Ethan paced the hospital corridor, his mind racing with questions. Victor stood beside him, a pillar of support in the midst of uncertainty. They approached the doctor’s office, where Ethan took a deep breath before knocking.
“Come in,” the doctor called from inside.
Ethan and Victor entered, both looking determined yet apprehensive.
“Doctor, we need to discuss something urgent,” Ethan began, his voice tense with emotion. “I need to know if it’s possible to perform a paternity test on Tania, my wife.”
The doctor, a middle-aged woman with a calm demeanor, nodded sympathetically. “I understand this is a sensitive matter. Given the circumstances, we can proceed with a paternity test. Tania is stable now, and it can be done without her immediate consent since she’s unable to make decisions currently.”
Relief washed over Ethan’s face. “Thank you, Doctor. Please, proceed as soon as possible.”
The doctor assured them that the test would be expedited, and Ethan was escorted to the lab for his part. Victor stayed behind, offering Ethan a reassuring pat on the shoulder before he left.
The process itself was quick, almost anticlimactic. A simple swab, a moment of silence, and then it was done. But for Ethan, that moment felt like the weight of his entire future hung in the balance. He knew, deep down, what the results would be. The paternity test wasn’t about discovering the truth; it was about having irrefutable proof in his hands. Proof that he could use, not just to protect himself but to ensure Tania couldn’t manipulate him any further.
When the test was done, Ethan returned to the waiting area where Victor stood, patiently waiting.
“How did it go?” Victor asked as Ethan approached.
Ethan shrugged slightly, feeling a strange detachment from it all. “It’s done,” he replied. “Now we wait.”
The two men found a quiet corner of the hospital lobby and sat down. Victor leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he studied Ethan.
Ethan told victor to draft up the necessary changes immediately including cheating as part of reasons for divorce. This divorce wasn’t just about ending the marriage it was about ensuring Tania had no hold on him or his future.
“I will,” victor said said firmly. “I’m done with her lies. I want my life back, Victor. For me and for Grace.” Said Ethan
Victor gave him a solemn nod. “You’ll get it, Ethan. Just stay strong.”
As they stood to leave, Victor clasped Ethan’s shoulder one last time before walking toward the exit. Ethan watched him go, the weight of the last hour settling on him like a heavy cloak.
Ethan remained there for a moment, watching the door slowly swing shut behind his friend. And then, he was alone.
The hospital suddenly felt colder, emptier. His thoughts, which had been kept at bay while Victor was with him, now surged forward like a dam breaking. He couldn’t stop thinking about Tania about how and when everything had gone wrong. When had she found the time to cheat? With all the chaos, the fights, and her desperate attempts to seduce him, when had she found someone else?
He thought back to that one night, the night when she had tried to initiate something between them tried to pull him into her web one more time. He had resisted. He remembered the look of frustration in her eyes when he turned her down, her lips curling into a snarl as she stormed out of the house.
That was the night, wasn’t it? When she left the house in anger, was that when it happened? Who had she been with? Was it a one-time thing, or had this been going on for longer than he realized? The questions gnawed at him, feeding the growing pit in his stomach.
As much as he wanted to push it all aside, he couldn’t. The betrayal ran too deep, the lies too thick. He knew things where in chaos right now with the whole drama going on, but he never imagined that Tania would cheat. She had built a life on deceit, and he had been caught in the middle of it, completely unaware.
His thoughts swirled as he sat down in one of the chairs, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. He had to know who it was who she had been with. Not because he cared about her anymore, but because he needed to understand how deeply she had betrayed him. He needed to know the full extent of the damage before he could truly move on.
But for now, all he could do was wait. Wait for the test results. Wait for the final confirmation of what he already knew in his heart.
Ethan couldn’t stay in the waiting area any longer. The cold fluorescent lights of the hospital felt suffocating, and his mind was spinning in too many directions at once. He found himself walking back towards Tania’s hospital room, almost as if on autopilot. He didn’t even know why he wanted to see her perhaps it was to confront the reality of everything that had fallen apart.
When he reached her room, the door was slightly ajar, and the steady beeping of the heart monitor filled the silence. Tania lay motionless on the hospital bed, her face pale and serene, almost as if she were innocent in all of this. Ethan stood in the doorway for a moment, his hand resting on the frame, just staring at her.
She looked so peaceful, so delicate. Her beauty, the same beauty that had once captivated him, was still undeniable. But as he stood there, that beauty felt like a mask one that hid the cruelty, the lies, and the manipulation that lurked beneath the surface. How could someone who looked so perfect on the outside harbor so much hatred within? How could she be so capable of hurting those who had cared for her the most?
Ethan stepped inside, his footsteps quiet as he approached the bed. His eyes lingered on her face, taking in the delicate curve of her cheek, the way her dark hair framed her features. For a moment, he was reminded of the early days of their relationship, when everything had seemed so simple, so full of promise. Back then, he had loved her truly loved her. He had believed in her, in their life together.
But that was before. Before the lies, before the betrayals, before the web of deceit that she had spun so expertly around him.
Now, as he looked at her, all he could feel was bitterness and sadness. How could someone so beautiful be so cold? So calculating? He had seen glimpses of it before, in the way she manipulated people, but he had always made excuses, always believed she would change, that there was still good in her. But now he wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure if she even had a conscience anymore.
His eyes narrowed as he studied her. How did she live with herself? How did she go to sleep at night knowing the damage she had caused? Knowing how many lives she had ruined in her quest for control? How many lies had she told to get what she wanted? And who had she truly become in the process?
Ethan felt a surge of anger rising within him. He clenched his fists at his sides, fighting the urge to yell, to scream at her for everything she had done. But she wouldn’t hear him. Not now. She was out cold, her body still recovering from the trauma of everything that had happened. Even now, she was spared from facing the consequences of her actions, lying there as if she were the victim.
He exhaled slowly, the anger simmering beneath his skin. He couldn’t let it consume him. Not here, not now. He needed to stay calm, to keep his focus. There would be time to confront Tania when she woke up, time to ask the questions that still burned in his mind.
As he stood there, staring at her, a wave of exhaustion hit him. He was tired. Tired of the lies, tired of the games, tired of being caught in the chaos that Tania had created. He wanted out. He wanted to be free of her, to move on with his life, to start fresh with Grace, and probably with Ella and the twins and leave this nightmare behind.