Chapter 15 - Ethan’s Last Private Conversation
Ethan asked to speak with Maya alone.
She refused.
Nathaniel remained in the room.
So did her mother.
Ethan looked smaller without the house behind him.
“I made mistakes.”
Maya said nothing.
“I was under pressure.”
Still nothing.
“My mother convinced me the property was supposed to become ours.”
“You signed the contract.”
“I thought I could fix everything later.”
“You opened the window.”
He looked away.
“You made me stand in cold water.”
“I was angry.”
“You watched your mother treat me like staff.”
“I didn’t know how far she would go.”
“You handed her the plate.”
His eyes filled.
“Maya, I love you.”
She considered the sentence.
Perhaps part of him did.
But love without respect had become a weapon.
“You loved having me,” she said. “You did not love listening to me.”
“I can change.”
“You may.”
Hope entered his face.
Then she finished:
“But not as my husband.”
Maya removed her wedding ring.
She placed it on the table beside the brass key.
Ethan stared at both objects.
One represented the marriage he exploited.
May you like
The other represented the house he never owned.
He reached for neither.
