Hearts Remember What Minds Try To Forget by Rex Wilder 25

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I woke to the sharp sting of disinfectant. 

Through blurred vision, I saw Ethan’s bloodshot eyes, his face gaunt and desperate. 

The moment I stirred, he seized my hand, grip iron–tight, voice raw with fear. 

“Ella! You’re awake! God, you scared me… My mom–she was just too worried about the kid, she lost her head, just wanted to teach you a lesson… I’m sorry, baby, I’m so sorry!” 

He leaned in, lips aiming for my forehead. I turned away. 

“A lesson?” My voice broke, tears spilling silently.“I almost died.” 

Ethan flinched like my words cut flesh. He scrambled to explain, panicked. 

“It was an accident! I swear, it’ll never happen again! Once you’re better, I’ll take you to that auction. Anything you want–I’ll buy it. Whatever you want, Ella, it’s yours. Let me make it up to you, okay?” 

Make it up? 

The suffocating terror, the black pit of despair–was that nothing more than a “lesson” to him? Something money and trinkets could 

erase? 

I shut my eyes. Inside, something cold and final snapped. 

A shrill ringtone pierced the air. 

Ethan snatched up the call. 

“Ethan! Liam’s awake! He’s crying for Daddy–you have to come!” Sophia’s tear–soaked voice spilled through the phone, punctuated by 

a child’s sobs. 

Ethan’s face drained. He glanced at me, torn between dread and urgency. 

“Ella, Liam’s crying bad. I just–I have to check on him, but I’ll be right back, I promise. Rest, okay? Wait for me.” 

I stayed silent, eyes closed. Only his hurried footsteps answered. 

But he never came back. 

The next time I saw him was the day I was discharged. 

“Ella, come on. Let’s hit the auction house, take your mind off things.” 

He offered a placating smile. I slid into the car without a word. 

The ride was thick with awkward silence. He kept trying to chat, but my answers were clipped, barely a syllable. 

When we pulled up to the auction house, Sophia stood at the entrance, Liam in her arms, smiling expectantly. 

Ethan froze, then stammered out, “Liam… threw a fit. Insisted on tagging along. Kids, right? Just curious.” 

Inside, I sat beside him, but I might as well have been invisible. 

His entire focus was on Sophia and the boy–explaining the auction in a soft, patient tone, smiling as he ruffled Liam’s hair. 

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Every now and then, he leaned in to whisper to Sophia, their shoulders brushing, their voices warm, intimate. 

That tenderness used to be mine. 

Now, sitting right there, I was nothing. 

The auctioneer unveiled a ruby necklace. Sophia’s eyes lit up, awe and longing written all over her face. 

Liam tugged at Ethan’s arm, voice baby–sweet, each word a dagger. 

“Daddy, Mommy likes the sparkly thing! Can you buy it for her?” 

Ethan smiled, indulgent.“Of course, sweetheart.” 

Without hesitation, he bought it outright for a staggering price. 

Only afterward did he glance at me, a flicker of guilt in his eyes. 

“Ella… I’m sorry. I was so focused on Liam. Was there anything you wanted?” 

I met his gaze. The last light inside me flickered out. 

The only thing I wanted was escape. 

I forced a thin smile, my voice little more than a sigh. 

“Yeah… when we get home, I’ll tell you.” 

He mistook it for forgiveness. His shoulders eased, his voice turned eager. 

“Ella, don’t worry. You can have anything you want! Even the stars–I’d bring them down for you.” 

When we got home, I went straight to his study, opened the drawer, and pulled out the Divorce Agreement that had been buried for 

three years. 

Back when I first learned Sophia was pregnant, I’d been gutted, ready to walk away. 

But I couldn’t. I gave our marriage another chance. 

Still… I’d kept this agreement hidden, untouched. 

Maybe, deep down, I knew this marriage would die someday. 

I handed it to Ethan. 

“Ella, what do you want?” he asked lightly, not even glancing at the papers. 

Before he could, his phone rang. 

He grabbed it instantly, voice soft, full of tenderness he didn’t even notice. 

“Sophia? What’s wrong?” 

“Ethan, the IVF is ready! Come quick!” Her voice rang through the line, bright with urgency. 

Ethan looked at me. 

My face was blank. I flipped straight to the signature page and pushed the agreement toward him. 

“Ella, I…” he tried to explain. 

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“She’s waiting for you.” 

My voice was flat. Hollow. 

He didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the pen, scrawled his name, and bolted out the door. 

I watched his eager figure vanish, a bitter smile twisting my lips as tears blurred my vision, splattering the paper. 

Ethan, do you even know what you just signed? 

Maybe it doesn’t matter. 

What matters is, you signed it so you could run to her. 

I stared at the bold, rushed strokes of his name, urgency carved into every line. 

A hollow laugh tore from me. Then, slowly, deliberately, I signed my own name beside his. 

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