Waking up again in the hospital, I stared at the ceiling in a daze.
“You’re awake?”
The nurse gently removed the needle from the back of my hand. “You passed out on the side of the road at night due to low blood sugar. A couple saw you and brought you in.”
“Couple?”
A smile touched her face at the mention. “Yes, the man was very sweet to his wife. She was in labor and he was so anxious he nearly sweated through his shirt while waiting outside the delivery room.”
“…How long was I unconscious?”
“She gave birth the night before last.”
I already knew who the “couple” the nurse was talking about must’ve been. I asked her for the ward number and followed the directions.
Sure enough, I found the room where Ethan was spoon-feeding Lila some porridge while Mrs. Fletcher smiled beside the baby’s bassinet.
When Ethan spotted me, he froze for just a second.
“How are you feeling? The doctor said it was just low blood sugar. Just make sure to eat properly next time.”
Then, as if showing off a prize, he pulled me into the room.
“Come take a look. Isn’t Lila’s baby adorable? Doesn’t she look just like her?”
For a brief moment, I saw a flicker of the man he used to be—five years ago, when he held our son for the first time.
“You’re really that thrilled about the child you had from cheating on me?”
The smiles on both Ethan and his mother’s faces froze and tears welled up in Lila’s eyes.
“Annelise,” she whispered, “I know you blame me, but please… don’t speak that way about the baby. She’s innocent.”
Ethan gave me a disapproving look and picked up a tissue to dab her tears. Of course. Ever the attentive partner—just not to me.
Mrs. Fletcher, ever the peacemaker, asked Ethan to step outside with me to clear the air. She even insisted I’d always be part of the Fletcher Family and that Lila’s child would never replace Charlie’s place in their hearts.
What lovely words.
“Mom’s right,” Ethan added with a sigh, his tone softening.
“Annelise, I want you to understand—nothing and no one can replace you or Charlie. So could you maybe show a little more kindness to Lila? She grew up with nothing. She’s had a tough life.”
“And,” he added, “I checked with the hospital. Charlie was discharged a while ago. Where is he now? Hasn’t he always seemed a little lonely being an only child? Now that he has a little sister, I bet he must be very happy now.”
“And another thing—Lila wasn’t wrong the other day. Charlie’s a boy. You’ve raised him too delicately. He needs to exercise more. That’ll build up his immune system.”
There it was again.
“What about you?”
Ethan hesitated, his face showing a hint of guilt. “Lila just gave birth. She needs someone to take care of her...”
“Perfect.”
I sneered. “Do you remember why Charlie has a weak immune system in the first place?”
Ethan stared at me blankly. He’d clearly forgotten.
I had lost my parents when I was nineteen. I became the orphan no one wanted.
It was Ethan who stepped in and brought me into his family.
He proposed to me when I was nineteen, begged me to trust him and convinced me to give him everything.
That same year, I got pregnant.
But one night, while I was home with a high fever, he was out street racing. I miscarried—alone.
The ultrasound had shown twins.
After that, I couldn’t conceive for two years. When I finally did, Ethan didn’t trust me to stay. He forced himself on me just to make sure I wouldn’t run.
Back then, I hadn’t fully recovered. My body was weak and so was the baby. The doctor had told him all this—directly.
And now? He didn’t remember any of it.
I lowered my eyes and pulled out the divorce agreement once more.
Wordlessly, I handed it to him.
“Sign it.”
Ethan stared at me, his expression conflicted. Once he realized I truly meant to divorce him, a flicker of anger crossed his face.
“These are just small things,” he said, his voice tightening. “We can work through them—there’s no need to…”
“To go this far?” I cut him off flatly.
I had no patience for his performance anymore.
His face darkened with irritation. His words came out choppy. “Where would you even go after the divorce? The Carter estate’s already been sold. Even if you don’t care about yourself, what about Charlie? Do you think someone like you—penniless—can take him with you?”
Then something seemed to occur to him and his tone lightened—mocking, smug.
“Or what, are you saying you’d rather throw away Charlie’s inheritance from the Fletcher Corporation just to leave me and take him away too?”
Our raised voices began to draw attention from passing staff and visitors. Mrs. Fletcher quickly ushered us back into the hospital room.
But I didn’t care. All I wanted was to finalize the divorce—fast.
“Yes.”
Just one word—but it wiped the smile clean off his face. His jaw tensed, veins popping at his temples.
“Fine. Fine! Keep acting crazy, see where it gets you.”
He pulled out his phone and called his lawyer, ordering him to draft a new divorce agreement immediately. Then he grabbed a pen and signed without hesitation.
My heart loosened the moment I saw his name on the paper. I signed quickly, folded the agreement and turned to leave the hospital without a backward glance.
Because I walked away so fast, I didn’t hear the faint words he muttered under his breath—
“If you regret it… after Lila’s discharged, let’s talk.”
He watched my fading figure, the lightness in my step and something in his chest pulled tight.
Ethan hadn’t seen our son in over two weeks. And for some reason, that fact suddenly hit him like a brick.
He stood frozen for a moment—then sprang up and rushed after me.
