Ethan Yardley never imagined that Serena would present him with two such options.
To him, his marriage and the child were both incredibly important.
How could he bear to give up either one?
He hesitated, unsure how to respond.
Serena Yardley looked at his face, etched with pain and anguish. Not wanting to press him further, she said coldly, "You should go. Let have so quiet."
’In truth, what mother could bear to give up her own child?’
’It was just that she felt she couldn’t give her child happiness or a future. She was afraid the baby wouldn’t be able to grow up in a complete family.’
’She was afraid he would abandon her, and that was why she didn’t want to bring a child into this world only for it to suffer.’
Because a single phrase Ethan had said before kept replaying in her mind: "Divorce her after she has the baby."
This wasn’t sothing Sylvia Schuyler had told her.
She had heard Ethan Yardley say it with her own ears.
Even though this was the only mory that had returned, it was enough for her to see that man for who he truly was.
In his eyes, the child was far more important than she was.
All his kindness toward her was a sham, designed for the sole purpose of getting her to bear his child.
Serena Yardley found she couldn’t dwell on it. The mont she did, her head would start to throb.
She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, and got up to go ho.
As she walked out of the room, Ethan shot up from the bench by the door to et her. "Serena, are you going out for a walk?"
Serena Yardley sidestepped him. "Don’t follow . I don’t want to see you, and I don’t want to talk to you."
She walked straight toward the elevators.
Ethan didn’t dare let her go alone.
He followed her from a distance.
When he saw her leave the hospital and try to hail a taxi, he rushed forward to stop her.
"Serena, wherever you’re going, I’ll take you."
It was late at night; he wasn’t comfortable with her taking a taxi by herself.
Serena Yardley ignored him and insisted on getting into the taxi.
Ethan grabbed her hand, his temper flaring. "Serena Yardley, can’t you just listen to ?"
Unable to wrench her hand free, Serena slamd the car door shut, turned back, and glared at him with reddened eyes. "Stop trying to control ! What right do you have?"
"I’m your husband."
He struggled to suppress the fire in his chest, reminding himself not to get angry with her. She couldn’t handle any more stress.
But when she disobeyed him, he grew uneasy, and that unease made him want to discipline her in his own way.
"You’re not my husband. I’m just a tool you’re legally keeping around to give you a child."
She struggled to shake off his hand, but couldn’t.
She glared at him and shouted, "Let go."
Ethan didn’t want to argue with her on the street. It was late, and the night air was chilly; he was afraid she would catch a cold.
He simply swept her up into his arms and carried her to his car.
"Ethan, what are you doing?! You’re always so forceful and domineering, making listen to whatever you say. Why should I?"
She struggled.
But it was no use.
Ethan placed her in the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, locked the doors, and got in himself.
Then he drove her ho.
Serena Yardley stopped struggling. Overco with a sense of injustice, she couldn’t stop tears from welling up in her eyes again.
She turned her head to the window, forcing herself not to cry.
’There’s nothing to cry about. He can control now, but can he control forever?’
’He can’t watch 24/7, never leaving my side.’
Seeing that the woman beside him had stopped crying and struggling, Ethan finally spoke:
"I admit I was thoughtless, and that’s why you ended up pregnant. But to , the child and you are equally important.
You keep saying that I’m just using you as a tool to have children, but have you ever stopped to think why I only want *you* to have my baby, and not anyone else?"
He glanced over at her, driving slowly.
"Do you really think it would be difficult for , Ethan Yardley, to find a woman to bear my child?"
Serena Yardley blurted out, "Sylvia Schuyler said that only I was suitable to have your child."
"Heh!"
Ethan sneered. "There are countless won in this world, and you think you’re the only one suitable to have my child? I’m not so kind of monster, and I don’t have any strange diseases. Why would it be that only you can have my baby and no one else?"
"..."
"Serena Yardley, I wanted you to have a child because I love you, because I want you by my side for the rest of our lives, and to protect you from the rest of the family targeting you.
Why are you so fixated on what Sylvia Schuyler told you?"
"But I heard it with my own ears. You were at the door of the study, and you told her that you would divorce as soon as I had your child."
She fought to control her emotions, refusing to cry.
’He loves to argue his way out of things. Let’s see what excuse he can co up with to placate this ti.’
Ethan was surprised and couldn’t help but glance at her again. "You’re rembering things from the past?"
"I only rember what I heard you and Sylvia Schuyler talking about outside the study."
"Sigh."
Ethan sighed and tried to explain patiently, "That was because I owed Sylvia Schuyler back then, so I did have that thought at one point.
But later..."
"Later, you drove to jump into a river to kill myself. After Julian Thorne saved , you were afraid I’d get together with him, so you showed up to stake your claim.
And because I didn’t rember you, you were afraid Sylvia Schuyler’s presence would stop from staying with you to have your baby, so you made her leave. Isn’t that right?"
Ethan, "..."
Listening to Serena’s version of events, he found it utterly ridiculous.
He looked at her, so frustrated he could have cried.
"Why are you always stuck in this line of thinking? Are you convinced that the only reason I’m keeping you around is so you can have my child?"
"If that’s not it, then divorce ! Let go get an abortion!"
She was backing him into a corner.
Ethan’s anger flared at her words.
He struggled to contain the tightness in his chest, forcing himself to take a breath and calm down.
But in the end, he couldn’t stay calm. He pulled the car to the side of the road, and when he turned to face her, his handso face was a complete blank.
"Serena Yardley, do you have to be like this?"
Serena Yardley stared back at him, her eyes blazing. "I do."
Looking at her stubborn, cold expression, he was so angry that a sharp pain lanced through his chest.
Finally, he slamd his hand on the steering wheel and roared:
"What’s the point of doing this? Do you think you’ll be better off after a divorce?
The child will be ours, not just mine. Why do you always act like I’m trying to hurt you? If I wanted to hurt you, why would I have saved you? Why would I have arranged for you to be taken care of all these years?
Forget everything else. For the sake of all the years I’ve poured my heart and soul into you, what’s so wrong with having a child for ?"
Ethan felt as if he had spent all these years raising an ungrateful wretch.
If he had known it would be like this, he shouldn’t have cared if she lived or died back then.
Hearing the man’s angry words, Serena’s heart ached, and tears of indignation stread from her eyes.
In truth, she didn’t even know why she was so fixated on this issue.
But she just felt so insecure, so terrified.
She didn’t understand this man. She didn’t know what the future would hold. She didn’t want her child to be born into an unhappy life.
She had grown up without the love of her parents, and she was terrified of that feeling of abandonnt.
Head bowed, she couldn’t hide her pain and began to sob.
When Ethan saw her crying, his heart clenched again.
He imdiately softened his voice, coaxing her, "Serena, don’t cry. I just couldn’t help but vent. I didn’t an to lose my temper with you."
Serena Yardley didn’t say a word, hastily raising a hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
Ethan grabbed a tissue to wipe her face, then unbuckled his seatbelt and tried to pull her into his arms.
But Serena Yardley resisted, shaking her head and choking out her words:
"Leave alone. I know you were good to in the past, and maybe I owe you a great deal. If having this child can repay that debt, then fine, I’ll have it for you."
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