My Replacement Husband

My Replacement Husband (15) Troubled

  I HAD TO TELL ETHAN, RIGHT?

I paced through the hallways of the hospital with restless abandon. I had been a little sleepy before, but now I was more awake than ever. How could Evan just tell me those things without a warning? Did he always see our reunion that way?

After Evan's departure, I had stayed in the cafeteria another two hours listlessly waiting for time to go by. There was still some time to kill before I saw Ethan, but I couldn't wait any longer. We had to talk. I had to find him, and hopefully, it wouldn't go as badly as it did in my mind.

I walked back to the cardiology department. Luckily, Mario, one of the night shift nurses I had gotten to know, was on duty. He would help me out.

"Mario!" I greeted him a little breathlessly from speed walking.

His smile revealed the crinkles around his eyes. Over twenty-five years at Bellevue Hospital. That was an impressive feat. "How are you, Miss Julie?

I tucked a strand of blond hair behind my ear. "Today's been a little stressful, to say the least. Do you know where Ethan is right now? Is he in a surgery or...?"

"Breakroom," he pointed to the left wing. "I'll let him know you're here to see him."

I smiled weakly. "Thank you, Mario."

He gestured to the waiting seats which I gratefully waited in.

"Julie," Ethan was there in no time. "I thought we were meeting after my shift? Are you leaving now?"

I beckoned for him to head to a more private area of the unit. "Are you really busy right now? I just have a lot to say, and I know there's a lot of misunderstanding going on. If you have something to do, I'll wait, but if you have the time could we...?"

Ethan nodded. "It's a slow shift today. If anything happens, I'll obviously have to attend to it, but I can just take my break a little early. Let me just let Dr. Joon know."

He pulled out his phone.

I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Ethan, I know you're not happy."

I had said it.

He looked up mid-text. "Can you blame me after everything that happened today? This past month? I thought we were going to get engaged, Julie. So, yes, I'm not happy."

I shook my head. "I know you've been talking with her."

Ethan looked confused. "Julie, I'm exhausted. Can we not play the vague pronoun game?"

"Your mom. Your birth mom. I know you found her and you've been in contact with her," I uttered. It felt weird saying it out loud. "I know she's excited for you to move to California for your residency. She wants to get to know you, Ethan."

"How do you know that?"

I bit my lip. "I was using your phone and her text popped up. I didn't mean to read it. I...I didn't know you found her or anything because you never told me," I whispered. It was like a dam had broken inside me. I was spilling everything I knew. "I know you have your reasons, but it hurt. I felt like you were hiding this big secret from me, and then...you asked me if you should stay in New York or California."

"Hey," Ethan's voice had softened. "I'm sorry I should have mentioned it, but I didn't think it was the time. I wanted to make sure it was her and that I actually wanted a relationship with her in the first place before I got anyone else involved."

I shut my eyes. "I feel like I don't know you, Ethan."

"Because I didn't tell you about my mom?" he asked incredulously.