Chapter 4 A Marriage Without Warmth

Charlotte quietly closed the door to her and Ethan's room. As soon as she leaned against it, all the restraint she had been exerting in front of the Hawthorne family finally gave way. Tears streamed down her cheeks one by one until she finally sat on the floor. She hugged herself tightly as her shoulders shook from incessant sobbing.

She couldn't count how many times she had been humiliated in six months.

She couldn't even remember how many times she had dreamed that one day someone would stand up for her.

But every time...

She was always alone.

She gently stroked her stomach.

"I'm sorry, baby..."

Charlotte sobbed.

"This is not what Mommy dreamed for us."

She closed her eyes as every word Vanessa had said came back to her memory.

"I should be Mrs. Hawthorne."

Then came Mrs. Hawthorne's slap.

And Ethan's silence.

That was the most painful.

Not the slap.

Not the insult.

But seeing his wife there... but he didn't say a word to defend her.

Almost an hour passed before she heard the bathroom door open.

Ethan Hawthorne came out wearing a white bathrobe. His hair was still wet and he had a small towel around his shoulders. His face was tired, but his expression remained calm.

Ethan immediately noticed her puffy eyes.

He frowned slightly.

"Are you crying?"

Charlotte couldn't help herself anymore.

She quickly approached Ethan and hugged him tightly.

"Ethan..."

Charlotte closed her eyes tightly as she rested her forehead on her husband's chest.

Finally...

The person she had hoped would be her support was there.

"I'm so tired..." she said tremblingly.  "I don't know what to do."

Ethan remained standing.

He didn't return the hug.

He didn't caress Charlotte's back either.

He just silently looked away.

Charlotte could feel the coldness of her husband's body.

She slowly moved away and looked up at him.

"Ethan..."

Ethan slowly sighed.

"I heard what happened earlier."

Charlotte's face lit up slightly.

"Did you hear?"

Ethan nodded.

"Mother told me everything."

The slight hope in Charlotte's eyes disappeared.

"Ethan... that's not all that happened."

"Vanessa is the—"

Ethan didn't let her finish.

"Charlotte."

His voice was weak but cold.

"It doesn't matter who started it."

It felt like something was tightening in Charlotte's chest.

"It doesn't matter?"

Ethan didn't answer.

"Your Mommy slapped me."

Charlotte's voice trembled.

"They humiliated me in front of everyone."

"They didn't feed me."

"They made me work all morning even though I was pregnant."

Charlotte's tears fell one by one.

"Then... Vanessa..."

Her voice broke off.

"She said she hoped I would lose my child."

She gradually held onto Ethan's arm.

"Ethan..."

"Even if it was just you..."

"Even if it was just you who believed me."

Ethan stared at her silently.

A few seconds passed before he spoke.

"Charlotte..."

"Next time..."

Ethan bowed slightly.

"...just follow mom and avoid answering back to her.."

Charlotte was stunned.

She thought she had just heard wrong.

"W-What?"

"You know she gets hot-tempered quickly."

Charlotte's world seemed to slowly crumble.

"That's all?" 

Ethan closed his eyes weakly.

"I don't want the problem to get bigger."

Charlotte shook her head as her tears continued to fall.

"Problem?"

"I'm the problem?"

"That's not what I said."

"But that's what you meant."

The room fell silent again.

Charlotte came closer and held her husband's hand again.

"Ethan..."

"I can't take it anymore."

"I'm so tired."

"I feel..."

Her voice broke off due to sobbing.

"...I don't have any allies in this house anymore."

Ethan remained silent.

She looked down at Charlotte's hand before slowly removing her grip.

"Just rest for now."

It felt like cold water had been poured all over Charlotte's body.

Is that it?

Is that all the man she fought against the whole world would say?

"Ethan..."

Her voice was weak.

"Do you still love me?"

Ethan looked at her.

But she didn't answer right away.

That silence was the most painful answer Charlotte had ever received.

Slowly, the tightness in her chest returned. Her vision began to blur and the entire room spun.

She grabbed the edge of the bed.

"Ethan..."

Ethan noticed her face turning pale.

"Charlotte?"

He took a step closer.

Charlotte couldn't answer.

Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her stomach.

She grabbed it while wincing in pain.

"I-My stomach..."

Ethan's eyes widened.

"Charlotte!"

Within seconds, Charlotte's knees completely lost strength.

She fell to the floor.

"Charlotte!"

Ethan quickly caught his wife before her head hit the marble floor.

Charlotte was unconscious.

And for the first time that day, Ethan saw the pale face of the woman who was barely breathing while tightly holding her stomach.

"Call the driver!" Ethan shouted as he carried Charlotte. "Get the car ready! We're taking her to the hospital!"

The housekeepers were worried and ran out of the room.

 As Ethan carried his unconscious wife, a thin line of blood slowly dripped from between Charlotte's legs.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Charlotte was immediately rushed to the emergency room.

"Doctor, she's pregnant. She suddenly collapsed," Ethan said calmly.

The nurses quickly placed Charlotte on a stretcher.

"Sir, please wait outside."

Ethan nodded silently and let go of Charlotte's hand. He did nothing but watch the emergency room door close before sitting in the waiting area.

He stared at the floor silently.

He wasn't crying.

He wasn't panicking either.

He only massaged his senses from time to time, seemingly exhausted from everything that had happened.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Hawthorne, Mr. Hawthorne, Thea, and Vanessa arrived.

"How is she?" Mrs. Hawthorne asked.

Ethan shook his head slightly.

"The doctor hasn't come out yet."

No one spoke.

After about thirty minutes, the emergency room door opened.

The doctor came out while removing his face mask.

Ethan immediately stood up.

"Doctor?"

The doctor took a deep breath before speaking.

"The patient's condition is stable. But she experienced extreme stress, was very tired, and had not eaten for a long time."

Ethan frowned slightly.

The doctor continued.

"She almost miscarried. It's good that you brought her here in time."

Ethan was silent.

"I see."

"She needs to stay here for a few days for observation. If the stress doesn't reduce and her condition improves, her pregnancy could be at risk again."

Ethan nodded.

"Okay. Please take care of her."

A nurse approached with a clipboard and some documents.

"Sir, we also need to process the admission. This is the initial hospital deposit and estimate of the expenses."

The nurse handed the papers to Ethan.

But before he could read them, Mrs. Hawthorne quickly snatched them away.

As she read the billing statement, the old lady's brow gradually furrowed.

"What?"

"This much will be charged?"

The nurse nodded.

"This includes emergency treatment, laboratory examinations, ultrasound, medications, and room charges."

Mrs. Hawthorne shook her head.

"It's a huge amount."

"Just for a fainting."

The nurse was speechless.

Mrs. Hawthorne put down the billing statement and sighed.

"Ever since that woman came into this family, she's brought nothing but expenses and problems."

Thea nodded.

"Mom's right."

Ethan looked at his sister, but didn't say anything.

Thea continued.

"Before Charlotte came into our lives, our lives were quiet and peaceful."

"Now, there's a problem almost every month."

"If it wasn't a scandal, it would have been hospitalized."

Ethan just kept quiet.

He didn't agree with them.

But he didn't stop them either. 

Vanessa came over and gently touched Mrs. Hawthorne's arm.

"Auntie... don't get angry."

She pretended to be worried.

"The important thing is, Charlotte and the baby are safe."

Mrs. Hawthorne laughed.

A cold, bitter laugh.

"Safe?"

She shook her head.

"As a matter of fact..."

She paused for a moment before looking coldly at the door of the room where Charlotte was.

"...it would have been better if that baby had just miscarried."

No one spoke.

Mrs. Hawthorne continued.

"As long as the baby in her womb is alive, Ethan will never be able to completely get rid of that woman."

"We can't process the divorce papers."

Thea nodded slightly.

"Mom is right."

"Charlotte is really not right for Ethan."

"They'll only have to struggle even harder while they force a marriage that has no direction."

Vanessa pretended to be surprised.

"Thea... don't be like that."

But inside she could barely hide her pleasure.

Mr. Hawthorne listened quietly.

He didn't say anything to stop his wife and child.

Meanwhile, Ethan remained silent.

He stared at the closed door of Charlotte's room for a few seconds before speaking without emotion.

"We'll talk about that when she's out of the hospital."

That was all he said.

He didn't defend himself.

He didn't object either.

And in that silence, Mrs. Hawthorne only believed more and more that her son's heart was slowly letting go of Charlotte.