Forced To Marry My Cousin's Fiancé

Chapter 72: Chapter 72

Lane discreetly bit her lower lip when she felt the warmth of Ethan’s gaze on her. She had been catching him staring at her for a while now, as if he couldn’t take his eyes off her, fearing that if he blinked, she might vanish from his sight. It was as if she was the only one his eyes could see at that moment.

She was also very careful not to look up because their eyes might meet again. He might think she was staring at him too when he wasn’t looking at her, just like what happened earlier.

So instead of looking up, she kept her eyes on the cellphone she was holding. She was chatting with Ava, who was checking in on her.

Is Ethan there?

Lane pouted when she read the message. She was avoiding Ethan here, but it seemed she couldn’t avoid him in the chat.

Yes.

Why is he there again?

She read Ava’s reply.

I don’t know.

Maybe because of you.

Why because of me?

Maybe he wants to talk to you.

Lane didn’t immediately reply to that chat from Anna. Honestly, she felt that he wanted to talk to her. He had tried several times, but she didn’t give him the chance.

Because whenever she felt he was about to approach her, she would discreetly move closer to her Mama. She almost never left her mother’s side, almost as if she wanted to hide under her mother’s skirt.

Lane was about to type a reply when she was stopped by her Mama speaking.

"Ethan, you’re making it hard for me. You’ve been standing there for a while. Sit down," her Mama said to him.

Yes. Ethan had been standing there for a while, just leaning against the wall with his eyes focused on her. And soon, Lane’s eyes widened when she saw from the corner of her eye that he moved away from the wall and stepped towards her.

Lane tightened her grip on the cellphone, her heart racing.

"Lane," he called her name in a serious voice.

She briefly closed her eyes before looking up. And she was met by Ethan’s dark eyes.

"Can I sit beside you, Lane?" he asked her.

And instead of answering, she just moved over. She also averted her gaze and returned her attention to her cellphone. But the truth was her attention remained on Ethan, waiting for what he would do next.

As he sat beside her, the scent of his cologne filled her senses.

"Lane..."

Ethan didn’t finish what he was about to say when he heard the ringtone of his cellphone. Lane heard him let out a deep sigh. From the corner of her eye, she saw him pull out his cellphone from the pocket of his pants. She saw him stare at it. Instead of answering the call, she saw him reject it.

Before he could speak to her again, she got up from her seat. She noticed him glance at her and follow her with his eyes. She moved to the table where the fruits were placed, pretending to choose something to eat.

Once again, his cellphone’s ringtone rang out. She thought he wouldn’t answer it again, but Lane was wrong. Ethan answered it.

"Hello, Ma."

It was Aunt Catherine who called. But the one earlier? Who could have been calling him? Why didn’t he answer it?

"Yes. I’m here," she heard him reply. He didn’t speak immediately, seemingly listening to what the other person was saying. "Okay. I’ll tell Aunt Eleanor."

After he finished talking to his mom, he got Lane’s mom’s attention.

"Why, Ethan?"

"My mom said they’re coming here," he informed.

Lane pressed her lips together at what she heard. She couldn’t help but feel her heart race out of nervousness. She knew that with Ethan’s parents visiting, they would surely talk to her, especially Aunt Catherine. And she was sure they would ask about their grandchild.

Just like she did with Ethan, she also stopped communicating with Aunt Catherine. And honestly, she felt embarrassed to face them.

It wasn’t long before they heard a knock on the door of the private room. Soon after, Ethan’s parents entered, with Uncle Victor carrying a fruit basket.

"Catherine," Lane’s mom said.

"Eleanor."

The two embraced. "How are you?" Aunt Catherine asked Lane’s mom.

"I’m okay. Gaining strength for Richard," her mom replied.

"Richard will be okay, Cathleya," Aunt Catherine reassured Lane’s mom.

Her mom gave her a smile in return. Soon, Aunt Catherine noticed her eyes wandering around, seemingly looking for someone.

Until Aunt Catherine’s gaze stopped in her direction. She noticed Aunt Catherine’s eyes widen when they made eye contact.

"Lane."

She momentarily bit her lower lip. "H-hello, Aunt Catherine," she greeted.

Aunt Catherine stepped toward her. She was surprised when Aunt Catherine suddenly hugged her. "God, Lane! I miss you," Aunt Catherine said as she released her from the embrace. "How are you?"

"I’m okay, Auntie," she replied.

The happiness was evident in Aunt Catherine’s eyes when she saw Lane. And it seemed Lane was right in her earlier thought because soon after, she asked about her child.

"And your son, my grandchild? How is he?"

Lane couldn’t help but glance in Ethan’s direction at Aunt Catherine’s question. She noticed he was looking her way, seemingly waiting for her answer. She quickly returned her gaze to the person she was speaking with.

"H-he’s doing fine."

"You’re not with him?"

She simply shook her head in response. She noticed the disappointment in Aunt Catherine’s expression at her response.

"What is his name, Lane?"

"Excuse me?"

"My grandchild, what is his name,"

"C-Calvin," she replied.

"Do you have a photo of him? I’d like to see my grandchild, even just in a picture," she said in a sad voice.

She took a deep breath before responding. After that, she took her cellphone from her pocket. She and Calvin were in her wallpaper photo, but she browsed through the gallery to find a solo picture of Calvin to show her.

"T-this is Calvin," she said, showing the picture of her child.

Lane noticed her eyes widen.

"Oh, my god!" she exclaimed. Soon after, Uncle Victor came over to take a look as well.

"Victor, our grandchild," Aunt Catherine said.

"He looks exactly like Ethan when he was young. It’s like I’m looking at Ethan’s childhood photo album," Aunt Catherine said.

"Yes. He is exactly Ethan’s young version. Truly an Azarcon."

She was so focused on their reactions that she didn’t notice Ethan approaching. She only realized he had approached when she smelled his cologne.

When she looked up, he was already in front of her, peering at the picture of her child on her cellphone.

______________

"Ethan, go home and get some rest. We’ve got Uncle Richard covered."

Lane heard her mother’s voice and stayed perfectly still, pretending to be fast asleep to avoid him. Ever since he’d snuck a look at her phone and saw Calvin’s picture, she could tell he was dying to talk to her.

But Lane wasn’t having it. She was terrified of discussing their son with him. She wanted to shield Calvin from the fallout of finding out his father already had a whole other family.

What was she supposed to say when he started asking questions? She just wanted to protect her little boy’s heart, even if it meant hiding him from his own dad.

What if Calvin felt exactly how she used to feel? What if Ethan always put Tyler first? She couldn’t stand the thought of her son feeling like a second choice.

That was her biggest fear: her kid getting hurt. If people wanted to call her selfish for that, fine. Let them. Her only priority was protecting Calvin.

"Maybe later, Auntie," she heard Ethan mutter.

It sounded like he had zero plans to leave. She wondered if he was staying for her dad or just to keep tabs on her. Soon, she felt that heavy, intense gaze on her again.

Even with her eyes closed, she could feel the heat of it. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she heard his footsteps getting closer.

She held her breath when he stopped right in front of her. Her stomach did a flip when he suddenly lifted her up. She’d been faking sleep on the small armchair so her mom could have the long sofa, but Ethan wasn’t having it.

He carried her over to the couch so she could actually stretch out. He even brushed a few stray hairs away from her face and tucked a blanket around her.

She felt him linger for a second before he let out a long sigh and finally told her mother goodbye.

"I’m heading out, Auntie. I’ll be back tomorrow," he said.

Why is he coming back? she wondered.

"Okay, Ethan. Thanks for everything. Get home safe," her mom replied.

"Will do."

She felt his eyes on her one last time before the door clicked shut. She stayed still for a minute, not totally sure if he was really gone, until her mother’s voice broke the silence.

"Lane, you can open your eyes now. Ethan left."

Lane bit her lip, feeling totally busted. She hadn’t realized she was being that obvious. She wondered if Ethan had caught on to her little act, too. She sat up, clutching the blanket he’d tucked around her.

"S-sorry, Ma," she mumbled, embarrassed that her mom had watched her dodge him like a kid.

Her mother sat down beside her and took her hand. "Is having Ethan around really that uncomfortable for you?"

"It’s not just that, Ma. I’m just scared he’s gonna start grilling me about Calvin."

Her mother frowned slightly. "Why are you so scared? Doesn’t he have a right to know his own son?"

This was the first time they’d actually gone there. Her mom had always been super careful about her feelings and never pried during their phone calls.

"I know he has rights, Mom. I do," Lane said, her voice starting to shake. "I’m just trying to spare Calvin the pain of finding out his dad has another family. How am I supposed to explain why his Dad has a kid with someone else? I don’t want him feeling the way I did. You know Ethan didn’t love me when we got married. It hurts so much, Ma. It still hurts."

The tears started to blur her vision as the memories of her marriage came rushing back. The sting felt as fresh as if it had happened yesterday.

"I don’t want Calvin to feel like a runner-up to Tyler. That’s what I was: a second choice. If Ethan ever had to pick, it was never gonna be me. What if he does that to Calvin? I can’t let him go through that. That’s why I can’t bring myself to introduce them."

She broke down then, the image of Ethan choosing to save Olivia over her flashing in her mind. Her mother pulled her into a hug, letting her cry it out like she was a little girl again. Once Lane finally stopped sobbing, her mom pulled back gently.

"But wouldn’t it be better to just face this now, Lane?" her mom asked softly.

"You and Ethan need to talk for the sake of your son. You can’t keep running forever. I get it. No mother wants to see their child in pain. But don’t you think fathers feel the same way? Look at your dad," she said, gesturing toward the bed.

"It killed him to see you crying back then. He felt like he’d failed because he couldn’t protect you."

Lane looked over at her father, her eyes filling up again.

"Maybe Ethan is the same way, honey. Even if things are messy between you two, he’s bound to love his son in his own way. Is it really fair to keep Calvin in the dark? To keep him from knowing who his father is?"

Her mother looked her dead in the eye.

"Lane, you know how smart and sweet your boy is. If you just sit him down and explain things properly, he’ll understand."

Lane didn’t have an answer for that. She just sat there, staring at her mother in silence.

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