Not having time to think about why William would appear in this place, Ethan picked up the umbrella he had dropped beside him and squatted down to examine his right leg, which was already stained red at the calf. He asked, "How's your foot? Can you move it? Should I take you to the hospital or call an ambulance?"
William nodded and replied, "Help me up."
Ethan slowly assisted him in standing. The rain was pouring heavily, and despite holding the umbrella, both were soaked. He placed his other hand on William's arm and noticed that, although William looked quite in pain, he could move his injured foot, which relieved Ethan a bit as he helped him to the car.
There was a hospital nearby, and Ethan drove in silence, choosing not to ask William why he was in that place. Instead, he was preoccupied with how to contact Marcus. In the back seat, William glanced at Ethan a few times, wanting to speak but holding back.The two of them drove to the hospital without exchanging a word.
William's condition was much better than Marcus's had been after his injury. The doctor examined him and said it was just a flesh wound with no bone damage, although the cut was a bit deep and bleeding more than usual. After getting stitches and bandages, they arranged a bed for William to receive an IV drip. As the responsible party, Ethan had to stay with him.
The ward was empty except for the two; all the other beds were unoccupied. After the nurse finished tying the IV and stepped out, Ethan felt awkward alone with William, but he still took a moment to apologize.
William shook his head and said, "It's just a small injury; you don't need to take it to heart."
After some consideration, he added, "I won't call the police, don't worry."
Ethan realized he couldn't leave for a while, so he pulled aside a chair and sat down. After a moment of hesitation, he asked William, "Can I borrow your mobile phone? Mine is out of battery, and I need to call Marcus to let him know to go back."
William frowned slightly upon hearing Ethan mention Marcus's name so affectionately. He replied, "Arthur's number...isn't on my phone anymore."
"That's okay. I remember his number; dial it directly," Ethan suggested.
William pursed his lips and responded, "My phone is dead too."
Ethan glanced at William's phone, confirming it was indeed switched off. Not knowing whether it had been turned off or ran out of battery, he said, "Then I'll go outside to find the nurse in the duty room to borrow a phone for a while. I'll be back soon."
William opened his mouth as if to say something, but Ethan had already stood up and walked out the door. As William watched him leave, the complex expression in his eyes turned cold.
Meanwhile, Marcus had dialed Ethan's mobile phone numerous times. By 7:30, an hour and a half past their agreed time, Ethan's phone was still off.
The waiter at the restaurant approached Marcus multiple times, and he kept explaining that his friend hadn't arrived yet, his tone filled with helplessness. Then, an unfamiliar number called in.
As soon as Marcus answered, Ethan's slightly tired voice came through on the other end."Marcus, I can't make it. You should go home after you eat."
"What's wrong?"Marcus asked, concerned.
"…I hit someone on the road. I'm at the hospital now."
Marcus was shocked by this revelation. His initial disappointment when Ethan said he couldn't make it quickly turned into worry."Did you hit someone? How did that happen? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Ethan reassured him."Don't worry, it's not serious. The other person suffered a minor injury, got stitched up, and is now on an IV drip. I'll probably have to stay longer. Just go home and have dinner."
For some reason, Ethan subconsciously decides not to tell Marcus that the person he hit is William.
"Which hospital are you in? I'll come to you," Marcus insisted.
"Don't come over, "Ethan quickly declined."It's raining hard outside, and your foot just healed. Don't worry about me; go home."
Marcus didn't press any further. He replied, "I understand," and hung up the phone. He apologized to the restaurant staff, realizing that Ethan must not have had dinner yet and didn't know when he would return. He requested that they pack up the food he had ordered earlier, paid for it, and then left the restaurant.
When Ethan returned to the ward, he found William leaning against the bed, lost in thought. Upon seeing Ethan, William's gaze slowly shifted toward him as if he wanted to say something.
Ethan walked back to the chair and sat down. The heavy atmosphere in the room made him feel awkward, so he finally spoke first."Why did you suddenly come here?"
William was silent momentarily before responding, "Am I interrupting your date with Arthur?"
Ethan felt strange hearing him say that but didn't dwell on it. Unconcernedly, he said, "We were supposed to have a dinner date, but I didn't know about the heavy rain and ended up bumping into someone, so I had to call him to tell him to head home after dinner."
Ethan's tone suggested frustration about the day's misfortunes, implying that he didn't check the calendar before leaving and consequently faced terrible luck. William was just a part of that bad luck—if it hadn't been him, it would have been any other passerby.
William listened, feeling a bit uncomfortable, but kept a neutral expression. He tried to lighten the mood by saying, "You two have such a good relationship; it's enviable."
Ethan laughed, a hint of sarcasm creeping into his smile."Aren't you and Sitong in a better relationship? What's there to envy?"
William asked, "Do you still mind that I married your cousin?"
Ethan replied, "Sitong likes you, and you like her. You two are a perfect match; why would I mind?"
William fell silent once more at those words, not saying anything further. Ethan didn't bother with him either; he glanced at the remaining potion in the bottle, estimating how much time he had left to finish it. He was secretly reflecting on how unlucky his day had been. Initially, he had planned to go to a movie with Marcus after dinner, but now he found himself in the hospital instead, partially because he didn't want to see William again.
"Do you not want to see me again?"William asked after a moment, looking at Ethan with a vulnerability that once would have softened his heart.
Unfortunately, Ethan wasn't affected by that anymore. He replied coldly, "There's no point seeing each other if we're not on the same path."
"What if, at one time, I had agreed to be with you?"William pressed.
Marcus hadn't driven that day; he had been relying on Ethan to and from work. Today, he had taken a taxi to the restaurant, so he could only hail another cab to get back. Fortunately, luck was on his side, and he found an empty cab in less than ten minutes.
Their originally planned restaurant was close to home. Since there wasn't much in the area except for a large hospital, Marcus hesitated briefly before deciding to have the driver stop at the hospital.
Once inside, carrying the takeout and holding an umbrella, Marcus felt that his actions were a bit out of character, but since he was already there, he didn't intend to turn back.
In the hospital lobby, which was still quite busy at that hour, Marcus took out his phone and called the number Ethan had dialed earlier. The person on the other end introduced themselves, stated the name of the hospital, and asked what he needed.
Relieved that he hadn't called the wrong place, Marcus asked, "My friend just called me from this number, saying he was injured in a car accident. Can you tell me what floor he's on?"
After receiving the information, Marcus hung up, walked to the elevator, and pressed the button for the specified floor.
******
Ethan looked in dismay at William, who was staring right back at him. After three seconds of shock to ensure he hadn't misheard, Ethan frowned."What are you talking about?"
"I'm not joking," William replied, meeting his gaze firmly."What if I had agreed to be with you once upon a time? Would you treat me the same way now?"
Ethan's expression darkened. If William hadn't been injured, he would have returned the punch he had given himself earlier. The disdain in his eyes was unmistakable."You're saying that to me now? Is that supposed to be interesting?"
"Just answer me: if I had promised you before, would we be together now?"William pressed for a response.
"The most impossible thing in this world is 'if,'" Ethan said, losing his patience. He stood up, looking at William coldly."Don't you think it's shameless for you to say such things now? Think about Sitong."
The moment Ethan used the word"shameless," William's face went pale. His lips trembled, but no words came out, and his body shook. Annoyed, Ethan added, "I've paid all your medical bills for you. I don't see what's wrong with you. I'm leaving now; contact me if you need anything."He turned to leave, but William suddenly reached out and pulled him back by the arm.
"I'm divorced."
Ethan was taken aback, raising his voice as he processed the information."Divorced? You and Sitong were only married for how long before you got divorced?!"
William clutched Ethan's arm, his eyes red and body shaking."I'm divorced...it's true...I divorced her...I don't like her..."
"Are you out of your mind?!"Ethan interrupted loudly, his frustration evident.