Chapter 38

I avoided speaking or looking directly at Ethan the rest of the day, the sound of his voice and the sight of his frowning face becoming unbearable. With each attempt to engage me in conversation or his glances in my direction, my mood became more palpable. My fading concealer and the tension in the air only heightened my discomfort.

Eventually, I couldn't bear it any longer and sought solace in the stairwell. Leaning against the cool, concrete wall, I tried to gather my thoughts amidst the echoing sound of my breathing, resembling a frantic heartbeat bouncing off the walls. My mind raced, searching for an escape from the tangled web Ember had woven.

Just as I was about to return upstairs, still with no answer except one, to end it, the door swung open, and Ethan entered, his eyes scanning the dimly lit space in search of me. Dropping his arms, he approached me, his eyebrows furrowed with concern. "Want to clue me in on what the hell is going on? Cause, I sure as fuck don't have a clue!"

I played with the ends of my hair, trying to conceal the visible area of bruising from Ethan's probing gaze, hoping that my efforts had succeeded. "Sorry, I didn't realize I was..." I mumbled, my voice barely audible amidst the tension.

He came to a halt, his words snapping with frustration, "Bullshit! What the hell kind of fucking game—" His words abruptly ceased as he leaned closer to my face, his eyes scrutinizing my features. With a gentle touch, he pushed my hair away from my cheek, revealing the obvious bruise. His once warm eyes turned hard and cold. "Where the fuck did that come from?" he demanded.

Tentatively, I reached up and softly touched the bruise. "I, uh... slipped in the shower this morning."

He stared at me intently, his disbelief evident in his eyes, and I offered a slight shrug. "Clumsy, huh?"

Ethan jerked back, his body flinching as though I had delivered a sharp slap. I could almost feel the sting in the air. “Try again, Nicole. Don’t even try to bullshit me." His voice was filled with a mix of anger and disbelief, making my heart race. I should have known that my explanation wouldn’t work with him, but I had nowI trapped myself with a lie that I couldn’t take back.

“Honest. I slipped!” I pleaded.

At my continued denial, he let out a hiss of frustration. “I don’t know why the hell you’re lying to me, but I know that," he gestured towards the bruise on my face, the dark, angry colors contrasting against my skin, "didn’t come from a slip in the shower. You know what? As the cold-shoulder started last night, I have a pretty damn good idea of where it did come from." With those words, he stormed off and left me standing in the stairwell, the silence echoing in my ears.

An hour later, outside Ethan’s home, I stood hesitantly. The air was heavy with anticipation. I had a plan to go inside, grab my belongings and Thurston, and then disappear. I knocked on the front door, but there was no answer. The silence hung in the air, making me uneasy. Feeling a mix of apprehension and determination, I reluctantly used the key Ethan had given me to unlock the door and let myself in.

Gasping, my eyes widened as I took in the chaotic scene before me. The living room was a mess, with debris scattered all over the floor. Papers, candles, and pillows were strewn about haphazardly, creating a disarray of colors and textures. As I cautiously ventured further into the house, the sight in the other rooms mirrored the chaos of the living room. The disarray seemed to seep into every corner, overwhelming my senses.

I stood in awe, taking it all in. The overwhelming smell of tension and anger lingered in the air, mixing with the scent of burning candles and the faint aroma of something forgotten on the stove. The atmosphere was charged with emotion, leaving me feeling small and insignificant in the midst of it all.

Suddenly, the sound of shouting reached my ears from somewhere within the house. The voices clashed, a cacophony of anger and frustration. Not wanting to intrude on a private moment, I quickly turned and rushed back out the door. The tension in the air seemed to intensify, making it hard to breathe. I hoped that luck was on my side and that no one would realize I had been there, the fear of being caught sending chills down my spine.

As I reached my pickup truck, a wave of nausea washed over me, the stress and anxiety taking its toll. My hands trembled as I grasped the steering wheel, the cold metal offering a small sense of grounding. With a sense of urgency, I shifted the transmission into gear and carefully backed out of the driveway, my heart pounding in my chest. I needed to leave, to escape the chaos that had consumed both Ethan and our relationship.

~~

An hour passed as I drove around, the uncertainty weighing heavily on my mind. The waning sun illuminated the dark road, casting eerie shadows that danced across my windshield. The distant sound of car engines and the occasional honk filled the air, reminding me of the danger I posed to others. My hands trembled on the wheel, my grip unsteady as my thoughts raced in disarray.

Finally, I couldn't ignore the chaos within me any longer. Flicking on my blinker, I pulled over to the side of the road. The gravel crunched beneath my tires as I came to a stop, the sound echoing in the silence. The scent of exhaust fumes floated in the air.

I needed a moment to collect myself, to figure out how to mend the damage I had caused. Should I apologize to Ember? The thought lingered in my mind, but I quickly dismissed it. No, I couldn't bring myself to apologize. Though I acknowledged my wrongdoing in having an affair with her husband, she had assaulted me, igniting the current conflict between her and Ethan. I couldn't bear the weight of that blame. As I contemplated my next move, my cell phone suddenly interrupted the stillness with Ethan's ringtone. The shrill sound pierced through my thoughts, jolting me back to reality. Uncertain of whether to answer or ignore it, I hesitated. Was this call the catalyst for ending our tangled web? The decision was unclear, but curiosity got the better of me. I reached for the phone resting on the passenger seat and brought it to my ear.

"You can come back now," Ethan's voice resonated through the line, catching me off guard. He'd known I had been there all along.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Ethan—what about Ember? I replied, my voice filled with uncertainty.

Frustration evident in his tone. "Fuck, Ember. Her ass is gone," he interjected. The words hung in the air, heavy with a mix of resignation and anger.

My silence enveloped the line, broken only by Ethan's exhalation. "Whatever," he muttered, and the call abruptly ended.

Within minutes, my phone rang again, disrupting the stillness. "Will you please come here so we can talk?" Ethan's plea echoed through the receiver, pleading for resolution.