Chapter 23: Picking Up The Broken Pieces

Susan's POV

I returned to where my car was parked and wept like a child who just lost her mother.

Ethan made me regret what I did.

He had zero regard for me.

I wished I never made a move to ensure he was released from prison.

I wished I had sat back and listened to Ethan when he assured me that his lawyer was going to handle the situation.

Maria made me believe that the freedom of Ethan rested on her shoulders and I believed her.

I fell for her tricks without doing my homework. Sadly for me, I failed woefully.

I am sure she must be celebrating with a bottle of champagne right now after using me to completely get rid of Ethan.

Disgusting stuff!

What was I supposed to do anyway? I couldn't stay neutral while Maria outshines me.

That was never going to happen even though I knew my actions were going to upset Ethan.

The thought of Maria having complete dominance over me was one of the reasons I confronted her for Ethan's release.

As it stands now, I might have just made the biggest mistake of my life doing what I did.

Not even a display of gratitude from Ethan. Rather, he blamed me for everything.

As though that weren't enough, he's still striving to fight for the custody of Maria's sons.

“I am never letting that happen.

Maria should not return to Ethan's life anymore.

She's gone for good. Everything about her reeks of danger.

He's most likely to relegate me to the second fiddle. I have got to do something,” I told myself.

I've invested so much in my marriage that I want to give up on everything now.

Glancing outside, I saw Ethan standing at the doorway.

It was just a matter of time before he started approaching the car to meet me.

The last thing I wanted was to have a discussion with Ethan at this point.

Immediately, I whined up my windscreen and drove outside the mansion before he even got the chance to meet me

I kept on heading down the road with no direction.

I had no preferred destination. I just needed to get away from Ethan. I had a feeling that he might start driving behind me.

I needed to give him a bit of space. Perhaps, it would be enough to make him come back to his senses and abolish the stupid idea of fighting for the ownership of his son.

Suddenly, my phone rang and disrupted my driving. I picked it up and realized it was Ethan.

I hissed and declined the call.

“Get off my phone you jerk. I don't want to speak with you.

Can't you leave me the heck alone?” I yelled at the phone while imagining that Ethan could hear me and know how angry he made me become.

I thought about stopping by at the Hard Rock Cafe which happens to be our favourite spot.

After a second thought, I dismissed the thought.

I figured that might be the first place Ethan would come to visit when I stay out too long.

My phone rang again shortly after Ethan called.

I needed no one to tell me that it was Ethan again.

I was so upset, yet was able to control my anger to avoid a fatal accident.

Despite my refusal to answer the phone, it kept ringing repeatedly.

The loud noise from my call tune almost damaged my eardrum.

Out of frustration, I pulled over on the lonely road.

The plan was to turn off my phone to avoid any further incoming calls.

The moment I grabbed my phone, I was disappointed about the caller's identity.

It turned out to be Paul and not Ethan. I was relieved. My anger left me instantly.

I got more thrilled when It dawned on me that Ethan only called once.

I let out a deep sigh to finally eradicate the remaining anger inside of me.

What does Paul want to discuss with me?" I asked myself.

I could have sworn that he would never want to have anything to do with me again after Ethan embarrassed him at the mansion.

Perhaps, I was wrong about him.

He was supposed to be my only option to talk some sense into Ethan.

But after witnessing what happened at the mansion, I've realized that no one can save me now.

At this point, it's me against the world, and I'm ready to fight for my marriage with the last drop of my blood.

As I prepared myself to call Paul and speak to him, he called instead, hence taking the pressure off my shoulder.

I cleared my throat and forced a happy tone. “Hey, Paul. You called. I wasn't expecting your call. I thought you'd be mad at me over what happened,”

If Paul was seated next to me, he would certainly realize that my tone was faked.

My facial expressions will not even match with my voice.

That was the only way to show that I bear no grudges against him.

“Where are you right now?” He hit the nail on the head without running around like a headless chicken.

His tone of voice sounded rather urgent which got me distressed.

I could sense danger lurking around. I just couldn't decipher what exactly it was.

But whatever it was, I am willing to find out.

Why did you ask? Is anything the matter? You sounded rather worrisome.

Is there something I should know?" I asked out of curiosity.

I hadn't listened to him yet, and I was already worriedly sick.

I couldn't even let him speak freely before bombarding him with questions.

“Can you come over to the company right now? It's time-sensitive,” Paul requested of me.

It only got worse for every second that passed by.

At the mention of the company, I lost a couple of brain cells.

The company means a lot to me. It's part of my existence.

Should anything bad happen to it, I may not be able to survive it.