Untitled Part 23
By the time everything was finally handled, it was already evening when I made it to the hospital.
The doctor told me Ethan had been working under intense pressure for too long.
What happened today had pushed him over the edge emotionally, and that was why he'd passed out.
When I pushed open the door to his room, he was propped up against the headboard, his face turned toward the window.
A tree stood so close outside that its branches blocked almost the entire view.
I wasn't sure what he was still looking at.
"Claire."
He didn't turn around.
"A lot of people came to see me this afternoon."
He paused.
"Every time it wasn't you, I was disappointed again."
I thought he was blaming me for coming so late.
Then his voice dropped.
"I'm sorry. When you were in the hospital, I should've been there with you."
A beat passed.
"I was a pretty terrible husband."
I didn't want his regret. I didn't want his self-reflection, either.
"Thank you for today," I said.
"But the two of us... we should still end this."
His face was still pale, but he lifted the corner of his mouth in a faint smile.
"You came to see me because you were afraid I'd change my mind and refuse to go through with the divorce?"
I said nothing.
That was answer enough.
"I won't."
He looked at me with such fixed intensity it felt as if the whole world had narrowed down to me alone.
"This is the last thing you still expect from me, isn't it?"
Before I left, I remembered something and stopped at the door.
"Daisy really needs love."
I kept my hand on my bag strap and looked back at him.
"You've already failed at being a good partner. At the very least, be a good father."
"Not being good at expressing yourself isn't an excuse. You have to make sure she can feel that you love her."
Ethan gave a quiet nod.
"Daisy likes you a lot," he said.
"If you have time, come see her more often."
My lips parted, then closed again.
"Maybe I can't."
I swallowed and forced myself to say it.
"A fashion design school overseas that I used to dream about has reopened admissions.
I'm planning to quit my job and prepare for the entrance exam."
I tightened my grip on the strap on my shoulder.
"If I get in, I probably won't be coming back for the next few years."
Ethan was silent for a long time.
"She'll be heartbroken."
I stood there, fingers clenched around the strap of my bag.
And I still had no idea how I was supposed to say goodbye to Daisy.
A week later, Ethan and I finalized the divorce.
My resignation was approved too.
And now it was time for me to say goodbye to Daisy.
After Vanessa exposed our marriage to the entire company that day, she resigned as well.
She left the city the very next day.
She never intended to take Daisy with her.