Chapter 72 Heal yourself

<Mia>

"Ethan, please stop," I pleaded while tears streamed down my face.

He gave me a furious look.

"Bro, don't hurt her," Mark said to him.

"Shut the fuck up!" Ethan yelled at him, his gaze filled with rage.

I'm in excruciating pain because of what's happening in our relationship. How did we end up in this situation? My heart feels suffocated from the pain. I feel like I'm dying from regret. I can't bring everything back.

This is the lesson I learned the hard way.

Don't hurt the person who truly loves you.

Our attention was caught by a sudden shout.

"Grandpa!" We heard Mira's scream.

The next thing we heard were cries and shouts. Some of the household staff who were watching rushed inside the house.

What's happening?

"Grandpa!" Mark exclaimed and ran towards their unconscious grandfather being carried by two drivers.

"Grandpa is dead! Grandpa!" Mira screamed, her sobs making her nearly faint from crying.

"Ethan..." I whispered, but he took a step back, tears welling up in his eyes.

When Mira saw me, her sad eyes turned into anger.

"You! You killed Grandpa!" She shouted, pointing her finger at me. She ran towards me and pulled my hair.

"Mira!" Ethan shouted, trying to restrain her.

"You're the one who killed Grandpa!" Mira accused, her grip on my hair tightening.

"Damn it, Mira!" Ethan shouted forcefully, pushing her away; she fell to the ground and started crying again.

Some of the household staff were in tears.

"You were the last one to enter Grandpa's room before he died! You killed him!" She accused.

"I didn't kill him!"

"Are you crazy? You were the last person to enter Grandpa's room before the nurse went in, and he lost consciousness. I'll kill you too!"

She stood up and was about to rush at me.

"Try to harm my wife, and you'll have to deal with me!" Ethan yelled angrily, veins bulging on his neck, his ears turning red from rage. I stood behind him, he was protecting me from any harm.

"She killed Grandpa, and you're still defending her?"

Mira gave me a nasty look.

"Stop blaming my wife! How the hell are you so sure that she killed Grandpa, huh?" Ethan's anger-filled shout seemed like he was about to throw a punch at any moment. I gripped his fist tightly to stop him.

I didn't see Mark anymore; he probably went to the hospital.

Mira continued to cry and scream, seemingly losing her sanity.

As Ethan hugged me, my tears started flowing again, releasing all my pent-up emotions.

We were at their mansion when their grandfather had an attack, and now they were blaming me.

Tensions escalated, a battle between the twins and their family. They blamed me for what happened, but Ethan's anger created a conflict among them.

I was afraid of them; they were on the verge of physically hurting each other. None of them understood each other, and blame was being thrown around.

We returned to Ethan's house in the early hours of the morning.

I couldn't talk to him or touch him. He felt cold.

"Ethan..." I whispered, but he didn't hear me. He was focused on his phone, probably keeping up with the situation at the mansion. Nate even chased him when we left, but Ethan didn't even acknowledge his twin's anger.

I decided to lie down on the bed and cried silently.

What is happening to us? Why are things getting worse as the days go by?

I longed for his embrace and words of affirmation. I missed his affection and kisses so much. I gently touched my stomach.

Our relationship was in a rough patch. It felt like we couldn't fix it anymore because things had gotten so bad. We hadn't had a proper conversation for weeks.

Until when would we remain like this?

Why did things have to become like this just when I learned to love him?

The next day, it was already afternoon, and he wasn't home. The household staff was quiet.

I ate in silence as well, feeling helpless about what I wanted.

I noticed that the servants and guards were absent. I tried to go outside.

I escaped hastily.

I planned to meet with Dashie because I needed to talk. I needed someone to lean on. I felt like I would go insane if I didn't talk about my problems.

I wanted to tell Ethan about everything I was feeling, but he wasn't here – he was angry with me.

I couldn't reach Lorena either. She might be considering suicide due to her impending suffering.

Dashie was the only person I knew I could turn to at this moment.

I met with Dashie in Bonifacio Global City, which was close to Ethan's hospital.

I was confident he wouldn't look for me since he was likely busy with his grandfather's death.

"Dashie…" I called out to him as soon as I saw him. I ran towards him and hugged him tightly.

He hugged me back without asking any questions.

I sobbed in his arms while he gently stroked my back.

I wanted to speak, but it felt like there was a lump in my throat.

"Dashie," I whispered his name.

"Shh..." he hushed me.

I didn't know how many minutes we stayed in that position.

I began to calm down, but tears still streamed down my face.

"What happened?" He asked softly and wiped away my tears.

"Stop crying," he said in a soothing tone, "hmm... I'm here. Shh."

I was overwhelmed by the comfort he was providing. I missed Ethan even more.

"Everything will be alright."

"It's been weeks since Ethan and I haven't been okay. I think he doesn't love me anymore," I struggled to tell him.

"Who's Ethan?" He asked with a furrowed brow.

"I'm married, Dashie. We're going to have a child. Just when I had fallen in love with him, he started becoming distant. I love Ethan so much. But it seems like it's over for us. I don't know what to do."

I didn't know Dashie's reaction because I was preoccupied with the pain I was feeling, and my vision was blurry.

"Your husband loves you."

"It looks like he's tired of loving me. I never returned his love. I regret it so much. I don't know what to do to get back to how we were, to make things okay. I miss my husband. I feel safe with him. And now, I'm in so much pain. Dashie, it hurts so much," I repeated my words.

"I love him so much."

I felt like I was going crazy in front of him, not knowing what to do.

I'm incredibly stressed. I can't sleep or eat due to anxiety. I cry every night.

I'm so sad. I feel like I'm neglecting myself.

What if he has found someone else?

What if he no longer loves me and doesn't want me anymore?

What about our child?

Will he leave me?

Why is he putting up with this?

What will I do if he leaves me?

"Don't overthink it until he actually says something. Give him enough time."

"He's not saying anything, but his actions are clear. He's so distant from me. Does he not want me anymore? I don't know what to do. I think I'm going to die," I sobbed.

I'm tired of crying, but my eyes keep shedding tears.

I want to lose control to release some of the heaviness I'm feeling.

Dashie moved to another chair and sat beside me. He hugged me.

"Give him enough time, then talk to him. Discuss your problems. If he doesn't love you anymore, he would have left you already."

His words somehow revived me.

I was about to say something when someone suddenly pulled Dashie away, and I gasped in shock as I saw Ethan delivering a powerful punch to him.

Dashie was sent flying by the force of the blow.

I looked at Ethan in fear.

"Fuck, Mia!" He shouted angrily, which sent shivers down my spine.

His eyes were red with anger.

"Really, Mia, huh! Hugging your ex! You're acting like you're fucking single! May I remind you that you're fucking married!" He yelled, his veins popping on his neck.

"Ethan, you're misunderstanding," I tried to hug him, but he slapped my hand away.

"I can accept that you don't love me anymore, but seeing you embrace your ex! Mia, is the pain you've caused me not enough?" He said weakly.

My world stopped as tears welled up in his eyes.

“Ethan…”

"The pain you're making me feel is already too much. I've understood you too much. I waited for you. Mia, am I not enough? What more do you want, huh! Fuck!" He shouted in frustration, running his fingers through his own hair.

He glanced at Dashie and started throwing punches at him.

There were people around us, but no one was intervening. I stood frozen, watching Ethan brutally attack Dashie with his fists.

He kicked Dashie, who was defenseless. Then he turned his furious gaze towards me.

"Fuck! Do you think I'll let you live with him? Fuck, fine, you fucking love your ex-boyfriend! You love him, right? Fuck it, go be together! I'm fucking ending our marriage! My lawyer is going to send you divorce papers! Fuck it, go be together. A fucking cheater and liar!" He angrily ranted at me before turning away.

"Ethan, wait! You're thinking wrong!" I chased after him and grabbed his hand.

"What other lies do you have for me? Haven't I seen enough? Haven't I learned enough? Fuck, Mia! Stop it! It hurts so much! I don't want this anymore!" He shouted.

He doesn't want this anymore?

Did I hear that right? He doesn't want this anymore.

"Dashie is just comforting me. We're not doing anything wrong. He was there as a friend," I tried to explain, but it seemed like I said the wrong thing.

He looked even angrier.

"And you let every damn person comfort you, and it's your ex-boyfriend! Are you really fucking with me? I'm not fucking stupid!"

"I don't know what to do because you were cold to me. Believe me, Ethan, please. You're the one I love. And we're not doing anything wrong."

"I won't believe your lies anymore. Stop it. I'm tired. Let's free each other," he said, removing my hand from his arm.

I sobbed in pain as he turned away from me completely.

"Ethan..." I whispered his name.

I felt a sharp pain in my stomach.

"Ethan, I'm bleeding!" I managed to scream his name, even though I was growing weaker and someone caught his attention.

"Take her to the hospital!" A stranger shouted.

Before I knew it, I saw Ethan's gaze shift towards me, and his eyes widened at the sight of blood on my thigh. I saw him rushing towards me, but before he could reach me, I lost consciousness.