A Silent Protector

Ch 2: When Trust Breaks

Pregnant?

A flicker of light flashed in Ethan's eyes and he couldn't help but remember that night two months ago. Claire returned home drunk and that was the only time she let him touch her. They made love. Of course, the next morning, he was kicked harshly by her words.

A hope rose in his chest as he muttered, "You are pregnant! Does that mean..."

"No," before Ethan could complete his sentence, he was interrupted by Claire harshly. Shaking her head, she said, "It's not yours. The baby belongs to Derek Whitman, from the Whitman family."

Ethan's heart stopped. He felt his world collapsing around him.

Derek Whitman?

The rich heir of one of the wealthiest families in Springfield City?

Ethan couldn't believe his ears.

What does Claire mean?

She cheated on him while they were still married?

Most importantly, she actually got pregnant?

No... This cannot be true!

Ethan shook his head fiercely. At the same time, he felt a fire burning in his heart.

This betrayal... He was unable to endure the betrayal and humiliation Claire had just given him.

Sandra entered the room at this moment. Her face lit up when she saw Claire. She rushed over hurriedly, kneeling beside her daughter, and grabbing Claire's hand.

"My dear! You are home!"

"Look at you. You are drunk again! You know you shouldn't be drinking, Claire. You have to take care of Derek's baby! This child will make sure you marry into the Whitman family."

Ethan: "..."

Ethan was not a fool. He immediately understood the game. Sandra was obviously not oblivious to what Claire had done. She was well aware of everything, and she might be the instigator of all that happened.

Sandra turned to Ethan with a sneer and snorted coldly, "You can leave now, Ethan. You've served your purpose in the Andreson Family. We don't need you anymore."

Ethan stood frozen in place. After three years of hard work, sacrificing his pride, and doing everything he could to prove himself, this was how they repaid him.

Claire, the woman he had loved and protected, was carrying another man's child. Moreover, these people were behaving as if this was something they should take pride in. 

"Sandra," Ethan gritted his teeth and said in a trembling voice due to rage, “you and your family wouldn't even be standing here if it weren't for me."

Sandra laughed cruelly. Shaking her head, she snorted coldly, "Oh, please. You are nothing without us and have never done anything that can support the Andreson Family. How dare you say we wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for you? Get out yourself. Don't let me kick you out!"

Ethan's eyes burned with anger. He had stayed silent for three years, enduring their insults, but he couldn’t take it anymore. Clenching his fist, he growled, "Do you have any idea what I've done for this family? I've protected all of you from things you can't even imagine. If it weren't for me, your family would have been destroyed long ago."

Sandra waved her hand dismissively. "Heh... Don't tell me you are creating another silly story. You truly are delusional, Ethan. Let me tell you, if it weren't for Claire's grandfather, you wouldn't have been qualified to even hold our shoes. We never needed you, and will never need you."

"Anyway, why are you still here? Are you going to stay around and take care of a baby that isn’t yours? If you have even a little bit of shame then get out of here!"

In that split second, humiliation, anger, and a series of other negative emotions began to overwhelm Ethan's heart.

Taking a deep breath, he tryied to calm down. Then he looked at Claire who was looking at him mockingly even in her drunken state, and then said coldly, "Fine. You want me gone? I'll leave."

A prideful person like him had given up on his pride for this family, but they made him wear a green hat. There was no need for him to stay here any longer. The woman he wanted to stay for had already betrayed him by cheating on him.

He turned toward the door, but before he left, he spoke one last time. "When I walk out of this house, the protection I've given you will disappear. You'll see soon enough, and understand the true meaning of despair."

With that, he slammed the door behind him, leaving the Andersons to their fate.

.....

Outside, the cold night air hit Ethan like a wave.

Looking at the huge villa belonging to the Anderson Family, several emotions appeared on his face. In the end, all that was left was an icy expression, seemingly capable of freezing everything.

Raising his hand, Ethan flicked his finger.

If anyone was there, they would have been shocked to see a green light flashing around his finger like chains before breaking apart, shattering into countless fragments before dissipating in thin air.

Then, Ethan turned and walked away.

Ethan's mind raced as he walked down the quiet streets of Springfield City. The weight of Claire's betrayal pressed down on him. The anger he felt earlier for them had already turned into something else. Moreover, as he walked further and further away from the Anderson Family, he could feel something filling his heart.

It was a relief!

For the first time in three years, his heart was relieved now that he was free.

As he walked away from the Anderson house, he could feel it. The darkness he had kept at bay for so long was starting to creep into the villa. He glanced back and saw dark fog-like air rising in the sky, and the position at which it was rising was the Anderson Family. This happened because the protection he had given to that family had already faded away.

When he returned to meet the old man three years ago, he had already sensed several cursed objects deeply rooted in several places in the Anderson Family. This was obviously done by one or some of their enemies who are aware of the hidden truth about this world.

He was unable to save the old man because the curse had already sucked away all his lifespans, but he suppressed all the cursed objects to stop it from affecting the Anderson Family any longer.

Now, the cursed energy he had suppressed for three years was stirring again.

He had warned them.

Now, whatever happened to the Andersons was no longer his concern.

Ethan turned his back on the house and walked away, disappearing into the shadows of the night.

He was done being the silent servant.