Beneath the Landslide

"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.