After My Husband Cheated, I Fell for My Younger Trainer Chapter 12
Three months after the divorce, I heard news about Ethan from a mutual friend.
He had lost his biggest client.
His project team had been disbanded, several key employees had resigned, and his office had been moved
from the top floor to one of the lower levels.
As she spoke, my friend kept watching my face for a reaction.
“Erin, you don’t need to let it bother you.”
I stirred the warm milk in my cup.
“I haven’t given it much thought.”
She visibly relaxed, then lowered her voice.
“Lily left too.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Where did she go?”
“I heard she’s started pursuing another account manager.”
I smiled faintly.
I was not surprised.
Lily had never loved Ethan.
What she loved was the passenger seat of a luxury car, designer handbags, and the status, attention, and
special treatment a successful man could give her.
Once Ethan lost those things, she naturally went looking for the next man who could provide them.
His choices had caught up with him quickly.
After Kyle and I officially started dating, he spent even more time with me than before.
He moved his morning lessons to the afternoon.
Every morning, he appeared at my door right on time, carrying breakfast.
Sometimes he brought chicken soup and toasted sandwiches, sometimes oatmeal, and sometimes pancakes he had made himself with the edges burned black.
I stared at one of the charred pancakes and frowned.
“Is this even edible?”
He bit off the burned part and handed me what remained.
“It is now.”
I burst out laughing.
He propped his chin on one hand and watched me as if he could never get tired of seeing me smile.
“Erin, you should smile more.”
“Why?”
“Because you look beautiful when you do.”
His answer was so direct that I did not know how to respond.
He remembered that I did not eat onions or cilantro, that I avoided iced drinks, that Friday nights were for
skincare, and that I needed to keep warm after swimming.
Once, I casually mentioned that a cake from a certain bakery was too sweet.
The next time he went by the bakery, he brought home one made with less sugar.
I watched him moving around the kitchen. “How do you remember all of that?”
Kyle turned around.
Steam rose from the pot, dampening the loose strands of hair across his forehead.
“Because when you talk, I listen.”
It was such a simple sentence.
Yet it left me silent for a long time.
Being loved was not about guessing, making scenes, or hurting yourself just to force someone to notice you.
Being loved meant that the things you said in passing mattered enough for someone to remember.
The next time I saw Ethan was at a shopping mall.
Kyle and I were shopping for sneakers.
He insisted we needed matching pairs or there was no point, then dragged me around the store trying on
sneakers for what felt like forever.
As we were paying. I looked up and saw Ethan standing a short distance away.
He had lost even more weight.
His suit hung loosely from his frame, and faint dark circles showed beneath his eyes.
He stared at me as though he had never expected to see me there.
Kyle noticed my hesitation and followed my gaze.
The next second, his hand settled naturally around my waist.
The gesture made our relationship impossible to misunderstand.
Ethan’s eyes dropped to Kyle’s hand, and his lips parted slightly.
I spoke first.
“It’s been a while.”
The hesitation on his face took me back years.
Back then, whenever I stood beside him, I searched his face for the smallest sign that he might love me.
Now, I no longer needed to search.
In a hoarse voice, he asked, “Have you been doing well?”
Kyle looked down at me and answered before I could.
“She’s doing very well.”
I lightly tapped his arm.
Ethan smiled bitterly.
“I can see that.”
He looked at me for a long time before finally saying, “As long as you’re doing well.”
I nodded.
“You too.”
After we left the store, Kyle was still visibly unhappy.
He leaned close to my ear.
“I didn’t like the way that man was looking at you.”
I glanced at him.
“What do you want to do about it?”
He put on a serious expression.
“You’re getting punished tonight.”
“What punishment?”
“You have to kiss me three extra times.”
I pushed his face away.
“Childish.”
He caught my hand, looking unbearably pleased with himself.
“You obviously like me this way.”
That evening, the scent of chicken soup filled the living room.
Kyle leaned against the couch and patted his thigh.
“Come here. You still owe me those kisses.”
I walked over, and he pulled me straight into his arms.
For once, he did not tease me.
He simply held me with his chin resting against my shoulder.
After a long time, he suddenly said, “Erin, from now on, let me be the one who chases you.”
I paused.
His voice was quiet, but completely serious.
“You don’t have to chase anyone anymore. Just stay where you are. Rest when you’re tired, and move
forward at your own pace. I’ll be the one who comes to you.”
A breeze drifted through the open window, making the curtains sway.
I rested against him and listened to the soup bubbling in the kitchen.
I used to believe marriage was supposed to last forever.
Later, I learned that life was long, people could change, promises could expire, and even love could end up
hurting you.
But in that moment, Kyle’s warm hand covered mine.
I realized I did not need to know exactly what the future would look like.
Living well and treasuring every moment of genuine care was enough.
I lifted my head and kissed him once.
Kyle’s eyes immediately lit up.
“Two more.”
I smiled.
“We’ll see how you behave.”
He tightened his arms around me.
“Then I’ll always be good to you.”
