12. The Unspoken Distance

The front door opened precisely when the clock showed half past seven in the morning, and Ethan stepped inside with heavy strides.

His face looked exhausted, his gaze hollow, as if his mind was still left somewhere else—specifically, at his apartment.

I hope Liora can take care of herself after I leave, he thought.

He immediately took off his suit jacket and placed it carelessly on the sofa.

Stevani, who had been sitting in the living room, stood up at once.

“Darling, you are home?” she asked softly. There was a trace of jealousy in her voice that she tried hard to suppress. “I have been waiting for you since last night. Where have you been? I was really worried about you.” Stevani linked her arm with Ethan’s, but he immediately pulled away.

Ethan gave a brief nod. “I was busy at the office.”

The answer was cold—far too brief.

“Busy to the point of forgetting to come home?” Stevani looked at him longer. “Your phone was off, Ed. I was worried about you.” She stepped closer again as Ethan moved away.

“There were several documents that had to be reviewed. Stop asking questions,” Ethan said flatly as he walked toward the bedroom.

Stevani followed him. “Every day, it is always the office.” She took a deep breath, restraining herself from letting her emotions explode. “Are you really that busy that you have no time for me and Kenzi?” she demanded.

Ethan stopped in front of the bedroom door. He closed his eyes for a moment. If only Stevani had not betrayed him first, perhaps he would not be this cold now.

“Stop, Stevani,” he said firmly. “I am tired. I want to take a shower, then return to the office.”

His words instantly left Stevani speechless. “Return to the office?” she repeated in disbelief.

She stepped closer to her husband. “You just got home, Ed. Then when will you have time for us?”

Ethan turned his face halfway toward her. There was no anger there—only cold exhaustion.

“I do not know. What is certain is that I am not promising that to you!”

“Why?”

“Tsk! Do not ask why, because you already know all the answers!”

“Have I not been trying all this time to fix everything? Then why are you still angry with me, Ed? Please, do not keep being cold toward me,” Stevani said, her voice softening. “I am not asking for much. I just want you to return to how you used to be—to be a man who loves me and is willing to do anything for me.”

Silence hung between them.

Ethan looked at the floor for a moment before replying, “I am going to take a shower.” He walked into the bathroom and closed the door without waiting for a response.

Stevani stood alone in the bedroom. Her fingers clenched, then slowly loosened. She swallowed the pain in her chest.

Not long after, she stepped out and approached Kenzi, who was playing in the living room.

“Kenzi,” Stevani said gently as she knelt in front of the child. “If Papa comes downstairs later, you have to ask Papa to play with you. If Papa refuses, you pretend to cry. Okay? You understand, right?”

“Yes, Mom,” Kenzi replied innocently.

Stevani smiled faintly.

You will never be able to leave me, Ethan. Because no matter what, you will always be tied to me—especially with Kenzi as my strongest weapon to keep you by my side, Stevani thought, consumed by her obsession with Ethan.

Only then did Stevani realize that her love had always been far greater than the love she shared last night with the men she had once dated.

Inside the bedroom, Liora’s phone vibrated for quite a while. Lazily, she reached for it, even though her mind was still in chaos.

Nadine’s name appeared on the screen.

Nadine—what a coincidence she is calling me, Liora murmured.

Moments later, she pressed the green button to answer the call. “Hello, Nad?” Liora greeted her.

“Hello, Ra. Where are you now? Have you returned home?” Nadine asked quickly.

“Mm, I am already home. How about you? Sorry, I was extremely drunk last night, and I do not remember anything,” Liora replied.

“I also went home last night … oh, right, who was he? The man who helped you, away from those sleazy men?”

Liora frowned. “A man? Which one? I do not remember.”

“Do you not remember, or do you not want to tell me?” Nadine countered.

“I really do not remember, and I do not know who he was. What did he look like?” Liora answered honestly. “All I remember is drinking, then everything became a blur.”

Nadine fell silent for a moment. “He was tall, well-built, and very handsome. He looked like an actor—no, more like a prince from a fairy tale,” Nadine explained dramatically, admiring Ethan’s handsome and charismatic figure.

Liora listened carefully. Suddenly, a fleeting image of her brother-in-law crossed her mind.

Could it be Brother Ethan? No, that is impossible. How could I meet him again? Liora dismissed the thought.

She snapped out of her brief reverie. “I do not even remember his face,” Liora said softly. “And I do not want to think about it.”

Nadine sighed. “Alright then, do not think about it. What matters is that you are safely back home.”

“Oh, right. You owe me an explanation about why you were sad and said you had a problem,” Nadine reminded her.

“Mm, I will tell you later. Just not right now.”

“Okay. Whenever you have time, do not forget to let me know.”

“Yes.”

After the call ended, Liora stared blankly ahead. That strange feeling returned—unclear, yet unsettling.

At the doorway—just outside the room—Daren stood with his back against the wall.

He stared at the door of his and Liora’s bedroom for a long time.

Since that anniversary night, something about his wife had changed. Liora no longer waited for him with eyes full of love. She no longer asked where he had been.

He let out a quiet breath.

It is better if I focus on my plan, he thought. After everything is finished, I will divorce her.

Yet his heart rebelled.

Daren opened the door and stepped inside.

Liora glanced at him briefly, then returned to her phone.

“I want to talk,” Daren said gently.

“Not now,” Liora replied coldly.

Daren stepped closer, trying to reach for her hand. “I want to fix everything.”

Liora pulled her hand away. “It is too late.”

Those words made Daren’s chest tighten.

“You have changed,” he said irritably.

Liora stood up and looked at him flatly. “I am just tired.”

Silence fell again.

Daren clenched his fists. There was resentment, but also fear—the fear of losing something he had always believed would remain.

And for the first time, he realized: the distance between them was no longer something he could control.