---- Chapter 19 No.19 Ava's eyes flew open. It was just a dream. The clock ticked loudly in the empty room, but the warmth of the touch in her dream still lingered on her waist. Ethan's face appeared in her mind. She shook her head in annoyance, trying to push the image away. She wouldn't love Ethan anymore. The person in her dream wasn't necessarily him. She had to admit, Ethan's appearance these past few days had affected her. She wasn't surprised that he had found her, but she didn't understand why he had come looking for her. She had thought that everything he did was to push her away. Now that she was gone, he was chasing after her, trying to take her back. She couldn't understand his mentality. Did he regret it? Did he realize he couldn't live without her? Or did he just want to keep her under his thumb? She was more inclined to believe it was his desire for control. Looking back, outside of her feelings for him, Ethan had been ---- very good to her, but he had also controlled many aspects of her life. He had controlled her choice of school and major, her style of dress. In the past, she had enjoyed it. Now, she realized how passive she had been. Fortunately, she would no longer be controlled by him. Late at night, she pushed all her complicated thoughts aside. Downstairs, Ethan finally drove to a bar. He drank glass after glass, unable to get Ava's cold expression out of his mind. For the first time, he felt a suffocating panic. In his drunken haze, he saw Ava's face, telling him to drink less. He paused, the glass halfway to his lips, and stumbled towards the illusion, which instantly vanished. He stood there, stunned, and then downed the rest of the whiskey. After several more drinks, he staggered out of his booth. A beautiful woman tried to hit on him, but he brusquely pushed her away. He heard the woman complaining about his bad temper, that he was probably heartbroken, that he thought he was so special and that people couldn't live without him ---- The world was full of people. He could be replaced at any time. But he had been with Ava for ten years. How could she bear to leave him? The thought of Ava made his chest tighten, and he struggled to breathe. Too drunk to drive, and the bar wasn't far from Ava's apartment, he walked slowly in the night breeze until he was standing downstairs. He stood there for a long time before going up. Ava was woken by the knocking on her door. She heard Ethan's drunken voice. "Ava, open the door." Annoyed, but not wanting to disturb her neighbors, she opened the door. The moment Ethan saw her, his eyes lit up, and he lunged forward to hug her. Before he could touch her, Ava slapped him across the face. Everything was just like her dream. She was incredibly frustrated She remembered what had happened the last time he was drunk. She wouldn't give him another chance. When she had confessed her feelings, he was single. She had resolved not to be a third party. Now, she would not cross ---- that line. Looking at the man she had once respected and loved, she now felt only annoyance. She finally understood how he must have felt when she had pestered him back then.