Broken Memories, Intertwined Hearts novel Chapter 405

"Come on, you two. Your kid's right at home, with plenty of people to spoil him rotten. Why on earth would you feel guilty? You should be enjoying your rare alone time together."

Ethan didn't want to say anything initially. But with his mom all worked up over his elder brother's matters, he didn't want to add to her worries. As he said this, his eyes were on Ines, "There's no rush. We've got a whole lifetime ahead of us. Plenty of time for Izzy and I to enjoy our alone time."

Ines caught Ethan's glance from the corner of her eyes. She knew what he meant. However, it just brought about a wave of sadness within her, leaving her feeling rather drained.

Erica kept her head down, oblivious to their little exchange, "That's true. You've got your whole life to spend together. You'll probably get tired of being alone together. A little distance can be a good thing."

They both went up carrying their babies. Ollie had recently started smiling. Seeing the innocent face of their child, Ines felt her heavy heart lighten. "Baby, have you missed mommy today?"

"Gaga." Ollie rolled his little eyes.

Ines found the little guy rather mischievous and couldn't help but say to Ethan, "Ethan, look at your son. Why does he seem so smart when he smiles today?"

Ethan paused for a moment, then looked over. He didn't think the little one was acting any differently, but he was happy that his wife was talking to him. He smirked, "Indeed, he seems to get smarter by the day."

"Of course. He'll be just like you when he grows up." Ines said unconsciously, already imagining a mini Ethan. Little did she know how overjoyed Ethan was to hear that.

Ines continued to play with the little bundle in her arms. When she looked up, she saw Ethan's eyes gleaming at her. Her heart fluttered, "Why are you staring at me?"

"Izzy, I thought you were mad."

Ines stayed silent. After a while, she looked at Ethan and said, "Ethan, I'm just a normal woman. I understand your past. But when people compare me with Leila, I can't help but get emotional. I can't avoid it. How long would it take for the people you knew to stop saying these things to me?"

Some words, when heard for the first time, would often trigger doubt. The second time around, they might have seemed like a joke. However, when you heard them for the third or fourth time, or even when they were spoken by a complete stranger, that was when you felt a deep sense of powerlessness. That was how she felt now, like she was stuck at a hurdle she couldn't cross. She had been stuck for over a year.

Ethan held Ivy with one arm and wrapped the other arm around Ines and the baby. He couldn't answer Ines' question. He could control himself but not what others wanted to say. "Izzy, I'm sorry."

Ines shook her head, "Don't say that. It's not anyone's fault. Let's forget about it after tonight."

"Okay." Ethan agreed. They had originally planned for a dinner date followed by a movie. Even though the plan fell through, it was still a bit early for bed. Ethan brought over a laptop. To prevent disturbing the sleeping babies, they cuddled together and watched a movie with an earphone each, holding hands. It was a touching scene.

This was a long-released romantic movie, depicting the love story between a wealthy heir and an aloof female lawyer. The ending was not a happy one, as the lovers ultimately did not end up together. Towards the end, Ines felt a bit choked up, "Ethan, I think what we have is so much better than others."

"Izzy, that's just a movie. Don't let it affect you. Don't compare us with them. There's no comparison."

This had been his plan for the evening, to have a date night with his wife, watch a movie, and then naturally engage in some long-awaited activities. Little did he expect Jake to show up out of nowhere and disrupt their mood.

"Ethan, I see you've been planning this all along. Why would you keep track of these things?"

"Of course." Ethan said, pulling Ines' hand onto his waist.

Ines wasn't the type to make a fuss. Knowing she couldn't escape tonight, she decided to just go along with it. She gently circled her fingers on Ethan's chest, leaning in to kiss him.

A mischievous smirk flashed in Ethan's eyes as he pinned Ines down and roughly kissed her lips. Ines started to passionately respond to his kiss but caught sight of the crib not far away. Frightened to her senses, she abruptly slapped Ethan's arm and warned, "The babies might see us."

"No worries, they're still so young and can't roll over yet. They won't see us."

Ines felt a mixed of emotions, "They might hear us though."

"Let's just consider it their early sex education then. We didn't hold back when you were pregnant with them, so we shouldn't worry about this now." Ethan shrugged off her worries with a devil-may-care attitude. Ines wanted to say something more, but Ethan had already dominantly stolen all her breaths and heartbeats.