Broken Memories, Intertwined Hearts

Chapter 136

After a while, Ethan finally let go of Ines, and the two embraced tightly. All Ines heard was Ethan saying, "Izzy, thank you."

Ines was taken aback. She pushed him lightly and chuckled. "I didn't do anything. What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for trusting me unconditionally."

For the first time, Ines realized that her husband was actually a very simple man who didn't demand much. What she did for him was far less than a tenth of what he did for her. He unconditionally believed that she was not the mastermind behind the car accident, even though he knew that Beasley's death was connected to her. He never gave up on her. As her husband, he gave her all the respect and tenderness she deserved. He helped her overcome the shadows cast by her parents. He did so many things for her that she couldn't possibly count them all.

In fact, she should be the one saying thank you.

"Well, we don't have to say thank you between us. You've taught me that." Ines disagreed, looking at Ethan. "Izzy, Aaron was my best friend. Noel is younger than me, so our lives aren't as aligned. But Aaron was different. Our life paths were almost identical. We grew up studying together. He studied finance in college, while I chose business management because I was to inherit the Meyer Group. But because we were in the same faculty, we had a lot of interactions. After graduation, he came to work at the Meyer Group and became the CFO, my right-hand man," Ethan said quietly, his emotions unfathomable.

Ines was startled. She could tell that this time, Ethan was really opening up to her. Her heart raced. She had been waiting for this day. She listened quietly, waiting for him to continue.

"All of our conflicts started because of a woman named Leila. She was a year younger than us. After graduation, she worked at a no-name accounting firm. Aaron became the CFO of the Meyer Group and thought she had talent, so he recruited her to work in the finance department. Then one time, my personal secretary was temporarily out, and she filled in for her. I found out that she was very thoughtful, so I had her transferred to the secretarial department. Aaron came to me upset, but I didn't want to lose a good seedling, so I insisted that she make her own choice. She chose to stay in the secretarial department, and for a long time, Aaron ignored me."

The rest was pretty much as Ines had guessed. Leila climbed the corporate ladder and ended up as his chief secretary. They spent all day together and eventually fell in love.

Ines didn't know if Ethan was deliberately suppressing his emotions or if he simply didn't have a knack for telling stories. What should have been a sweet love story came out dry and flavorless from his mouth.

She understood: Leila was someone Aaron had intentionally brought close, but he ended up stealing her away.

For a moment, she couldn't help but poke his chest. "So you're saying you stole the woman Aaron was interested in right from under his nose?" Ethan gave an embarrassed smile. "Yeah, that's about right. But you can't control these things. I was young and impulsive, and didn't think things through. All that mattered was that we liked each other. Leila had no romantic feelings for Aaron, so I thought it was right for us to be together."

Ines shook her head. "No wonder he hates you so much. He went to all that trouble to get the woman he liked close, and then you swooped in and stole her away."

She then thought of herself: Aaron definitely had feelings for her, but somehow, she ended up marrying another man. She still remembered his hurt expression.

Discovering that the man who stole his woman away again was his former best friend...what man could accept that?

This man, it seems, wasn't such a good guy after all.

"Ethan, I really don't know what to say about you."

It's hard to judge matters of the heart. After all, Aaron and Leila were never in a romantic relationship. It wouldn't be accurate to say he broke them up, but he wasn't completely innocent either.

Seeming to know what she was thinking, Ethan explained, "Izzy, I really didn't know about you and him when we got married." Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

How could he hurt Aaron again after what had happened before? It was all a series of unfortunate events. He didn't expect that his hasty marriage would involve the woman Aaron had fallen for again.

"I know," Ines nodded. Even though they had fallen out, she could still hear from his tone that he cared about Aaron. It's just that he was too good at hiding his emotions, so others couldn't see it.

"In fact, Aaron had already completely let go. He was willing to bless us."

Ethan's words once again caught Ines's attention. "Then what happened later?"

"Because Leila died, he blamed me."

Ines looked at him intently. Ethan gave a bitter smile and squeezed her hand. "Tired of standing? Let's go to the resting room."

Ines was led by him to the resting room. They held each other quietly. He thought he would never bring up this matter to anyone again, but he didn't expect this day to come.

Ethan's thoughts suddenly went back to that year.

The night in Aelston was a bit stuffy. Ethan had been working on branch affairs for two days and nights without rest. But when he lay down, he couldn't sleep at all. He felt uneasy. He got up and took a shower. When he came out, he found his phone on the bed ringing.

He glanced at the caller ID and a smile appeared on his lips. "Isn't it work hours now? Why would you call me?"

"Mr. Meyer, do you really have to keep such a tight leash?" Leila complained.

"Alright, alright. You're about to become Mrs. Meyer anyway. You'll own half of the Meyer Group. If you want to slack off, then slack off. If the Meyer Group goes under, you'll just have to suffer with me." Ethan's gaze locked onto the ring box not far away, unable to stop grinning.