The Man They Never Knew

7

The question remained suspended in Ethan’s mind, refusing to disappear.

He tried to think, tried to remember every moment from the past sixteen weeks.

Every time Jenny had avoided his questions. Every time she had left the house. Every time she had rushed to David’s side.

But his thoughts had become increasingly sluggish, and the room seemed to tilt around him. Ethan blinked several times, trying to steady his vision, but the ceiling above him suddenly blurred.

He reached for the edge of the sofa, desperately trying to keep himself upright, but his fingers slipped.

“Damn…” His voice was barely audible.

The crushing weight of the day finally became too much… the grief, the betrayal, the divorce, and the child he had lost before he had even known he existed.

And the unbearable question of whether the woman he had loved for most of his life had ever truly been faithful to him.

His breathing became uneven as he tried to stand, but his legs suddenly felt weak. The room spun violently around him, forcing Ethan to take one unsteady step, then another.

His vision began to darken at the edges as he reached toward the sofa again, desperately trying to steady himself.

Too late.

His knees gave out, and his body collapsed heavily onto the floor.

“Ethan!” A woman’s startled gasp came from nearby.

Footsteps hurried across the room.

Just before darkness swallowed his consciousness completely, Ethan felt a pair of arms catch him before his head struck the floor.

“Ethan! Oh my God!”

The familiar voice trembled with panic.

Then everything went black.

The woman’s hand instinctively pressed against his forehead, and her expression changed instantly.

“You’re burning up…”

She quickly slipped one arm around his waist and carefully helped him to his feet.

He was barely conscious.

His weight leaned heavily against her as she struggled to keep him upright.

“Come on. Stay with me.”

Ethan didn’t respond.

His eyes remained closed, his breathing uneven.

The woman managed to get him outside and into her car. After carefully fastening his seat belt, she hurried around to the driver’s side and started the engine.

The moment it roared to life, she stepped on the accelerator, sending the car shooting out of the driveway.

As she drove, she glanced at Ethan repeatedly, her fingers tightening around the steering wheel. “Please be okay…”

But Ethan seemed completely unaware of where he was. His head rested against the window, his face pale and drenched in sweat. Then, suddenly, his lips moved.

“Jenny…”

The woman froze for half a second before immediately looking at him. “What did you say?”

Ethan’s brows furrowed. “Jenny…” His voice was weak and painful. “She… she killed our baby…”

The woman’s heart tightened. “Ethan…”

He swallowed with difficulty, his breathing becoming more ragged. “Our baby…” A tear slipped from the corner of his closed eye. “We waited five years…”

His fingers curled weakly against the seat. “Five years…”

The woman’s eyes reddened. She had never seen Ethan like this. The man she had always known as calm, composed, and capable now looked completely broken.

“I wanted our baby…” His voice cracked. “I wanted to meet my child…”

The woman tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “Don’t think about it now. We’re almost there.”

But Ethan continued mumbling, trapped in the pain of his memories. “She chose him…” His face twisted with anguish. “She chose David…”

The woman’s expression darkened. “Ethan, stop talking. Save your strength.”

But he couldn’t hear her. His mind was trapped in the hospital—in Jenny’s words, in the doctor’s confirmation, and in the tiny life that had existed inside his wife for sixteen weeks.

She clenched her jaw.

“Please… don’t let anything happen to you.”

****

Late that night, the lights of the city flickered through the windows as Jenny finally left the hospital and went home.

Her steps were slow, exhaustion weighing heavily on her body, but something else was troubling her.

Ethan.

After everything that had happened at the hospital, she knew she could no longer avoid the conversation. She needed to explain herself—properly.

She needed to tell him everything she had been unable to say in the hospital.

Perhaps if Ethan calmed down, he would understand. Perhaps he would realize that she had never betrayed him. And perhaps… they could still fix their marriage.

Jenny stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath before unlocking it.

Click.

The door opened.

“Ethan?”

Her voice echoed through the house, but there was no answer.

Jenny frowned as she stepped inside and reached for the light switch.

Click.

Nothing happened.

The house remained completely dark.

“Ethan?”

She hurried toward the living room, but it was empty. The sofa was untouched, and the dining table was bare. There was no sign of him anywhere.

Jenny’s heart suddenly sank.

She rushed upstairs. The bedroom was empty too. His clothes were still there. His shoes were still there.

But Ethan was gone.

Jenny stood frozen in the middle of the room, unable to breathe for a moment.

Had he really left?

Had he truly made up his mind to end everything between them?

Her fingers began to tremble. “No…” She shook her head slowly. “He wouldn’t…”

But even as she said it, the memory of Ethan’s expression at the hospital flashed through her mind—the cold, broken look in his eyes, the way he had said he was done, and the way he had walked away without looking back.

Jenny’s face turned pale as she suddenly realized that this time, Ethan might really mean it. The thought terrified her.

She hurried back downstairs and pulled out her phone. Her hands shook as she searched for Ethan’s number before pressing the call button.

Ring…

Ring…

Ring…

The sound echoed through the silent house as Jenny stared at the screen. “Pick up…”

The phone continued ringing, and her breathing became increasingly unsteady. “Ethan, please…”

Still nothing.

She swallowed hard. Maybe he was ignoring her. Maybe he had turned off his phone.

Maybe…

Her eyes began to sting as the call continued ringing. Just as Jenny was about to hang up, the line suddenly connected.

Her eyes widened.

“Ethan?”

There was silence on the other end.

Jenny’s heart pounded as she tightened her grip on the phone. “Ethan, where are you? I’ve been trying to reach you…”

But the person on the other end didn’t answer immediately.

Then, a woman’s voice came through the phone.

“Hello?”