After My Husband Sent Me to Learn the Rules, He Regretted – Chapter 4
I woke again on a hospital bed.
The decor was much grander than before.
Seeing me stir, the nurse spoke politely:
“Miss Grant, you’re awake.”
My heart jolted.
No one had called me Miss Grant in ages.
Even those who despised me still called me Mrs. Sterling out of politeness.
I tried to sit up, but I had no strength.
The nurse helped, propping a pillow behind me.
I shyly said:
“Sorry, I’m too fat.”
Her eyes reddened as she shook her head.
“No, Miss Grant, you’re just sick. You used to be so beautiful.”
Shocked by her words, she continued:
“Dr. Bennett sent you here. On his desk, there’s your …”
Footsteps interrupted her.
Seeing Ethan Bennett’s familiar face, I hung my head, burying myself in the covers.
I didn’t know how to face this man who’d cared for me like a brother.
Years ago, we’d had a bitter fight over Nathan and parted ways.
Now, he was here to mock me, right?
I’d become the city’s laughingstock.
The more I thought, the harder I sobbed.
Ethan paused, then rested a hand on my shoulder:
“Cry if you need to, Anna. You’ve suffered terribly.”
I hadn’t contacted Nathan since then.
Doctors said my physical ailments could heal, but my mental ones required my own fight.
I’d developed a severe binge-eating disorder.
I wanted to vomit, but I couldn’t stop eating. I’d gorge myself and then purge, making a mess.
Afterwards, I’d cry, pounding my body in frustration, but still felt ravenously hungry.
Those six months haunted me like a parasite, dragging me down into the depths of despair.
When I lost control, the nurse would fetch Ethan.
He never judged me for my mess. He just sighed and handed me a glass of warm water after I vomited:
“Anna, you have to be brave.”
“Food may fill your stomach, but you must patch your soul piece by piece.”
Slowly, I improved.
Ethan’s pained eyes motivated me—I didn’t want to let him down, the only person who cared.
I found joy in life, smiling genuinely again.
But sometimes, fear still gripped me.
During one of my messy purging episodes, Nathan suddenly appeared.
He stood there coldly watching me finish vomiting, his eyes glaring with disgust:
“Anna, vanishing without a word, hiding in Ethan’s hospital.”
“I never knew you were so capable.”
I studied his face, feeling estranged.
Not from him, but from my own heart.
I hadn’t thought of him in ages.
Wiping my mouth, I stood shakily. His eyes locked on my belly, then he grabbed my wrist, voice venomous:
“You’re pregnant?”
“Clara was right—you’ve been seeing someone else!”