Beneath the Landslide
After all, Ethan always nagged at me, and I can almost hear him saying, You can't do anything right; I always have to come to help.
The phone rang for ages before it finally connected, and by then, the landslide had knocked me to the ground.
"Yes? What is with you? Calling eight hundred times a day… Don't you ever get tired of it? I told you I'm working; I don't have time.
"Hello? If you're not going to say anything, I'm hanging up. I've got other things to do."
Beep, beep!
Before I could say a word, Ethan impatiently scolded me. Typical.
That had been Ethan Lang's attitude five years into our marriage.
He might not have to put up with me anymore after this, though, because I might never see him again......
Chapter 1
After six days, I was rescued. As I lay on the hospital bed, the sound of dogs barking and voices calling out to me echoed in my ear.
Also… I could almost hear the sound of a girl's breathless and sultry voice in Ethan's last phone call.
I must have misheard that.
After all, before we got married, Ethan repeatedly swore his loyalty to me, even taking a few oaths. How could he ever cheat on me?
Thinking about the anniversary we missed, I asked the young man who had helped rescue me to buy me a phone.
I logged into my messaging app.
I should let Ethan know I was safe. Maybe I should apologize for being late to our fifth wedding anniversary.
As soon as I opened the application, a flood of congratulations popped up, and I froze for a moment.
Confused, I asked my best friend what was going on, only to learn that Ethan had just been promoted and was planning to treat everyone to dinner.
I opened my social media app, and the first post I saw was from Ethan.
[A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.]
I was just about to message him, telling him I was safe and maybe even congratulating him. However, I saw the ring in his hand, and I went silent.
That ring… I had seen it not long ago, in the hand of a student Ethan was sponsoring. At the time, I blamed myself for being paranoid, always doubting Ethan and not giving him enough trust.
Ha. It seemed I was the one left in the dark all along.
The first thing I did after surviving death was to look for Ethan, afraid he would worry. Meanwhile, he had gotten a promotion and had a woman in his arms, living it up.
He never cared about whether I lived or died, even from the very start.
"Are you alright?" The young firefighter carefully handed me a tissue.
That was when I realized. At some point, I started crying—for this relationship that lasted 10 years.
The old me might have stormed up to demand an explanation, but at this moment, I was tired.
I wiped away my tears, picked up my phone, and opened my text chat with Ethan.
The last message was sent to me on the day of the earthquake.
[You're so annoying. I told you I'm busy. I'm not coming home today.]
To Ethen, the anniversary I thought was so important was not even worth mentioning.
Watching the boy next to me sobbing uncontrollably for his girlfriend, I closed my eyes and silently mourned for the Ethan I once knew.
I texted, [Congrats on the promotion. When you have a moment, let's get a divorce. I'm not dead yet.]
I could tell Ethan was gearing to respond with the word 'typing' displayed, but then there was nothing.
Was I just left on read? It did not matter.
Things somehow seemed much clearer to me after I survived.
Chapter 2
Every day at the hospital, besides eating and drinking, I would chat with the young firefighter. I found out that my savior was from the same hometown as me and shared an interest in painting, giving us endless things to talk about.
Every day in the hospital was joyful for me.
That was, of course, until a call came in one night.
"Emma White, where are you? How are you still not back yet?"
Ethan's voice was accusatory right from the start. Well, that killed my good mood.
"I told you, Ethan, when you get a chance, let's finalize the divorce."
There was a moment of silence on the other end before he spoke, annoyed.
"Alright, alright. Divorce, divorce—aren't you tired of talking about that all the time? Just because I didn't visit you in the hospital? Fine, tell me which hospital, and I'll drop by when I have time."
I had posted a photo on my social media showing me in the hospital with the caption, [I've been reborn… This time, I'll take back what's mine.]
Ethan did not care that I had been trapped for seven days before being rescued. He did not understand how traumatizing that was. I almost did not make it out alive. All he did was accuse me of blowing things out of proportion, then toss me a half-hearted offer to visit when convenient.
I remembered how much of a pushover I used to be.
I spoke up, "Ethan, I'm serious."
"Serious? About what? Emma, you better make yourself clear!"
Before he could continue his tirade, I hung up.
The peace was refreshing.
I lay back on the bed, thinking about how I would carry on with my life.
I used to love Ethan so much that I was willing to give up my career to be the perfect wife. Looking back at it, however, I realized how foolish that was.
A woman needed to have her own career.
I remembered how I once haggled with the market vendor over a 10-dollar discount, and he yanked me away, saying I was embarrassing like some street shrew.
The Ethan of the past would have praised me, saying, "Emma, you're amazing, you're so good at managing things."
When I went to get beauty treatments, he would say it was a waste of money, that my face would not look any different either way.
Even when I picked up painting again, he criticized me, asking what I was 'messing around with' at my age when I never succeeded at anything. He told me I should focus on taking care of him and the house.
Looking back, it was all emotional manipulation. Day after day, I had been under his control, thinking I was worthless. That was why, during the landslide, my first reaction was not to escape but to call Ethan for help.
I used to be the brightest star in school. Ethan's methods of pursuing me were known all over campus. Our story was practically famous.
"My darling daughter! Oh, you're alive! You scared me to death!"
My parents, who saw the news about the landslide, were terrified and flew all the way from our hometown, crossing nearly half the country to see me.
On the other hand, Ethan, who was closest to me, still needed to 'make time' to visit me.
This was not some minor illness; I barely escaped death. Even my parents could tell something was wrong.
"Sweetheart, did you two have a fight?"
"No, I just want a divorce."
When I mentioned divorce, my parents exchanged glances but did not try to stop me.
"I told you ages ago that guy wasn't good enough for you, but you didn't believe me. Pfft."
"Shut up! Weren't you the one who invested the most money in him? Didn't you used to say Ethan was your promising student? Well, look at your 'promising student' now. These years, he's made my daughter more and more miserable each time she visits.
"Sweetheart, if you want a divorce, go ahead. A woman in her twenties is like a blooming flower. The world won't stop turning for anyone. You've still got us, your parents."
I hugged them and cried out all the fear from the landslide, the disappointment in Ethan's infidelity, and the uncertainty of life after the divorce.
I cried until my voice was hoarse before stopping, seriously thinking about what to do next.
First, I needed to move out. Then, I would pick up my paintbrush and find the person I used to be.
Ethan never contacted me again. He clearly did not take my words seriously.
It seemed he thought I was not serious when I talked about divorce. He thought I could not live without him.
Even his friends started berating him.
"Man, you should go home. Emma barely survived the ordeal! You should check on her."
"Emma is a great girl. You should treat her right. Don't end up really losing her."
"Yeah, think about how hard you worked to chase after her. The whole school knew, from the principal down to the cafeteria staff and janitors."
"She wasn't easy to get to at the time, and now you're just going to throw her away?"
Ethan waved them off, clearly irritated but with a smug look on his face.
"Let me tell you something. I wrote her a few love letters back in the day, and she still keeps them. Every time we argue, she pulls them out to read.
"A girl like Emma? She's not going anywhere. Don't worry, I'm just waiting for her to come begging me."
A few days later, when Ethan finally came home and saw that I had moved out, he panicked.
He went crazy, sending me texts and calling nonstop. Regardless of what he did, I only replied with one thing. "Do you have time to finalize the divorce?"
Ethan eventually showed up.
At that moment, I was talking with Alex Capel, the young firefighter who saved me, whether it was worth opening an art studio. My paintings had gotten a good response, and I had already received quite a few small commissions.
Alex was always making jokes. Out of five sentences, three would make me laugh so hard I could not sit still.
"Well, well, Emma! You weren't home for a week and even moved out. I was wondering what was going on, but it turns out you're here cheating on me.
"Come on, let's go home. I want to hear your explanation!"
Chapter 3
"Are you crazy, Ethan? What 'explanation'? I told you we're getting a divorce! Let go! You're hurting me!"
I struggled against his hold, but his grip only tightened, leaving red marks on my arm as he refused to let go.
"Hey man, calm down. If you keep pulling like that, you're going to dislocate her arm."
"It's okay, Alex, I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow."
Alex tried to pull Ethan away, but for some reason, Ethan snapped. He kicked Alex aside and yanked my hair violently.
Smack!
"You shameless woman! 'Alex'? You're calling his name so sweetly, huh? So, you really did cheat on me?!
"And you. What's wrong with you, man? You're so desperate you'll take anyone? Even her? Look at that face and that body. Ugh! Have you never seen a woman before? Want me to introduce you to a few others?"
I held my face in disbelief as Ethan insulted me like I was worthless. So this was how he genuinely saw me? His violent, vicious demeanor was a far cry from the boy he used to be. It felt like I was seeing him for the first time. It was so strange yet familiar.
"What are you all looking at? Can't a man discipline his wife and her lover? How long have you two been fooling around, huh?!"
He kept hurling accusations at me, calling us 'adulterers' and 'cheaters' without a care for the truth.
More and more people gathered to watch, and he shamelessly continued to heap blame on me.
Enduring the pain from my hair being pulled, I turned and kneed him in the groin, forcing him to let go.
"So, you've got guts now, huh, Emma? You're hitting me? I'll make you pay for that!" Ethan doubled over, his eyes bulging with fury, as if he wanted to kill me.
I calmly rubbed my scalp and asked, "Where were you last month, on Valentine's Day?"
He froze for a moment, then smirked disdainfully and mocked me.
"Typical. This is what you're capable of, Emma? Jealous over nothing? I told you that the company had urgent business that day."
Seeing his smug, 'you're just jealous because you love me' expression, I suppressed the urge to punch him. "Do I need to be more specific? You were with Leah Kipper that day, weren't you?"
Ethan's expression shifted.
"Are you stalking me now? I told you, Leah is just a student I've been mentoring. She wasn't feeling well that day, so I went to check on her. It's perfectly normal! Why are you always so paranoid?"
If she was sick, why did he not just send her to the doctor instead of playing nurse?
Before I could respond, Alex, who was known for his sharp wit, jumped in.
"Hold on, man. It was Valentine's Day. You've got time for some other woman but not your own wife? What's the deal? Is that other girl disabled or something? Can't she see a doctor on her own?
"And how did you treat her, huh? With a few touches here and there, and she's all better?"
Alex's sharp tongue left Ethan speechless. Meanwhile, the elderly onlookers who had gathered started to grasp the situation, and they quickly formed a circle, making sarcastic comments.
"Yeah, young man, you must be a real medical expert, huh? Why don't you check my headache while you're at it?"
"Oh, I've got pains too!"
Suddenly, everyone was claiming they needed his 'treatment', with some people even dramatically pretending to have seizures.
"Emma, I told you, I had a real reason that day!" Ethan tried to defend himself.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you can cheat on me, right?
"Enough, let's stop this."
"What?" He seemed stunned by my calm tone, as if he could not believe I was not getting angry or arguing back.
"I said, it doesn't matter anymore. Let's get the divorce papers signed. After that, I won't care where you go or who you're with."
"Don't be rash, Emma! Think carefully. If we divorce, you'll regret it! Seriously! You can't do anything! You'll be helpless without me!"
The familiar manipulative tone made me tune him out. I turned and walked away. Did I not live a good life before I was with him? Life back then was much better.
When Ethan saw my determination, his expression grew anxious. He limped over, still in pain, trying to pull me back.
"Come on, let's talk about this at home, okay?" His tone was a mix of pleading and threat.
No. I was not turning back for him anymore.
…
That day, while I was scouting locations for my art project, a woman approached me with a smile.
"Hello, Miss Emma. I'm Ethan's boss… and his girlfriend."
"Oh, so what?"
I could not understand where this side chick got the nerve to come up to me before the divorce was even finalized. Did she get her confidence from some inspirational song or something?
Besides, Ethan told me this woman was just a student he was mentoring. All of a sudden, she was claiming to be his superior? What a joke.
"Ethan and I are in love."
"Oh."
"My father promised that if Ethan stayed with me, the entire company would be his when he retired."
"Oh."
"So, I can give him a better life, something you can't."
"Oh. So what?" I could not be more dismissive.
After getting frustrated, Leah laughed.
"You really are pitiful. Here, take this. It's a check for ten thousand dollars."
She pulled out a check from her bag and held it out to me.
I did not take it and just looked at her with a dumbfounded expression.
Excuse me?
"Just ten thousand? I thought a rich girl like you would offer a million to make me leave."
Leah snapped, "You've been reading too many novels! You're insane!"
She turned to leave but lost her balance and slipped. Blood began to pool under her, and at that moment, my mind went blank.
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