Remember That Hurt

Chapter 14 This was too far

　　After what felt like forever, Ethan started rambling more and more, and soon tipped over into agitation.

　　Barefoot and pacing like a madman, he seemed totally disconnected from reality.

　　Brandon followed close, nervous as hell. He kept thinking, "Man, when the boss snaps out of this, will he come after me for witnessing all this?"

　　Still barely holding it together, Brandon made a quick call to Jasmine.

　　"Ethan!" Jasmine called out as she arrived.

　　But Ethan didn't even glance at her. Her eyes flicked to Brandon's awkward expression, and she felt the sting of embarrassment.

　　Biting her lip, she carefully rolled her wheelchair over and gently took Ethan's hand. "Ethan, none of this is your fault. Anna wasn't exactly a good person."

　　"She doesn't deserve this," she added softly.

　　"She wasn't a good person?" Ethan finally reacted, his voice low.

　　"Yes, exactly!" Jasmine responded quickly, a hopeful smile creeping in.

　　But seeing her lips curve like that made Ethan's gaze go cold. His disappointment was impossible to miss.

　　"Jasmine, don't come here again."

　　Jasmine froze, disbelief in her eyes. "Ethan, what are you saying?!"

　　"I was in love with Anna," Ethan spelled out each word slowly and clearly.

　　"As long as she loved me, as long as she stayed by my side, it didn't matter how manipulative or flawed she was. I'd still accept her." He gave a bitter chuckle, wishing he'd figured this out sooner.

　　Jasmine couldn't wrap her head around it. This was the man she'd been in love with for years, saying things that broke her heart.

　　Looking at Ethan's face, filled with pain and devotion, she couldn't help but find it absurd.

　　"She's dead, Ethan! There's no going back!" Her words were sharp—if she was hurting, she'd make sure he was too.

　　"Even if she were alive, after the way you treated her, you really think she'd still love you?" Jasmine shot him a cruel look.

　　Ethan visibly flinched, like she'd ripped something wide open inside him.

　　Then, with a roar, he snapped, "She's not dead! I'm bringing her back."

　　Then he turned to Brandon without sparing Jasmine another glance. "Start the car.""Alright, Mr. Donovan, I'll head out right now." Brandon quickly dashed away.

　　Ethan followed closely behind. One of the housekeepers, seeing the situation, hurried to hand him a pair of slippers—after all, he was still in pajamas; going out in dress shoes would've looked ridiculous.

　　At the hospital, Ethan grabbed a doctor. "Where's my wife?"

　　He was infamous at that hospital by now, so when the nurses and doctors saw him storm in wearing pajamas and slippers, they figured he'd raced straight from home.

　　Too bad the answer wasn't what he wanted to hear. "Your wife has already been cremated."

　　"Cremated?!"

　　"Who gave you permission to do that?" Ethan's voice shot up an octave as he yanked the doctor by the collar and slammed him against the wall.

　　"She wasn't gone yet! You people just rushed her off—the hell is wrong with you?! I'm gonna sue every last one of you!" Anger poured out of him, but his eyes were already welling up.

　　The doctor's face turned pale. His voice shook. "She passed shortly after being sent to the ER..."

　　"With all those doctors around, there's no way it was a misdiagnosis," the man mumbled defensively, over and over.

　　Ethan finally let go of him, face dark as night, and stormed off toward the morgue.

　　Brandon stayed behind, awkward and apologetic, trying desperately to smooth things over with the hospital staff.

　　Total lunatic, someone whispered behind him.

　　Watching Ethan's silhouette disappear, the doctor cursed under his breath and left—after all, the guy was just some poor soul who'd lost his wife.

　　At the morgue, Ethan searched every corner but didn't find Anna.

　　In the end, a nurse who couldn't bear it anymore quietly brought out an urn.

　　Now, it was just Brandon standing there with Ethan.

　　"Anna, I'll stay with you. No matter what," Ethan murmured.

　　"So please... don't leave me behind."

　　His eyes fixed on the urn. Then, out of nowhere, he popped the lid open and reached in.

　　Brandon's eyes bulged. Was Mr. Donovan seriously—

　　Whatever grudge he had, this was too far!

　　Brandon's heart ached. He looked away, feeling torn and powerless.

　　Cough! Cough!

　　The sudden choking sound made Brandon jolt in place.

　　But nothing could've prepared him for what he saw when he turned back.

　　Ethan had actually... eaten the ashes?!