"Clara, are you okay?"

He rushed forward, examining me with concern.

I felt as if I had found a lifeline, grabbing Julian’s hand: "Julian, take me to the emergency room. Ethan vomited so much blood—will he die? I hate him for hurting me, but I don't want him to die! Will you take me? I’m begging you..."

Listening to my tear-choked pleas, Julian was heartbroken: "Listen to me, Ethan is currently in emergency treatment. You can’t help him right now. Once he’s okay, I’ll take you to see him."

I felt as if I had been struck, my strength slowly being drained away, my hands dropping powerlessly.

In my chaotic thoughts, Ethan’s pale face flashed again and again.

"I don't want him to die, I really don't..."

Even if they were separated, she only hoped they could live their own lives without bothering each other.

Even if someone were to die, it shouldn't be him...

Looking at me in such pain, Xu Li sighed: "Clara, if you want to see your husband, you have to take your medicine and rest well. Otherwise, if he sees you like this, he’ll definitely be worried."

Hearing this, my eyes brightened.

That’s right, I have to be well to see Ethan; otherwise, I won’t have the strength to argue about the divorce...

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the dull ache in my heart: "Julian, you must tell me his surgery results."

I paused, then added: "Don't lie to me again."

Listening to this, Julian and Xu Li felt a mix of complex emotions.

"Okay," Julian nodded solemnly.

Chapter 40

After watching me take my medicine and lie down, Julian finally hurried off to the emergency room.

Upon receiving the news, my father-in-law sat on the bench outside the operating room, his expression unreadable, though his clasped hands were trembling.

Seeing this, he didn't know what to say.

Not long after, the door to the operating room opened, and the doctor walked out.

My father-in-law stepped forward immediately, asking urgently: "Doctor, how is my son?"

The doctor removed his mask: "He was injected with ricin, but the solution must have been diluted, and the rescue was timely, so there is currently no danger to his life."

Hearing this, my father-in-law’s tightly strung nerves finally relaxed, and his figure stumbled slightly: "As long as he’s okay, as long as he’s okay..."

Julian, standing to the side, couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as well.

Although he didn't get along with Ethan, when it concerned me, he didn't want to see him die just like that.

Half an hour later, Ethan, still unconscious, was wheeled into the ward.

The sky gradually darkened, and the rain that had been falling all day slowly ceased.

"Ethan!"

I woke up with a start from a nightmare, cold sweat dampening my forehead.

Xu Li, who was changing my IV drip, quickly took a tissue and gently wiped the sweat from my forehead: "You're awake. Is anything uncomfortable?"

I remained dazed for a moment before snapping back to reality, asking urgently: "Sister Xu Li, where is Ethan? How is he?"

"Don't worry, he's fine. He's in the ward right next door."

Hearing this answer, my heart finally settled. I threw off the blanket and reached for my wheelchair.

Seeing me in such a rush, Xu Li hurriedly held me back: "You just had an injection; you need to rest."

I pleaded: "I just want to go see him, Sister Xu Li, please help me..."

Xu Li had always been soft-hearted, and feeling sorry for what the two of us had been through, she relented.

In the ward next door.

The smell of medicine was much stronger, making it difficult for me even to breathe.

Ethan lay on the bed; although his face was still pale, he already looked much better.

Xu Li pushed me to the side of the bed and whispered: "I'm going to get your medicine; I'll be back in a moment."

Seeing me nod, she turned and left.

Looking at Ethan’s tightly closed eyes, I couldn't help but think of what he had said on the rooftop.

"Clara, I haven't done anything for you in this life, and I’ve always made you sad and hurt. As long as you can live well, I’m willing to do anything."

My eyes turned red, and I couldn't help but reach out to stroke his slightly cool cheek: "It was clearly you who wronged me, so why make me feel so guilty... Ethan, can't you just treat me a little better?"

As soon as I finished, my father-in-law walked in.

I came to my senses, quickly suppressing my tears and pulling back my hand.

My father-in-law sighed heavily and sat down slowly: "Clara, let's talk."

Looking at my father-in-law’s increasingly aged face, I felt a pang of guilt: "Uncle, I..."

Before I could finish, he interrupted: "You and Ethan aren't divorced yet—are you still refusing to call me 'Dad'?"

I was speechless: "No, it's just..."

He didn't mind my hesitation and fixed his gaze on Ethan: "I never thought both father and son would end up walking the same path."

Hearing this, a flash of confusion crossed my eyes.

My father-in-law lowered his eyes slightly, recounting a past untold: "My marriage to Ethan’s mother was arranged by our parents. I was young and headstrong then and couldn't bear to live with a woman I didn't love, so I rarely came home and would even lose my temper at her when I was drunk."

"She was very gentle. No matter how I treated her, she never seemed to get angry. Gradually, I realized I didn't actually hate her; I even started to like her, until we had Ethan and then a second child."

Hearing this, I froze.

A second child?

Wasn't Ethan the only child in the Ethan family?

My father-in-law’s eyes filled with regret and self-reproach: "Ethan was two years old then, and the child in her womb was five months along. I was away on a business trip and never expected that my former lover would suddenly go and say many hateful things to her... By the time I rushed back, she was lying in the operating room, and the child was already gone..."

Chapter 41

My father-in-law raised his hand and clutched his hair, which was streaked with silver.

"Ever since then, she never said another word to me. Even on her deathbed, she refused to let me see her once and even told all our relatives not to let me appear before her grave..."

By now, my father-in-law’s voice carried a hint of a sob.

For over twenty years, he had never spoken of this in front of anyone, nor had he revealed a shred of sadness, not even to Ethan, his own son, who knew nothing of these past events.

Looking at my tearful father-in-law, I lost my voice.

"Clara, I know Ethan has done many foolish things that have disappointed and hurt you, but that he loves you is undeniable. I believe you must still love him as well. Since you love each other, don't separate easily, lest you end up with lifelong regrets like me."

I listened, slowly lowering my head: "Dad, could you let me think about it..."

I paused, then continued: "After Ethan wakes up, I will have a good talk with him."

I gazed at Ethan for a while before turning my wheelchair to leave.

My father-in-law slowly took Ethan’s hand, speaking earnestly: "Ethan, you must never end up like Dad..."

In the corridor, I stared distractedly into the empty hallway.

The scales in my heart tipped back and forth—on one side, the child and mother I had lost, and on the other, the feelings for Ethan that I simply could not let go of.

The two sides were like fire and water, constantly clashing, leaving my thoughts in chaos.

I took out my phone and pulled up a picture of my mother, muttering blankly to myself: "Mom, you said that one-sided feelings wouldn't last, but now that there’s effort from both sides, is there still a chance to start over?"

No one answered.

Only the low, hoarse sobbing of a woman from a ward a few steps away.

I froze, turning my wheelchair toward it.

In the ward was another ALS patient, just like me.

But he was in the late stages; not only could he not move, he couldn't even speak clearly.

He lay on the hospital bed, with porridge spilled on his mouth and hospital gown.

His wife wiped the floor while wiping her tears: "I’ve served you for seven or eight years, and that’s enough. If you really have me in your heart and truly care for me, just let go and stop dragging me down."

These words, half-complaint and half-helplessness, struck hard against my heart.

Sister Xu Li had said they were a loving couple. When the man was diagnosed with the disease years ago, everyone had urged the woman to divorce him, but she had insisted on staying by his side to care for him.