Ethan smirked sinisterly. He stood up, turning to face my mother with the confidence of someone who could destroy everything.
“Ma’am, Claire never went to school. She’s been with me for seven years. We lived together, raised a dog together, and even…”
I trembled, lowering my head, unable to face iny mother.
Before Ethan could finish, my mother grabbed a broom and swung it at him, cutting him off mid–sentence. “Get out of my house!”
Ethan winced in pain, rubbing his back where he had been hit. He still tried to speak. “Ma’am, you don’t understand. Your daughter has been lying to you this whole time! She-”
My mother’s gaze darkened. She grabbed a porcelain vase nearby and hurled it at Ethan. “Get out!”
Ethan ducked awkwardly, dodging the vase. He looked back at her, bewildered and still unwilling to give up. Just then, his phone rang, cutting him off.
On the other end, Anna’s sweet voice carried through.
“Mr. West, my stomach hurts a little. I think the baby misses you!
“But which baby misses you more: the one on the phone, or the one inside me? Maybe you’ll know when you get back.”
Ethan’s face froze, and he frowned, lowering his voice. “I’m busy right now. Don’t bother me.”
‘Anna must not have been used to being scolded. Her voice trembled as if she was on the verge of tears.
“Fine! So even missing you is a bother now? If that’s the case, maybe both of us, me and the baby, should just disappear and lighten your burden.”
The sound of quick, hurried footsteps and wind rustling through the phone made Ethan panic.
He worried that Anna, out of jealousy, might do something extreme.
Just then, my mother swung a picture frame at him. Ethan Blocked it with his arm, but the glass left a deep cut across the back of his hand.
He glanced apologetically at me, pretending to be affectionate as he said, “Something urgent came up, Claire.
