Ethan returned early the next morning, his face bruised.
He rubbed his forehead and explained.
"I got drunk last night and fought with Sophie's boyfriend. I spent the night in jail."
I tilted my head and stared at his face for a couple of seconds, not concerned about his pain but asking the question a bystander would care about most.
"Oh, did you win?"
Ethan looked taken aback, frowning slightly.
The air felt thick and silent.
He probably expected me to rush to get ice for his injuries or run downstairs to buy him some ointment for bruises.
When I didn't respond, he silently nodded, offering no further explanation.
It was the weekend, but I had to support an exhibition downtown as a key member of the operations team.
Before I even arrived at the exhibition, I received a message from Sophie.
Opening it revealed a photo of a red heart tattoo with special effects.
My heart sank; that was Ethan's tattoo.
I had insisted he get that design.
I told him it represented my "heart," one that would always beat for him.
"Emma, where did Ethan get that cool tattoo?" Sophie messaged.
"I love sunflowers and have always wanted to get a sunflower tattoo on my arm, but I haven't found a reliable artist. Please tell me, Emma, haha."
At that moment, my already numb heart felt a sharp pain.
It was so vivid and raw.
I was reminded that I had a golden sunflower tattoo on my chest.
Ethan once said, "Get a sunflower tattoo; I love sunflowers..."
Whenever he felt lost in passion, he would gently caress the sunflower, treating it with utmost care.
I mistakenly thought that in those moments, he genuinely cherished me.
But it turned out he was merely reminiscing about someone who loved sunflowers.
Ethan's tattoo was in a private area, on the left side of his groin.
Only the closest people could see it during intimate moments.
Clearly, they had spent the night together again.
