The Man They Never Knew

3

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Ethan simply looked at her, and as he did, an overwhelming sense of disappointment settled over him.

They had been married for years. For five years, they had desperately tried to have a child. Five years of hospital visits, examinations, medications, hope, disappointment, and countless nights when Jenny had cried in his arms because another attempt had failed.

Ethan had never stopped hoping, neither had their family.

Everyone had been waiting. Everyone had been looking forward to the arrival of this child.

And Jenny had finally become pregnant. Sixteen weeks of carrying the child they had waited five years for.

Yet she had chosen to risk everything for David. A man who was, essentially, a stranger to their marriage.

Ethan slowly exhaled.

“I’m disappointed in you, Jenny.”

Jenny’s eyes immediately filled with tears.

“Disappointed?”

“Yes.”

She stared at him incredulously. “You’re making me sound like some kind of monster.”

Ethan said nothing.

Jenny’s voice became sharper. “I lost my baby too, Ethan!”

“I know.”

“Do you?” Her tears spilled over. “Because you keep talking as if I deliberately sacrificed our child!”

“I never said that.”

“But that’s exactly what you’re implying!”

Jenny wiped her tears angrily.

“You loved me before this child existed. You married me before we had a child. So why does it suddenly feel like your entire love for me depended on whether I could give you a baby?”

Ethan’s eyes darkened. “That isn’t what this is about.”

“Then what is it about?”

“It’s about what you chose.”

Jenny stared at him.

Ethan continued quietly, “We spent five years trying to have this child.”

His voice remained steady, but there was pain beneath every word.

“Five years, Jenny.”

She lowered her gaze.

“Our families waited for this. We waited for this.”

Ethan looked toward her stomach. “And when you finally became pregnant, you hid it from me.”

Jenny’s lips trembled.

Ethan looked at her for several seconds before speaking again. “You keep saying David needed you.”

“He did.”

“You keep saying he saved your life.”

“He did.”

“And because of that, you’ve spent years giving him everything.”

Jenny frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Ethan gave a humorless smile. “You want me to remind you?”

He stepped closer. “You gave David a job in one of our companies.”

“He needed work.”

“You gave him a position most people would have spent years earning.”

“He was capable.”

“You bought him a luxury house.”

Jenny’s expression stiffened. “He needed somewhere to live.”

“You bought him a high-end car.”

“I was helping him.”

“You paid his medical bills.”

Jenny looked away.

“You covered his debts.”

Silence.

“You fulfilled almost every request he made.”

Ethan’s voice remained calm. “Every time David wanted something, you found a way to give it to him.”

Jenny’s hands tightened around the blanket. “He needed help.”

Ethan stared at her.

“David is the son of a criminal, Jenny.”

Her expression changed.

“You knew exactly who his father was. You knew the kind of family he came from. And yet you still gave him a lucrative job, a luxury home, an expensive car, and enough money to live comfortably.”

“He isn’t his father.”

“I never said he was.”

Ethan paused, his gaze fixed on her. “But you gave him far more than you ever needed to.”

Jenny looked at him angrily. “So what? You want me to feel guilty for helping someone?”

“No.” Ethan’s expression was strangely calm. “I want you to be honest with yourself.”

Jenny stared at him, unable to understand where he was going with this. Ethan’s gaze shifted briefly toward David, who was still standing near the doorway.

“Because sometimes I wonder…” He paused before looking back at Jenny. “…why you don’t just marry him.”

The room went silent.

David’s face changed, while Jenny’s eyes widened.

“Ethan!”

“You’ve already given him everything else.” His voice remained emotionless. “A job. A house. A car. Money. Your time. Your loyalty.”

He looked directly at her.

“Why not give him your marriage too?”

Jenny’s face flushed with anger. “You’re unbelievable!”

“I’m only asking.”

“You think I’m some ungrateful monster because I tried to save someone’s life?”

“No.”

“Then what do you want from me?”

“The truth.”

“You want the truth?” Jenny’s voice rose. “Fine!”

She pointed at him with trembling fingers.

“If I hadn’t married you, marrying David wouldn’t have been a bad choice at all!”

The words echoed through the room.

Silence.

Jenny froze, her own expression changed immediately. She had not meant to say it.

Not like that.

“Ethan…”

Jenny covered her mouth. “I didn’t mean—”

But Ethan simply looked at her.

There was no anger. No shock. No heartbreak visible on his face. Only a strange calm.

For some reason, that frightened Jenny more than his anger ever had.

“Ethan, I was angry.”

He nodded. “I know.”

“I didn’t mean that.”

“You don’t have to explain.”

“I was just upset.”

“I understand.”

“Ethan…”

He looked at her one last time.

“For years, I’ve wondered where I stood in your heart.”

Jenny’s tears began falling again.

“I wondered why you were always running to David. Why you kept giving him more and more. Why you defended him every time I questioned anything.”

His voice remained quiet. “And now I don’t have to wonder anymore.”

Jenny shook her head desperately. “No. That’s not what I meant.”

“Maybe not.”

Ethan gave a faint smile. “But perhaps you finally said what you’ve been afraid to say.”

“Ethan, please.”

He turned toward the door.

“Where are you going?”

“Home.”

Jenny stared at him. “You’re leaving me here?”

Ethan stopped, then he looked back at her.

“No.” He said, his voice calm. “I’m leaving this marriage.”

Jenny’s heart dropped.“What?”

Ethan held her gaze. “We’re getting a divorce.”