A Seven-Year Obedience Test Chapter 09
When I woke up, Emma was sitting by the bed, peeling an apple.
When she saw my eyes open, she burst into tears. “You’re finally awake!”
“I’m fine. Just a little sore.” I managed a smile, my voice weak. “What happened with Vivian?”
“All the evidence is solid—aggravated assault, attempted. She’s not getting out of this.” Emma cut the apple into small pieces and handed them to me. “Don’t worry, I’ve already got a lawyer on it. She’ll pay.”
Right then, the door opened softly.
Ethan stood at the entrance, holding a thermos. He must have been standing there for a while.
His eyes were bloodshot, stubble darkening his jaw. He looked haggard, worn down.
Emma’s face went cold the instant she saw him.
“What are you doing here? Come to check Claire didn’t die?”
Ethan didn’t respond. He set the thermos on the table. “The family cook made porridge. Light—good for recovery.”
Emma didn’t mince words. “We don’t need your food. You should leave. Seeing you won’t help Claire heal.”
I leaned back on the pillow and just looked at him, silently.
Under my gaze, Ethan grew awkward. He opened his mouth, and finally managed: “I’m sorry. Vivian was my responsibility, and I failed. I’ll cover all your medical bills, therapy, damages—everything. And as for your work, if you want to go back to your old company, or anywhere else in design, I can—”
“Don’t bother.” I cut him off. “I’ll handle my own business.”
“Claire—”
“Ethan.” I met his eyes, my tone firm. “The accident was Vivian’s doing. I’ll hold her accountable, and that has nothing to do with you. But between us—it’s been over. You don’t have to feel guilty, and you don’t have to make up for anything. I don’t need it.”
Just then, the door opened again.
My old university mentor and a senior classmate walked in. When they saw I was awake, they both let out sighs of relief. My mentor noticed Ethan and paused, then sighed.
“Are you Mr. Ethan by any chance? Claire was top of our department. She had a guaranteed graduate school placement and a study-abroad opportunity. She gave it all up to stay in New York with you. I tried to talk her out of it, but she said her boyfriend was building his business and she needed to be there for him.”
My senior added, “Last year, she won gold in an international design competition. She got an offer from a top design firm. She turned it down too—said she didn’t want to get too far ahead of you, didn’t want you to feel pressured.”
They went on, one after another, laying out seven years of sacrifice I’d kept hidden in plain sight.
Ethan stood frozen. He looked like a ghost.
He’d always thought Claire was ordinary, unremarkable—someone who needed him to support her.
But she could have stood so much higher. He’d clipped her wings himself, and then mocked her for not being able to fly.
Emma looked at his hollow expression and laughed coldly.
“Hear that, Ethan? Your precious status and money meant nothing to her. If she’d wanted to take shortcuts, she could’ve had anyone. She loved you, genuinely, for seven years. You just couldn’t see it.”
Ethan didn’t respond.
He walked out of the room, leaned against the wall in the hallway, and slowly sank down, covering his face with his hands.
His shoulders shook.
For the first time in his life, he was crying.
Not from anger, not from embarrassment.
From regret. Bone-deep, gut-wrenching regret.