Chapter 2

At that stage, he withdrew his hands from every detail of life, and even grew incapable of looking into his son's face.

How could he be fine when he had lost the love of his life?

As for now, Eileen had become merely a spectrum in memory, and he was stuck in a wretched marriage with Miral.

He was not truly complaining about this situation; all he wanted from Miral was for her to fulfill the role of a mother to Deniz, and nothing more.

To him, she was akin to a robot dedicated to child care. A harsh thought perhaps, but he no longer cared; he had stopped feeling and caring long ago.

Considering Ethan's dry demeanor, Miral should have demanded a divorce on day one, but she did not, remaining patient and silent. This deeply puzzled and astonished Ethan. If he wanted to summarize Miral's life in a single word, he would call her a "beggar." A woman begging for love and attention from him and his son at every available opportunity.

In reality, her failure to ask for divorce served his interests; for Deniz, despite his occasionally volatile mood, had grown entirely accustomed to Miral's presence, and Ethan did not wish to dismantle this artificial stability, preferring to keep life as it was for his son's sake.

The young woman did the impossible to win his heart and the little boy's heart without ever despairing.

Despite reaching the age of twenty, Miral remained a prisoner of the four walls, never leaving the house.

Her fear of looks of contempt and mockery due to her weight caused her to completely shut the doors of the outside world in her face.

This isolation partially served Ethan's interests; he could not bear taking her with him to social events or formal dinners, and he had no readiness to endure mocking glances or face embarrassment because of her appearance.

For her part, she did not discuss the matter with him, nor did she even bother to inform him of the dates of such invitations, should they exist.

"Papa, I want a toy car!"

Miral turned quickly with a sharp gaze toward Ethan, who immediately agreed to Deniz's request without a second thought. Ethan did not care for that reproachful look; if his son wanted something, he would fulfill it for him on the spot without hesitation or regret.

"No, you won't get it! You already have a pile of toys. We can't fulfill everything you ask for just like that without reason."

With this objection from Miral, it was Deniz's turn to stare at her with angry eyes; he could not stand her constant interference in his desires, especially when it concerned talking to his father.

"I wasn't talking to you, Miral! I'm talking to Papa, so don't meddle in what doesn't concern you!"

"Speak to your mother with respect."

Calmly and in a tone devoid of extreme firmness, Miral remarked, which prompted Deniz to withdraw angrily toward his room. He could not bear calling her by the word "mother." To him, as long as he had a real mother in his memory, it was absurd to address another woman by that title.

"Oh dear, I think he's really angry... I'll go appease him."

Ethan sighed with boredom as he watched Miral run after the little boy. This was precisely what he expected to happen; hence he had not intervened from the beginning, knowing for sure that Miral would object as usual, then rush submissively to appease him afterward. The exact same scene repeated itself identically every time.

A relatively long time passed, and the young woman had not returned from the hallway. It seemed Miral had not yet managed to persuade Deniz, which was why they were delayed in the room. Amidst his absent-mindedness, it took him seconds to realize the source of that strange smell creeping into his nose. Something was burning! With the heavy scent spreading, he suddenly realized it was coming from the kitchen. He sprang up with tremendous speed and rushed to turn off the burning stove valve.

"Fool!" he muttered with intense anger and disgust, cursing her stupidity.

He opened the window wide to ventilate the place and drive away the annoying burning smell. As it gradually faded, he stepped out toward the living room.

At that time, Miral had broken into Deniz's room, cautiously trying to persuade the little boy who lay on the bed with his back turned to her.

"Deniz, are you angry with us?"

"Get away from me, Miral!"

"Don't do that... I didn't mean to upset you," she said in a tone filled with regret. She had not meant to hurt him, but the abundance of his toys made her fear he might grow into a greedy child who did not appreciate the value of things, so her objection stemmed from care.

"But you made me sad."

With Deniz's weeping voice, Miral felt a deep pinch in her heart; she wished she had not uttered a single word. He was a child after all, and it was natural for him to want toys. Why on earth did she object? It was not worth breaking his little heart.

"I'm sorry, Deniz. I truly didn't mean to upset you. I promise we'll go together tomorrow and buy that car."

She saw the little boy sit up immediately, his reddened eyes gleaming with hope and a small smile appearing on his lips. Miral realized she had chosen the right path; all that mattered to her was that he did not feel sad because of her, and she was always keen to remain gentle with him.

"Really?"

Miral looked at him with eyes overflowing with sincerity and smiled as she nodded.

Deniz sprang up to hug her with blatant joyful screaming: "Thank you so much, Miral!" She returned the embrace immediately.

"Let's go eat."

She took his hand and they headed together toward the living room.

The moment they entered, she remembered the lingering burning smell, panicked, and rushed hastily toward the kitchen.

"Oh dear! I left the food on the fire!" she shook her head with a racing heart as she jogged. The sight of her reckless running drew a light chuckle onto Deniz's lips.

"The running panda!" Deniz shouted laughingly as he watched her disappear into the kitchen.

Ethan turned with sharp features to warn him with his eyes, but Deniz paid him not the slightest attention and continued laughing. Ethan himself did not wish to scold him any further; Deniz was always like this with Miral, and she never objected to anything that came from him. And as long as the wife was not complaining, he had no right to intervene.

Miral stood with sad features contemplating her burnt dish. The dinner had gone to waste. She would have to prepare new food from scratch.

"No need to trouble yourself, I'm not hungry anyway. And Deniz had enough food today, as you know, they had the local food day at school."

Miral turned at a voice from behind her to find her husband looking at her with indifference, so she nodded in agreement and began cleaning the kitchen in silence. Her stomach was gnawing with extreme hunger, but she tried to ignore it. A person does not die if they stay hungry for a single day. As for Ethan, given the late hour, he took Deniz to put him to bed. The young woman bent over the black stove top, scrubbing it with all her might; removing the burning traces was certainly no easy task.

After grueling effort, she succeeded in making the kitchen shine with cleanliness. She contemplated her work with pride, removed her apron, hung it up, and turned off the lights. Ethan had surely put Deniz to sleep; the little boy's sleep schedule was strict and organized, falling asleep the moment his hour arrived without delay.

She walked heavily and slowly toward the bedroom, ignoring the sounds of hunger echoing from her stomach. In any case, she had devoured an apple moments earlier. The moment she opened the bedroom door, she saw her shirtless husband; it seemed he was looking for a shirt inside the closet. Although he noticed her entry, he did not even bother to turn toward her. The young woman contemplated him for a long time with looks carrying much; Ethan's body was tightly toned and athletic, and his tall build suited him perfectly. Unlike her plump and obese body, her husband possessed an ideal athletic physique.

She never liked her husband possessing such a seductively enticing body; on the rare occasions they went out together, she hated those blazing looks and admiration thrown at him by women. In order to become a woman worthy of standing beside him, she repeatedly entered harsh diets, but she always fell victim to her weak willpower. Her appetite had defeated her since childhood.

She could not help swallowing her saliva seeing her husband's body so close to her like that. She missed him dearly. Ever since their marriage, the intimate moments between them were fewer than could be counted on the fingers of a single hand. Their private life was entirely different from what she read in books or heard from here and there. Ah... she remembered that first night of their marriage and shivered with terror; it would have been better to erase that day from her memory entirely.

The longer she stared at him, the more her cheeks burned with heat that quickly spread throughout her entire body. She desired him. And it was very natural for her to miss him after this long drought. But she feared approaching him; whenever she tried to get close, he would evade her with ready-made excuses.

She failed to suppress that burning desire in her chest, so she stepped forward with slow steps, snatched the shirt he was about to wear from his hands, and threw it on the bed. She completely ignored the look of astonishment on her face as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. She inhaled his scent deeply, casting her adoring gazes upon his handsome face. She truly missed him!

"I miss you so much, my dear husband," she said in a soft, flirtatious tone.

Ethan fully understood what the woman standing before him wanted, but he had no desire to touch her. As usual, it required fabricating a new excuse. He pushed her away with immediate violence, and without batting an eyelash at her shocked and broken looks, he slid his body beneath the covers.

"I'm tired, Miral, go to sleep yourself," he said dryly, then pulled the blanket over his shoulders and turned away from her.

Miral could not prevent herself from feeling a bitter lump gripping her heart due to his dry dismissal. But as usual, she would remain silent. As long as he said he was tired, he must surely be so. She changed her clothes trying to ignore the pain of her broken heart, and crept into the bed beside him.

She watched him as he was deeply asleep, his regulated breathing being evidence that he had drowned in a deep slumber. She raised her hand cautiously, placing her fingers on his cheek, touching his features with hidden tenderness. As much as her love was growing day by day, as much as she felt he was slipping away from her and sliding from between her hands more and more.