Ethan seemed stunned into silence by the barrage, his gaze fixed on the floor. After a long moment, he man- aged to choke out a single question.
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“Audrey… do you hate me that much?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation. “I don’t just hate you. I despise you. So stay the hell away from me.
With that, I turned and ran back to Leo, taking his hand and pulling him away.
“Wifeyyy,” he crooned, his playful tone returning. “You love me so muuuuch.”
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Hearing his teasing voice, I finally let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. My back was safe tonight.
Or so I thought.
I was so, so wrong. The night was… intense.
I thought my harsh words would have finally gotten through to him, but a few days later, he showed up at a lecture I was giving. Since I could no longer practice medicine, I had turned to teaching–from saving lives
to teaching others how to save them.
He looked even more haggard than before, with dark, bruised circles under his eyes.
Throughout the entire lecture, his gaze never left me. When it was over and the hall had emptied, leaving just
the two of us, he slowly walked down the aisle toward the stage. Each footstep echoed in the silence, grati-
ng on my already frayed nerves.
“Ethan, what the hell do you want?”
He stopped, his eyes darkening. “I just wanted to ask… why did you stop being a doctor?”
I let out a cold, sarcastic laugh and held up my right hand, showing him the faint, silvery scars on my wrist.
“Have you forgotten? You told me to reflect on my actions. This is the result of my reflection.”
His eyes widened in horror. He stumbled back three steps, muttering, “No, how could… I didn’t know…
“I didn’t know it would be like that,” he stammered. “I thought… she was just a woman, I didn’t think she wou- Id hit you that hard…”
One careless, dismissive thought had cost me my entire life’s work. The memory of that dark time, of the two years I spent on antidepressants just to function, rose up like bile in my throat. The annoyance I felt toward him curdled into pure disgust.
“Ethan, if you don’t want another slap, you’ll get out of here. Now.”
He flinched. “I’m sorry. I actually came here today to apologize.” His words were rushed. “After what you said at the airport, I went and found the anesthesiologist. I made her tell me what really happened back then. She admitted that Chloe put her up to it, that she…” He choked on the words. “I’m sorry, Audrey. I’m so, so sorry. I really didn’t know.”
His repeated apologies meant nothing to me.
“You remember what I said at the airport,” I stated, “but do you also remember me saying that justice that
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comes too late is just bullshit?” I held up my hand again. “Or do you think your pathetic ‘I’m sorry‘ now can magically heal my hand?”
His gaze fell on the scars, and he winced as if in physical pain.
“Audrey, please, just give me one more chance. You said it yourself, people make mistakes when they’re young! I was deceived by Chloe! She was always such a sweet girl in college, I had no idea she could beco- me so malicious.”
