When I finally regained consciousness,I was lying in a hospital bed.
“You’re awake at last!Are you feeling any discomfort?”
The nurse at my bedside sighed with visible relief when she saw my eyes flutter open.
I blinked,dazed,my voice hoarse as I asked,
“Who brought me here?”
She looked puzzled.
“Don’t you remember?You dragged yourself here.When I found you,you were barely breathing.”
Her words jogged my memory.Yes…I had crawled here on my own,every inch feeling like death.
I just hadn’t expected that David would be so utterly heartless—not even bothering to get me medical help.
Just then,a noise stirred outside the door.
David appeared,carefully supporting Anna as they walked past my room.
The nurse glanced at them,her voice tinged with admiration.
“Mr.Clark really lives up to his reputation as a doting husband.His wife was only slightly injured,but he reserved the entire top floor,hired a private medical team,and stayed by her side twenty-four-seven to protect the baby she’s carrying.”
I tugged at the corner of my lips,managing a bitter smile.
Then,my phone rang.
It was him.
“Jane,the man I sent to pick you up last night said you never showed.Did you backtrack?Are you planning to stay with David after all?”
I pressed my fingers to my temple,willing the pounding headache to subside and replied patiently.
“Don’t worry.I stayed by David’s side only to repay a debt.That debt is repaid now.The ten years are up—I have no reason to stay.”
Ten years ago,David’s mother died saving me from drowning.To repay her,I made a vow:I would help David rise as the new leader of the gang.That vow had shaped my entire life.
But now…that vow had been fulfilled.
I ended the call just as the door creaked open.
David entered with Anna trailing behind.
“Jane,are you feeling any better?”she asked sweetly.“I’m so sorry...It’s all my fault you ended up in the hospital.”
David ruffled her hair gently,sighing.
“This isn’t your fault.It’s hers.If she hadn’t tried to hurt you,she wouldn’t be in this mess.”
I didn’t have the strength to argue,nor did I want to witness their public display of affection.
My throat felt dry as sandpaper.
I reached out to pour myself a glass of water,but my fingers were too weak to even lift the kettle.
Seeing this,Anna stepped forward eagerly.
“Jane,let me help.You took care of David all these years while I was gone—it’s only right that I do something for you now.”
Before I could refuse,she was already handing me a steaming cup.
But in the very next second—she let go.
Scalding water spilled across my hands,searing my skin.
I gasped in pain,sharp and involuntary.
David rushed forward—but not to me.
He went straight to Anna.
Seeing her red,scalded fingers,his face darkened as he turned to me with disgust.
“Can’t even hold a damn cup?Is the only thing you’re good at serving men?”
I froze.
I said nothing.
My face remained blank,unreadable.But inside,something collapsed.
David caught the emptiness in my eyes—and for a fleeting moment,his chest tightened.
He didn’t understand why.
Why it suddenly felt like something important was slipping through his fingers.
Anna winced again,pulling his attention back.Muttering a curse under his breath,he carried her out of the room.
But even after she was settled,he couldn’t stop thinking about that look I gave him.The disappointment.The cold detachment.
For reasons he didn’t understand…it haunted him.
Later,a doctor entered the room,holding ointment for the burns.
David,who had been standing nearby,seemed to think of something and said flatly,“Send one downstairs to Jane’s room too.”
Over the next few days,David never came to see me again.
Instead,I watched his life unfold through Anna’s social media.
There he was,holding her hand as they visited the zoo,pointing at giraffes with bright smiles.There again,marveling at glowing jellyfish at the aquarium.Then climbing snow-capped mountains,standing under the dancing northern lights.
Through the screen,I could feel their happiness.
On the day he was discharged,David—who never posted anything online—uploaded a photo.
It was Anna from behind,standing in the baby aisle of a department store,picking out soft little clothes.
The caption read.
[Looking forward to the day our child arrives.]
The comments poured in,full of congratulations from his inner circle.
And I…I left one too.
[I wish the two of you a long life together,and may you never part.]
The moment I hit“send,”my phone rang.
David.
