The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 292

He had seen the ugliest version of himself again. How could a man who couldn't even face himself face the person he cherished most?

"It's okay. We can talk about it later. Just calm down for now," Ramona said gently. She could tell this was more than just a momentary loss of control. Ethan had briefly lost his mind.

"Are you scared?" Ethan asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Scared?"

"Of me."

A bitter, almost soundless laugh escaped his lips.

Ramona frowned. "Everyone has moments where they—"

"You didn't answer the question," he cut her off. "It would be perfectly normal if you were."

The flicker of fear in her eyes was all the answer he needed.

"Ethan…"

"Because… Zadkiel was right. I am a madman." He took a deep, shuddering breath and leaned back, pulling away from her and planting his hands on the floor behind him. In that moment, the carefully constructed walls he had maintained for years came crashing down. The sharp line of his jaw was taut, making his very bones look fragile in the dim light.

"Don't say that. You're not a madman," Ramona said, her own voice turning cold. She couldn't bear to hear him talk about himself that way.

"I am." He turned his head, the faint light catching the broken look in his eyes. "The real reason Nadia betrayed me… it was because of this. I have an illness. A mental illness that can relapse."

"Stop it…"

Ramona's gaze dropped to her heavily bandaged hand. So that's what Nadia had meant. She thought she was the only one who could accept Ethan because she knew his secret.

"Ramona, I was selfish. I planned to hide this from you from the very beginning."

It was as if he couldn't hear her protests. For the first time, he was completely ignoring her feelings. Ramona suddenly remembered him asking what she would do if he ever deceived her.

"So?" Ramona stopped fighting him, her voice quiet. It was a calm before the storm.

Ramona didn't press. She turned to clear the dining table, but Ethan stopped her. "Leave it. The housekeeper will get it tomorrow."

"Your hand isn't…" Ethan began, but Ramona had already turned and walked back to the bedroom.

He felt a physical ache in his chest, as if a part of him had been ripped out. The joy he had felt every day since being with her, the certainty that they were meant to be, had turned to ash in an instant.

That night, Ramona barely slept. Ethan never came back to the bedroom. Sometime in the middle of the night, she heard the front door close. Much later, she got up and turned on a light, only to find that he was gone.

It was three in the morning. She thought about calling Shelby but didn't want to wake her. After a long hesitation, she texted Ash. If Ethan had left, Ash would have been the one to pick him up.

Ash replied almost immediately, saying Ethan wasn't feeling well and had gone back to the Jordon estate so as not to disturb her.

The "not feeling well" part was Ash's addition, but it sent a fresh wave of panic through Ramona. She pressed for details, and Ash reassured her that a doctor had given him something to help him sleep and that he was resting now.

Putting his phone down, Ash rubbed his temples. It wasn't the late nights that were getting to him, it was the lying.