Part 2<\/p>\n
Relief rushed through me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d I whispered. \u201cThank you, Ethan.\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled knowingly.<\/p>\n
\u201cGuess I\u2019ve always been a little crazy. But this\u2014this might just take the cake.\u201d<\/p>\n
That afternoon, we went directly to city hall.<\/p>\n
No wedding dress.<\/p>\n
No flowers.<\/p>\n
Just paperwork and two strangers signing their names.<\/p>\n
When we stepped outside, Ethan grinned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, looks like we\u2019re in this together now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Only then did the reality sink in.<\/p>\n
I had just married someone I had met that same day.<\/p>\n
The days that followed passed in a blur. Ethan and I settled into an unusual routine that somehow became comforting.<\/p>\n
His life was simple and unhurried. He taught me things I had never bothered learning\u2014how to cook breakfast without relying on anyone else, how to shop carefully, how to stretch a grocery budget.<\/p>\n
When my father discovered I had married, he exploded.<\/p>\n
He called every hour, leaving short messages filled with icy anger. After several days of ignoring him, I finally answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is going on, Anna?\u201d he demanded. \u201cYou married someone\u2014a stranger! A janitor! Have you lost your mind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s my life, Dad,\u201d I replied, unable to keep my voice from shaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have responsibilities, Anna. Do you think the world is going to respect this\u2026 this nonsense? I\u2019ll come by tomorrow. I want to meet this husband of yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFine, Dad,\u201d I answered, a chill running through me. I knew avoiding him forever was impossible.<\/p>\n
The following evening, my father arrived at our modest apartment wearing another expensive designer suit. His eyes swept over the mismatched furniture and simple d\u00e9cor with obvious disgust.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna, are you really staying here?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is our home,\u201d I answered, folding my arms while sensing Ethan standing quietly behind me.<\/p>\n
Then my father faced Ethan.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, you\u2019re the man who married my daughter,\u201d he said with open contempt. \u201cDo you know who she is? Do you have any idea what she\u2019s worth?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan met his eyes without hesitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, sir, I do,\u201d he replied calmly. \u201cI know she\u2019s more than her last name, or the money attached to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father let out a mocking laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, I see. You\u2019ve got all the right lines. It\u2019s clear you\u2019re not in this for love, but for what you can gain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cActually, sir,\u201d Ethan answered steadily, \u201cI don\u2019t care about your money. Or your status. I care about Anna.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s face flushed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou expect me to believe that?\u201d he snapped. \u201cYou\u2019re just a janitor\u2014a nobody.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan remained perfectly composed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI may be a janitor,\u201d he replied, \u201cbut I know honesty. And respect. I know that Anna deserves more than being treated like a pawn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anger mixed with confusion crossed my father\u2019s face.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what gives you the right to lecture me about respect?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan drew a slow breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy last name doesn\u2019t mean anything to you, does it? What if I told you my father\u2019s name was Andrew?\u201d he asked quietly.<\/p>\n
My father frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cAndrew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew him once,\u201d Ethan continued. \u201cHe was a business partner of yours until you forced him out. Took everything he had. He went from owning a company to scrubbing floors. And that\u2019s how I grew up.\u201d<\/p>\n
The shock spread through the room as my father\u2019s face lost its color.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat can\u2019t be\u2026 that was years ago,\u201d he stammered. \u201cYou\u2019re his son?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never recovered. But he raised me to be better than bitterness. And here I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father looked away, his shoulders suddenly heavy.<\/p>\n
Then, to my complete surprise, he dropped to his knees.<\/p>\n
\u201cAndrew\u2026 he was my friend. I was desperate. It was either him or me, and I had a family. I was doing what I thought I had to. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence lingered between us.<\/p>\n
Part 2 \u201cAll right,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cIf it gets you out of this mess. Just know, I\u2019m not one to back out once I\u2019m in something.\u201d Relief rushed through me. \u201cThank you,\u201d I...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n