The Man Who Loved My Madness Finally Left Me

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The eighth time I caught him cheating, Ethan didn't say a word. He calmly grabbed a bottle of concentrated bleach and poured it directly over his crotch.

Is this enough?

His face was deathly pale. He looked at me through the mess on the floor as if he were looking at a psycho.

This was the first time in his life Ethan had ever shown weakness to me.

I stood frozen, clutching a sharp piece of broken porcelain, suddenly feeling completely lost.

After all, during our worst fight, I had strapped a bomb to myself and his little mistress, forcing him to choose between us.

He responded by tying himself and my parents to five trucks connected end-to-end. He had smiled and asked me if I still wanted him to choose.

That was our decade of mutual madness.

No choosing. No backing down. No letting go.

Now, he looked at me with pity, as if he found my state pathetic.

"Leave Chloe alone. Shes normal. Shes not like you."

"I'll take whatever revenge you want. This time, you can take it all out on me."

I froze. "What do you mean?"

His smile didn't reach his eyes. He pulled his lips back in a tired smirk.

"It means Im giving up."

"Are you happy? Isn't this what you wanted?"

Yes, he gave up.

But for whom? The answer was obvious.

The hatred in his eyes made my ten years of devotion look like a pathetic, one-sided joke.

At that moment, a wave of pure exhaustion hit me.

I finally wanted to let us both go.

While I was lost in thought, the porcelain shard slipped and sliced my wrist. Blood instantly gushed out.

An annoyed look of "here we go again" flashed across Ethan's face.

He stared at me for a few seconds, then suddenly strode over, grabbed me, and threw me into the bathtub with no expression.

The ice-cold water soaked through my clothes. The moment I realized what he was doing, I began to struggle frantically.

"Ethan! I'm pregn"

"Shut up," he growled, cutting off my words brutally.

He pinned my wrists above my head, staring down at me for a few seconds. His eyes were filled with disgust.

"Didn't you drug me just to get me into bed? Was my performance not enough to satisfy you?"

I froze in disbelief, a sense of absolute absurdity washing over me.

I don't know where I got the strength, but I broke free from his grip. I grabbed whatever was near me and threw it at him like crazy.

"Get out! Get the hell out!"

He didn't dodge. He took the hits numbly, as if he were already used to it.

When I finished venting, he wiped the blood dripping from his forehead. Without a shred of warmth, he walked away.

"I recovered the videos you secretly recorded. Whether you want to send them to the media or plaster them all over the citys billboards, go ahead."

"The files you used to stalk and threaten me are on the flash drive on the desk. Do whatever you want with them."

He assumed I wouldn't let this go, so he laid out all the ways I could ruin him.

Because those, at least, were consequences he could handle.

He was afraid of me.

This realization made me laugh until tears came out.

"Ethan, then why don't you just divorce me?"

His footsteps stopped at the doorway. He seemed to find it hilarious.

"Would you even agree?"

"Scarlett, Ive accepted that Im stuck with you for life."

The last shred of hope in my heart shattered.

"Just please, leave Chloe alone."

Those words, followed by the deafening slam of the door, made my head spin for a long time.

This was the third time I had heard Ethan say the word "please."

The first time was when we were eighteen.

His billionaire father had his private security guards beat him bloody to force him to break up with me. He was bruised and battered, but he just wiped the blood from his mouth and said, "Im marrying Scarlett. Please, disown me or beat me to death. I don't care."

The second time was during my postpartum depression.

He had rushed onto the rooftop, dragging me back just as I had one foot over the edge. He was shaking all over. "We can have another baby! Please don't leave me! If you jump, Ill jump with you right now!"

And this was the third time.

Only this time, he was begging me to spare Chloe.

My lips curled into a bitter smile. Tears mixed with the blood dripping into the tub.

Shaking, I reached for my phone, but my finger accidentally swiped the emergency contact.

I thought no one would answer, just like always.

Just as I was about to hang up, Chloes voice drifted through the speaker.

"Ethan, a cold shower will make you sick... let me help you."

Ethans muffled voice came through, mixed with the sound of running water. "No. I don't want to hurt our baby. Or you."

Chloe paused, a hint of a smug smile in her tone. "Then why don't you go find Scarlett?"

Without waiting for his answer, I hung up.

I didn't need to hear the rest to know Ethans reply wouldn't be pretty.

After all, the last time, I really had drugged him.

After that wild, disastrous night, the way he looked at me was cold enough to pierce my soul.

Yet, I had still naively hoped that if we had another baby, maybe we could start over.

And now...

I touched my flat stomach, feeling like a complete joke.

After a while, I dragged myself out of the tub.

Then, I texted my lawyer and told him to draft a divorce agreement.

Once that was done, I leaned against the headboard, feeling completely empty inside.

When Ethan came home at 11 PM, he acted as if nothing had happened. He carried a shopping bag containing a necklace I had casually mentioned a few weeks ago.

Come to think of it, he had been extremely good to me this past year.

He reported his whereabouts proactively, took me to every business dinner, and bought me countless designer bags and jewelry.

If I hadn't run into him at the hospital last week, holding Chloe's hand at her prenatal checkup...

I would have believed our love had reignited. I never would have guessed that his kindness was just a calculated move to protect Chloe from me.

While I was lost in thought, the gift box was pushed in front of me.

His voice was calm, showing no emotion whatsoever.

"I went to Chloes place this afternoon. I only took a shower and left. It took thirty minutes. You can ask your private investigator if you don't believe me."

"After that, I was working overtime at the office. If you're suspicious, ask your spies in the company."

"On the way home, I bought the necklace you wanted. I didn't go anywhere else. The paparazzi you hired should have sent you the photos by now."

Every word was cautious and formal, as if I were some terrifying monster.

Even though he had already bribed my people and turned them into Chloe's secret bodyguards...

He was still on guard against me.

My heart ached, but I couldn't help but laugh. "Is that so?"

If Chloe hadn't added me on Snapchat this afternoon, I actually would have believed him.

I slid my phone over. The screen displayed a stream of photos Chloe had sent me.

Ethan cooking. Ethan mopping the floor.

Even Ethan clumsily picking out baby clothes.

Over three hundred photos, from every angle. It was a side of Ethan I had never seen.

In my memory, Ethan never did chores.

Even when the maid took a week off, he wouldn't even notice if we ran out of toilet paper.

I stared at those photos for a long time. I had truly lost this ten-year game.

The last photo, showing his back as he walked away, was taken thirty minutes ago.

The lie shattered instantly.

The moment Ethan saw the screen, his pupils dilated.

He slammed me against the wall, his hand gripping my throat. He spat out every word through gritted teeth:

"Did I not tell you to keep your hands off Chloe?"

"You can do whatever the hell you want to me, but not her!"

My lower abdomen throbbed with sharp pain. My face turned pale, but he didn't notice.

Looking at his frantic state, I smirked mockingly.

"As long as I don't touch her, I can do whatever I want to you?"

I shoved him away with all my might, grabbed the red wine bottle from the table, and held it threateningly over his head.

He froze for a second.

Then, he let out a sigh of relief and closed his eyes.

"Smash it if you want."

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze drifted past me. He looked exhausted, not even wanting to look at me.

"Its not the first time anyway."

"Once you're done venting, just don't go after Chloe."

I stood there, bottle raised, suddenly feeling like everything was incredibly meaningless.

I set the bottle down and took my phone back from his hand.

The moment my finger touched the screen, his face twisted in panic. He grabbed my wrist tightly.

"What are you sending your people to do to Chloe now?!"

He used so much force that the momentum threw me backward. I stumbled and fell hard onto the floor.

My vision went black for a moment before I could recover.

I looked up at him. His chest rose and fell, his face pale with fear.

He really loved Chloe to death.

He loved her so much that even my normal breathing made him defensive, terrified that I would hurt her.

I smiled bitterly. "Ethan, actually, I already..."

The special ringtone he set for Chloe cut me off.

His hand, which had been reaching out to help me up, froze. Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone.

Chloes crying voice leaked through the speaker.

His expression darkened instantly. When he looked back at me, his eyes were dripping with disgust and warning.

"Scarlett, as long as I'm alive, I won't let you touch a single hair on Chloe."

"If you want to drag us both to hell, don't blame me for being ruthless."

The door slammed shut so fast.

It was so fast that I didn't even get to finish my sentence.

I sat there in silence, then let out a soft laugh.

I wanted to say...

Actually, I already signed the divorce papers. Theyll be delivered tomorrow morning.

Ive decided to let you go, and let myself go.

But now, it seems theres no need to say anything at all.

I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.

The four-month-old baby couldn't be saved. Coupled with the fall and the stress from my fight with Ethan, the hemorrhage came with no warning.

As I was wheeled into the emergency room on a gurney, I passed Ethan, who was carrying Chloe in his arms.

His sleeves were rolled up, revealing the messy scars on his forearms.

I felt a sudden pang of irony.

Years ago, during my postpartum depression, Ethan had cut himself dozens of times just to force me to stop hurting myself.

Back then, his love was even crazier than mine.

Later, when he cheated on me seven times, I self-harmed, lost my mind, and tried every trick in the book.

But he would always find a more ruthless way to hurt himself, forcing me to back down.

We were like two toxic, extreme gamblers, betting our own lives against each other. We were exactly the same.

But this time, why was it different?

Before I could figure it out, Ethan had already carried Chloe to the doctor.

"Doctor! Save her! Her stomach hurts, check her now!"

The doctor pushed him away anxiously.

"Move! Its just stress! Can't you see Scarlett is in critical condition?!"

Ethans eyes followed the doctor's hand. The moment he recognized me, he froze.

The next second, he grabbed my wrist, his eyes burning with fury.

"Scarlett, is this your new trick?"

"First you leak Chloes photos to stress her out, forcing me to bring her to the nearest private clinicwhich happens to be yours. And now you're faking a medical emergency to delay her treatment?"

He sneered. "A perfect trap. You really are something!"

I had already lost too much blood. His rough grip made my vision fade.

The doctor was horrified. "What do you mean faking?! Shes hemorrhaging because she was preg"

His words were cut off by the heavy thud of Ethans knees hitting the floor.

"Is this enough? Can Chloe be treated now?"

I stared at him.

The man kneeling before me looked nothing like the proud Ethan who would rather die than bend his spine.

Seeing me silent, he knelt there, staring at me with eyes full of hatred.

"What about now?"

Looking into his eyes, I finally understood...

He was forcing me.

He was betting on my love for him, using himself as leverage to win the game, just like he did a thousand times before.

Only this time, it was for another woman.

My chest felt so tight I could barely breathe. I couldn't tell if it was the blood loss or the heartbreak.

"Fine... fine..." his voice shook.

Suddenly, he pulled a pocket knife from his pocket and plunged it straight into his own chest.

Blood bloomed across his shirt instantly. He groaned, his voice turning desperate and broken.

"Scarlett, I yield. Do whatever you want to me, take my life..."

All the warmth left my body. I closed my eyes.

"Ethan, what if Im not faking? What if Im actually dying today?"

He didn't hesitate. "I'll die with you."

I knew he meant it.

But that was why I felt so utterly defeated.

I forced a weak smile and looked at the doctor. "Save her first."

I was the majority shareholder of this private clinic.

If Ethan hadn't been completely panicked, he would never have risked bringing Chloe here.

Hearing this, Ethan let out a sigh of relief.

His tears hit the floor. As he stood up, his voice was raspy. "Thank you."

Such a foreign word. Just like the stranger he had become.

Before I blacked out...

I saw Chloe peeking over his shoulder. She looked at me and smirked.

It was the smug, triumphant smile of a winner.

During my week of hospitalization, Ethan stayed in the VIP suite right next door to take care of Chloe.

I listened to the intimate whispers coming through the wall. As I stared blankly out the window, my doctor knocked and walked in.

"Scarlett, the lab results are back. Chloe's baby is not a match to Ethan."

I kept my eyes on the window, not even reaching for the paper.

"Throw it away. His life has nothing to do with me anymore."

When I passed Chloes room, Ethan was gently feeding her soup.

To be honest, that gentle, clumsy side of Ethan was something I had never been given.

My hand hovered over the doorknob. In the end, I didn't knock. I just left the signed divorce papers with the nurse to hand to him.

Then, I went straight to the airport and left the country without looking back.

...

Ethan hadn't been sleeping well lately.

He knew me too well. My obsession with him was bordering on psychotic.

Now that we had completely ruined each other, he was certain I would go after Chloe.

So he deployed all his security.

He blocked all local media, terrified that some scandal would stress Chloe out.

He kept bodyguards stationed all around the clinic to ensure Chloe could leave safely.

He even prepared blackmail material to use against me if I pushed him.

I had no doubt that if my parents hadn't died in a plane crash three years ago, he would have kidnapped them to use as leverage against me.

He was ready to burn everything down.

Yet, I had only glanced at them through the window and left.

This made him incredibly uneasy all day.

He checked his Snapchat. The chat box, which used to be spammed with my endless demands for his location, had been dead silent for days.

He locked his phone, feeling a strange, hollow emptiness.

That feeling peaked when he finally tucked Chloe in and rushed back to our penthouse.

Everything belonging to me was gone. Every single piece of jewelry and gift he had ever given me was smashed to pieces on the floor.

Anger flared up. He swallowed his pride and sent me a Snapchat message.

When the red exclamation mark popped up, showing he was blocked, he froze.

He rushed back to the clinic. The doctor stopped him at the entrance, looking relieved as he handed him a folder.

"Ethan, thank goodness you're here. We need your signature on these files for Scarlett and Chloe."

Ethan held back his irritation and glanced at them.

The next second, all the color drained from his face.