The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 294

Even though he had braced himself for the possibility of Ramona leaving, even after he had said the words himself, he already wanted to take them back. When Nadia had left, he hadn't batted an eye. Was this karma?

"That shouldn't be happening. I can prescribe some nitroglycerin, but you can't take it too often," the doctor mused.

"Doctor," Ash interjected, seeing that Ethan wasn't taking this seriously, "do you think it's possible that this is… a matter of the heart?"

He knew his boss better than anyone. This wasn't physical pain; it was heartbreak. It was just that Ethan never wore his emotions on his sleeve. Cold detachment was his default.

"A matter of the heart?" The doctor paused, then caught Ash's meaning. He cleared his throat. "Well, if that's the case, then only a 'heart's remedy' can cure a 'heart's sickness.' Mr. Jordon, if there is something weighing on your mind, it's best to resolve it sooner rather than later."

"I'm tired. I want to rest," Ethan said, turning on his side and closing his eyes.

Ash had no choice but to escort the doctor out.

A moment later, Ethan's phone vibrated. He opened his eyes, a flicker of hope in their depths. He answered without even looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"My dear grandson, how are you today?"

It was Florence. The flicker of hope died, replaced by a familiar weight. He paused for a second, a bitter smile touching his lips.

He'd been foolish to hope.

"Is that so?" Florence could tell from his tone that something was off. The fight had clearly hit Ethan the hardest.

"All right, then. I'll visit in a few days. Ramona was so brave yesterday, but I'm sure she was frightened… You take good care of her. You two need to be good to each other."

She was worried. Ethan's voice was too low, too devoid of emotion. It wasn't until last night that she and Phineas had learned the full extent of Ethan's psychological issues. They knew he had trauma from his childhood that made him withdrawn, but only Zadkiel and Shelby knew that he'd had a dissociative episode once during a conflict, which led to a diagnosis of PTSD. He was prone to fits of rage where he could potentially harm himself or others. It was after that incident that Ethan had called off his first engagement.

Florence and Phineas had been abroad at the time. Zadkiel, ashamed, had swept it under the rug. The doctors had said that while the episodes were uncontrollable, they were rare, triggered only by extreme emotional distress. He wasn't going to turn into a raving lunatic.

But it had been a bitter disappointment for Zadkiel. He didn't want a "madman" in the Jordon family, especially not his own son—the child his beloved wife had died to bring into the world. He couldn't understand how his son could be so weak. From then on, their relationship had become strained again, full of tension and criticism. Everyone said Ethan was afraid of his father. The truth was, Zadkiel was even more afraid of Ethan.