Broken Memories, Intertwined Hearts

Chapter 42

Ines was too worried about Ethan waking up in the middle of the night, so she couldn't fall asleep. She could only doze off while holding Ethan's hand. When Ethan woke up in the middle of the night, Ines opened her eyes almost at the same time and immediately held him down. "Don't move. What do you need? I'll help you. Is there any discomfort right now?" Ines asked.

Ethan shook his head with a smile. His stomach wasn't hurting anymore, but his throat was super dry. "I'm thirsty. Can you pour me a glass of water?"

"Sure, just wait." Ines said.

Since the doctor had mentioned that the patient might be thirsty after waking up, Ines hadn't turned off the water dispenser and directly poured him a glass of water.

Ethan's throat was really uncomfortable. After drinking two big glasses of water, his dry throat finally felt better. He checked the time and realized that it was already past 4 am. Seeing how tired Ines looked, Ethan felt bad and patted the spot next to him. "Izzy, come up and sleep for a while. You must be exhausted tonight."

Ines tucked him in and said, "I'm not sleepy. There are only three hours left until daylight. I can hang in there. I'll sleep after mom arrives. You're still on an IV, so I'll keep an eye on it."

There was no way to hide Ethan's hospitalization from the Meyer family. Ines had already called and reassured Erica that Ethan was fine, which stopped her from coming over in the middle of the night.

"There are nurses who regularly patrol the wards at night, so you don't have to keep an eye on me all the time. Hurry up and get some sleep. I can't sleep well without holding you." Ethan said.

Ines hesitated for a moment, looking at the empty space beside Ethan. Since it was a VIP ward, the bed was quite big. She was worried that the nurses might have too many patients to look after and

there might be negligence, so she felt more at ease taking care of him herself.

"Izzy, the VIP ward has dedicated nurses. One nurse is responsible for one ward, so you can relax." Ines went out to give the nurse some instructions before climbing into bed. Ethan immediately embraced her in his arms. In just a few days, Ines had gotten used to sleeping with Ethan. Being held like this didn't make her feel uncomfortable; she just reminded him to be careful with the needle in his hand.

Her body was exhausted after a long night, but it wasn't easy for her to fall asleep. She couldn't help but remind Ethan again, "Ethan, you're not allowed to drink like this again." Compared to the excitement in the car earlier, Ines was much calmer now.

She felt scared just thinking about it. If she hadn't been home tonight and Lucas hadn't been worried about Ethan and returned, no one would have known that Ethan was sick. When they arrived at the hospital, the doctor said he was close to going into shock.

Ethan was well aware of her concerns. He rubbed his chin against the top of her head, gently stroked her face with his free hand, and whispered with a hoarse voice, "I know. I won't do this again. I won't scare you like that."

"You better remember what you said. Don't do this again, or I'll teach you a lesson," Ines said, pretending to be angry and waving her fist.

Ethan caught her fist and said, "Okay, if I make a mistake again, you scold me as much as you want. I won't argue."

Ines was a little embarrassed, and she muttered softly, "You're just a smooth talker."

The next day, Ines was awakened by the sound of talking in the ward. Since she was lying in Ethan's arms, she didn't want to face her mother-in-law in such a position, so she pretended to be

asleep. "You're in your thirties, and you still make people worry. You know you have a severe stomach condition, and you still dare to drink recklessly. I've told you so many times, but you never listen. You're also dragging down your wife. Do you want to drink yourself to a stomach perforation or stomach cancer before you're satisfied? I really don't know what to say to you." Although her voice was low, Ines could hear the anger in her words.

"It's not that serious," Ethan said, rubbing his temples with a headache. He had just been scolded by his wife, and now his mother was scolding him, making his head hurt.

Erica glared at her son. "Don't think the doctor is wrong. I've consulted with experts in this field. If you keep messing around, anything is possible."

"I understand," he replied.

"I didn't want to tell you this, but I'll remind you one last time. You need to be fair to your wife. You can't let Ines bear the burden of the body you ruined because of other women. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Erica didn't want to push her son, but she needed to make her point clear, or he wouldn't understand.

She was very satisfied with her daughter-in-law and couldn't afford to lose her.

Ethan suddenly looked up, showing a hint of sadness in his eyes, followed by a smile, "Thank you, Mom. I know what I should do."

Ines's heart skipped a beat when she heard her mother-in-law mention other women. She didn't know whether to open her eyes or keep them closed. At that moment, Erica mentioned her name, "Ines, are you awake?"

Ines had no choice but to get up from Ethan's arms, blushing, and greet Eric,. "Good morning, Erica." Erica found her shyness amusing. Ines was so embarrassed, but it was cute. "You don't

have to be shy. There's nothing wrong with sleeping in your husband's arms. Hurry up and freshen up. I brought breakfast. You guys left in a hurry last night and probably didn't bring any spare clothes, so I brought some for both of you." Erica said.

Ines nodded and went to the bathroom. Erica sat by her son's bed and put a cushion behind his back so he could sit up. After all, he was her son, and she was still worried about him.

Ethan leaned against the cushion and rubbed his numb shoulder. Erica couldn't help but laugh. "You still remember to spoil your wife even when you're sick. That's worth encouraging."

"It's what I should do." Ethan said.

Erica immediately asked, "So can you tell me what you really think about Ines?"

Ethan showed a satisfied smile. "She's even better than I imagined. I can't help but like her."

Hearing this, Erica felt much better, "That's good that you've fallen for her. Regarding your past, find a suitable time to explain it to her. She's a good girl, and she'll understand."

"I will." Ethan never intended to hide anything; he was just waiting for the right time.

Ines happened to come out just then and overheard what Ethan said. For some reason, her mood suddenly got better. Maybe in marriage, loving each other was enough.

She waited for his explanation about the past. Thinking about her wild imaginations before, Ines found it kinda funny.