her away because my thoughts would devour me.

I've just been staring here in my room, and I haven't come out since earlier. I feel like I'm sinking into depression. Sadness is consuming me. I want to talk to someone, but I know what they'll say to me. I already know it's my fault; there's no need to rub it in.

I'm slowly seeing how Ethan has changed. He's becoming frightening.

He's now doing things to me that he couldn't do before, like hurting me. He can tolerate me now.

I was taken aback when the door opened on its own, and an angry Ethan greeted me. He looked drained and exhausted. He was wearing a white shirt, slacks, and a coat.

"What are your plans in your life, Mia? Kill yourself with my child?" he angrily asked me. I instinctively held my stomach. I'm not hungry yet; I just want to sulk. I didn't answer because I have no appetite. I'm tired of our arguments.

"You didn't fucking eat your lunch, and you're skipping your dinner?"

He's become bossy and manipulative. He wants himself to be followed and always wants to be right. He always blames me for everything.

"I'm not hungry," I weakly said. My voice sounds tired. My eyes hurt from crying all day.

"You're fucking selfish. You only think of yourself. If you don't want to eat, I won't fucking force you, but goddamn it! Can you please fucking think of our child?!" he angrily exclaimed, his eyes glaring at me. He looks at me like he wants to kill me.

His words hurt me.

"I don't want to fight. I'm tired," I said weakly.

Can we go back to how things were before? I don't want us like this. We're so distant from each other now.

I'm afraid he might resort to violence if he loses his patience with me.

"Don't you think I'm not tired? Huh! Damn it, I'm tired too, Mia! I'm so damn tired! And you're not helping!" he retorted, pinching his nose in frustration.

"I'm even more tired! You always want to have your way! Is it right to confine me to this house, huh? No reasonable person would confine their spouse at home! You're not the Ethan I knew anymore. Let me go. I hate you, monster!"

His jaw clenched, and his fist tightened fiercely.

"What do you want to say?! I wouldn't fucking do these things if you weren't hurting me. You love to hurt me! I only have one request from you, to love me! But why can't you do it! I did all my best to fucking trust but you're giving me hundreds of reasons not to! Do you think I like what's happening, huh!"

I cried in front of him. I can't take the weight of my feelings anymore. We are shouting again.

"I know you hate me for doing this. Please don't sympathize with my son," he begged weakly.

"If you're tired of me, leave me. Leave your son and me! We don't need you!” I shouted at him.

"Mother fucker! Can we stop fighting I'm really tired. I have a lot of work to do and you're adding more!”

"Who said to give me time? Don't leave me to die of hunger!"

He closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath before opening them.

He approached me as I took steps backwards. Is he going to hurt me? He looked pained with each step I took away from him.

"Let's go to the kitchen," he said tiredly. He held my hand, which made me feel weak.

"I don't want to!" I stubbornly replied.

"I'm tired from work, Mia," he said firmly.

"I really don't want to!" I tried to retract my hand, but his grip on me tightened.

"Let's eat. I'll cook," he dismissed my words.

"Let me go. It hurts," I said, tears welling up.

I let out a scream when he suddenly lifted me up as if we were newlyweds. I hit his chest, but he didn't react at all.

“What the fuck!” I feel bad for him because of a mixture of anger and annoyance.

He cooked me what he wanted me to eat. We were both silent, no one wanted to talk. I was the only one eating while he was just looking at me.

The depth of his eyebags, it looks like he's not sleeping anymore. He doesn't look as fresh as when I first saw him. His face is also getting old. I know that his age is no longer on the calendar. He looked like a child when I first saw him. He also has wrinkles, the depth of his forehead wrinkles.

"Go there. I don't want to be next to you," I told him when he lay down.

He looked at me.

"You smell like a woman. I know that you met your girls and you flirted with the nurses who like you."

“Don’t pass the things you did. We both knew that you’re the cheater here.”

I couldn't respond to what he said.

"We're not doing anything wrong with Daze."

"Really? Why do you keep seeing your exes?" His voice sounded confrontational.

"You never think of my feelings but at least respect me as your husband."

We were arguing again.

"I'm sorry, I realized my mistakes. I won't repeat those things anymore. Forgive me. I know we can't bring back the past, but I won't repeat those mistakes. I don't want to lose you," I didn't want to cry, but I couldn't help it. I was crying because I couldn't hold it back. I'm so emotional.

He got up from lying down, approached me, and hugged me. I sobbed in tears because of what he did.

And something happened between us again.

The next morning, I woke up and he wasn't by my side. He always leaves early. Is he avoiding me?

I thought I would see him when I woke up because something happened between us. I glanced at the camera in the room. I stood up and grabbed a vase to cover it. I also took something hard to break the CCTV camera installed on the ceiling.

I know he'll be angry about what I did.

I'm hurting from what he's doing.

I left the room and was greeted by the household staff.

"Good morning ma'am. Sir said you should eat before he left earlier."

Sometimes I wonder if what's happening in our relationship is normal. I don't want to open up anymore because I know what they'll say. My sister will scold me and reprimand me. Everyone sides with Ethan.

I was just starting to eat when Mark suddenly arrived.

"Good morning, pregnant lady," he energetically greeted me.

"Wow! Did you change your house staff? Hi, miss," he greeted our youngest maid and even flirted with her. But she just smiled at him.

He pulled a chair next to me.

"Why do you look so sad? Is pregnancy not agreeing with you? Or are you lacking affection?" He teasingly asked me.

Why is love so complicated?

"Did you see Ethan?" I asked him. I wanted to know where he is.

"Why are you looking for him through me? Aren't you his wife?" He gave a philosophical response and poured himself some juice.

I fell silent because it seemed I wouldn't get any answers from him. I was just hoping that he saw Ethan. I've been waking up for several days now without finding him. Is he just coming home late or avoiding me?

"I haven't seen him at the hospital for weeks. Nathan and I haven't visited either," he casually told me.

"Does he visit the mansion?"

He shook his head.

My chest tightened from what I learned. Sometimes, it's better not to know things so we won't get hurt.

"Speaking of the mansion, Grandpa wants me to pick you up. He wants to talk to you."

I stopped chewing.

"Why?"

"I don't know. He didn't say. I felt uneasy when he asked me to take you there. Is there a problem?"

I got even more anxious from what he said.

Is he going to separate me from Ethan? Maybe they found out what's happening between us.

"I'll wait for you. Eat first before we leave," he said as he also got his food.

"I shouldn't have to be picked up because I have work. He's giving me money, of course. Who wouldn't accept that grace?" He said playfully.

"Why do you have a Good Friday face? Did you and my brother fight?" He asked, before I could answer, he spoke again.

"Don't overthink it. He loved you. He was crazy about you."

"I hurt him."

I feel comfortable opening up to him, or maybe I just don't have anyone else to talk to about this heavy feeling?

"You know, even though Ethan has a bad temper. You wouldn't know he has a bad temper, right? He's nice only to you. Even though I'm the older one between us, I'm the one who gets mistreated. I hope you won't hurt him and replace him. He loved you back then, but there are limits too."

I lost my appetite. Mark actually makes sense when he talks.

"He might not show how much he loves you but truly, believe what he feels. He doesn’t know how to show his love because he never felt it when he was a kid," he said while chewing, enjoying his meal alone.

It took us two hours before Mark and I left the house. While on the way, we were still teasing each other.

He was flirting with our new maid earlier, so it took us a while to leave, but he blamed me.

I pouted and stayed silent when he refused to back down.

"Don't pout like that. You look ugly," he said with a laugh.

I gave him a glare and got out of his car. We were now at the mansion. I was so sleepy during the ride, but I couldn't sleep because he was talking so much.

A nurse greeted me as soon as I entered. She led me to the old man's room.

I saw him with his back turned to me, sitting in his swivel chair.

"Good afternoon," I got his attention.

He turned to me and smiled.

"I will be straightforward. I’m planning to send Ethan abroad, and I heard you're pregnant?"

I nodded.

"You can come with him. I'll arrange everything for both of you."

"Why are you telling me this?"

I don't want to live in another country. I've traveled to many places before, and the Philippines is still different. I don't make friends in other countries.

"This is for the hospital. He is my heir, and I want him to be next to handle the hospital."

He approached me a bit.

"Ethan is stubborn. He doesn't want to go abroad. He can bring you, but he keeps on refusing. I called you here because I want you to convince him. I'm doing this for the future of your family, especially since you're pregnant."

This family is gaslighting.

I've heard from others that he's just using Ethan.

"I'll respect my husband's decision. If he doesn't want to, we can't do anything," I said in a flat tone because I was annoyed at him.

He seemed surprised by my response.

"And what's the point of sending him abroad? He's not your only grandchild, right? You can send Mark instead," I suggested.

"You have no respect in your answers!" He said angrily, clutching his chest.

"Please excuse me. I don't want to talk about this matter because my husband's decision will still be followed," I said and left the room.

Ethan also told me that they're being pressured to do things they don't want to.

"Hey, you talked so fast?" Mark asked me when he saw us. He was playing with the dog.

"Please take me home. Ethan might find out that I left and he might get angry."

"Going home already? Don't you want to hang out first?" He asked me.

Before I could answer, a red car pulled up, and an angry-looking Ethan greeted us.

I was stunned when Ethan punched his brother. The events happened so quickly that I couldn't react immediately.

Ethan's fist was clenched tightly as he glared at his brother, his anger evident in his eyes.

"What the fuck is your problem, bro!" Mark angrily exclaimed, wiping the side of his lip. He sat down on the floor due to the force of Ethan's punch.

"Fuck you! Where are you going to take my wife, huh!" Ethan shouted furiously. His veins were pulsating in his neck.

He punched Mark again and even kicked him.

"Ethan..." I called his name with fear in my voice. I was afraid to approach, fearing that he might hit me too in his rage.

Mark stood up and was about to punch Ethan back when I intervened, shouting in fear.

The two brothers started to fight, and they couldn't be restrained.

"Ethan, stop! Have mercy on your brother!" I pleaded with him.