Chapter 111 Venting
"What do you want?" Carol asked.
Ethan walked up to her, looking into her eyes, gathering his courage. "I've given up on pursuing Matty. Now I... I..."
"You like me now?" Carol asked, almost amused.
He nodded.
Carol gave a faint smile. "We just slept together a few times. Don't let that mess with your head."
"Carol!" Ethan pulled her into his arms, holding her tight so she couldn't leave. "I'm not that kind of guy. If I've been with you, I'm going to be responsible for you."
Carol pushed him away, her expression serious. "Let's talk about this later. For now, let's just say we're keeping each other company, staying warm. You don't need to feel obligated."
"Carol, are you still hung up on your dead husband?"
"I... I don't know." With that, Carol turned and ran back to her room.
...
At the clinic, Matilda was making breakfast for Wentworth. Nothing fancy—just fried eggs and toast—so Wentworth couldn't really help. He just sat on the bench watching her work.
Having a wife make breakfast for him—now that was happiness.
Matilda handed him the plate. "You've got to head back for your shift, so eat up."
"Okay." He ate while he answered.
Matilda was still replaying last night's fun. "Last night was the happiest I've been in forever."
"Because I was there?"
"Not just you—it was fun having everyone together."
Wentworth suddenly remembered something. "There's a show at the base in a couple days. You should come watch."
"A show?"
"Military performing arts troupe on tour. We're pretty remote, so we're one of their last stops." As he spoke, he brushed her long bangs back from her forehead.
"Yeah, I'd love to. Can I invite Carol and Ethan too?"
"Sure."
Last night made it pretty clear to Wentworth that Ethan had lost interest in Matilda. His eyes had been glued to Carol all evening. The guy had practically hand-fed her the fruit he'd peeled.
...
The clinic was slammed today. Since yesterday was a holiday, tons of people showed up with upset stomachs and swollen gums from eating too much rich food. Locals had a high tolerance for pain, but stomach aches and toothaches were where they drew the line.
Neither Matilda nor Ethan were dentists, but the clinic stocked anti-inflammatory meds and gum treatments. They could prescribe those and send people on their way. Stomach issues were usually gastritis—easy enough to handle.
During a lull, Matilda brought something up with Ethan. "I want to start promoting health insurance around town, get everyone signed up. What do you think?"
Ethan asked, "Isn't insurance mandatory now?"
"Yeah, but lots of people still dodge it. We can't force them to buy it, but we can promote it more. Talk to people one at a time when they come in."
"That's really the publicity department's job, but we can definitely pitch in," Ethan said.
This was the first time since arriving in town that Ethan and Matilda were actually working together. They discussed various approaches, eliminating ideas one by one. Turned out Ethan was seriously capable—quick thinker with solid, practical suggestions.
After settling on an approach, they moved to funding. "The town's publicity department does what it can, but their budget's limited. I'm thinking I'll put in some of my own money," Matilda said.
"Count me in too."
Matilda worked in Stoneford Town but drew her Phoenix City salary, plus a hardship allowance that made it even higher than her old pay. And since she spent money on nothing but food here, she'd saved up quite a bit over the year.
Ethan's family had some assets overseas—they were well-off. Money wasn't an issue for him.
Sarah, seeing them collaborating so smoothly, walked over with a smile. "You two used to be like enemies, ignoring each other. Finally working together, huh?"
Matilda and Ethan both smiled sheepishly.
Matilda took the opportunity to ask, "Ethan, you're really in love with Carol now, aren't you?"
At the mention of Carol, sadness flickered in Ethan's eyes. He nodded.
"But she doesn't seem to like me. She probably can't let go of her dead husband."
"But you two... you've already, you know..." Matilda asked, a bit shyly.
Ethan nodded again.
"Carol's passionate by nature. With someone like that, heart and body go together. She definitely likes you if she's sleeping with you."
Ethan looked at Matilda. His gaze held no trace of romantic feelings anymore—just trust between friends.
"Good luck. I'm going to work on those promotional materials," Matilda said.
...
That night, when Ethan got back from the clinic, he noticed light coming from Carol's room. He paused. He didn't want to bother her, but then he caught the smell of alcohol.
He couldn't help himself. He knocked on the door. No answer. He pushed it open.
Carol was drinking, looking utterly dejected. He rushed over and grabbed the bottle from her. "Why are you drinking again?"
They hadn't been drinking lately. Even when they slept together, they'd been sober.
Carol ignored him, just wiped her mouth. She looked miserable.
After a moment, she cursed. "That bastard died without ever telling me why he broke up with me."
Hearing that, Ethan realized she was thinking about her dead husband again. She couldn't let him go. Couldn't accept being dumped.
Sometimes she wondered if he'd found someone else, and she just didn't know about it—maybe she'd already been replaced. Other times she thought maybe he'd known he was dying and broke up with her to spare her. But the real reason? Nobody would tell her. He died and left her nothing—not even a dream to haunt her with answers.
She'd kept herself in this town for four years because of it. Four years.
Seeing her so broken, Ethan couldn't help pulling her into his arms. She leaned against him, suddenly needing release. Then she started pulling at his clothes, unbuttoning his shirt, sliding her hand down into his pants.
Ethan grabbed her hands firmly. "Carol, calm down."
He didn't want to be used as an emotional punching bag.
"I don't want to calm down." She bit at his mouth, his neck.
Ethan couldn't take it anymore. He gave in. One wild night. But this kind of wildness only made him feel worse. He felt like nothing more than a tool for her to work through her grief.
...
The performance was held in the base auditorium. Besides military personnel, military families and some local officials attended too. Matilda, Carol, and Ethan all went, though they didn't sit with Wentworth—they were in the VIP guest section.
The performers were from a military arts troupe—men and women singing, dancing, putting on a pretty professional show. The lead performer was a woman named Bella, and her eyes kept drifting toward Wentworth.
During an audience participation segment, Bella was also hosting. She specifically called out Wentworth. "I know all our military men are handsome and tough, but I had no idea this remote base had someone as gorgeous as Major Gonzaga."