
I think it makes sense when she didnt mention she doesnt love him anymore coz it gives him the impression that erna was just being rebellious and would come back.
For sure , he would realise he needed erna more than she needed her after.
Itll be damning for him when erna would say that she doesnt love him to his face after he contemplated about his feelings.

to me that added to his denial and self-centeredness. Like, she said she doesn't love him anymore and he just glides past that and ignores it, like he's ignored all her feelings up to now, and basically only when he realises how miserable HE is without her, he realizes she said she doesn't love him anymore so she's not coming back and he needs to go back for her himself
In the novel, it wasn’t “a husband who no longer loves her”, rather it was “a husband I no longer love”.
Poor Erna :(((