I stayed in the hospital for another day after that. My body was still drained, every movement feeling heavier than it should’ve been, but it wasn’t the physical pain that bothered me most—it was the quiet. The kind that makes you think too much.
I kept telling myself Matteo would come. Maybe not to apologize, but at least to check if I was still breathing properly after everything.
But when the door finally opened, hope died immediately.
The first words out of his mouth were sharp and careless.
“So you really bailed on the client?” he said, like he was annoyed about a missed appointment. “Seriously, Aria? I sold you for that deal. All you had to do was play along so I could close it.”
I went still.
My throat tightened. “You… sold me?” I repeated slowly, as if saying it differently would make it less real. “Have you lost your mind?”
He didn’t even look ashamed. Not even a little.
“I needed the money,” he answered flatly. “And I’m your husband. That means I can use whatever I have to. You just messed it up.”
My hands curled into fists under the blanket.
“So instead of asking me,” I shot back, voice rising, “you decided to hand me over like I’m nothing? They hurt me, Matteo. They—”
He cut me off without even blinking.
“I need more than what you’re giving me, Aria. And don’t act innocent. You’ve been hiding things from me. You think I don’t know you’ve been pulling clients away?”
I let out a sharp, humorless laugh.
“I didn’t steal anything from you,” I said firmly. “If they choose to work with me, that’s not my fault. Maybe your company just isn’t good enough.”
His jaw tightened, and then he scoffed.
“Or maybe,” he said slowly, “you’ve been using other methods to get them on your side.”
I stared at him, disgust rising in my chest.
“What did you just say?”
“You heard me.” His eyes darkened. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten about the man who pulled you out of that mess. Who is he to you? Huh? Some lover hiding in the shadows?”
My voice spiked.
“There is no one!” I snapped. “I don’t have anyone! Or maybe you’re the one cheating and now you’re trying to pin this on me!”
That was when it happened.
A sudden crack filled the room.
My head snapped to the side as his hand struck my face. Pain bloomed instantly, sharp and hot. I tasted metal on my lip.
“This is your fault,” he said coldly, like nothing had just happened. “Because of you, I lost that deal. So fix it. Go back there if you have to. Smile, flirt—whatever it takes. And if not, you’ll hand over everything your company owns.”
My ears rang, but I forced myself to speak through the shaking in my voice.
“You’d really say that to me?” I whispered. “After everything? I lost our baby, Matteo. I can’t even— I can’t get pregnant anymore.”
For the first time, he looked at me properly.
No emotion. No hesitation. Nothing.
“So what?” he said coldly. “It’s just a baby. It’s not like I ever cared about having one with you anyway.”
My breath caught.
It felt like the world stopped for a second—like even the air forgot how to move.
Before I could respond, he already turned around and walked out.
The door clicked shut behind him.
And that silence… that was the moment I broke.
My hands shook as I covered my face, and everything I had been holding in finally spilled out. Not quiet tears—real, ugly crying that came from somewhere deep I couldn’t control.
Because it wasn’t just pain anymore.
It was understanding.
The man I loved… wasn’t coming back.
Or maybe he had never been there at all.
And then, without warning, the memories came rushing in.
Back to the beginning.
When Matteo and I weren’t lovers, weren’t even close—just two people forced into a marriage built on competition and resentment.
We fought like it was second nature.
Deadlines, clients, proposals, even stupid things like office layouts—nothing was ever peaceful between us.
“You really think you’re better than me just because your father handed you half the company?” he once snapped during a meeting, voice cutting through the room.
I didn’t even hesitate.
“At least I didn’t get mine handed over on a silver plate,” I fired back. “You’re just scared I’ll actually outperform you.”
His chair scraped loudly as he stood.
“You’re impossible,” he growled.
“And you’re arrogant,” I shot back just as fast.
That was us back then—constant fire, no space for softness. Sometimes he’d grab my wrist when I tried to walk away. Sometimes I’d shove him right back. We didn’t know how to exist without clashing.
We were chaos pretending to be married.
But then, little by little, things shifted.
The shouting didn’t stop—but it softened.
He started appearing in my office without reason, placing coffee beside my documents like it was normal. He’d sit in on meetings he didn’t need to attend. He’d ask questions he didn’t used to care about.
One night, I remember him setting a bowl of soup beside my laptop.
“You’re going to get sick if you keep skipping meals,” he said casually.
I looked up at him, surprised.
“Since when did you start worrying about me?” I asked, half teasing.
He just shrugged like it was nothing. “You’re my wife. It’s my responsibility.”
And weirdly… that made me smile.
For the first time, I thought maybe we were changing. Maybe this wasn’t just an arrangement anymore.
Maybe we were becoming something real.
He became gentler after that. He started remembering dates. He kissed me goodnight like it was normal. He looked at me like I mattered.
And I believed it.
I fell completely.
But now, lying in that hospital bed, everything made sense in the cruelest way possible.
It was never love.
It was control.
A performance I was too stupid to question.
I wiped my face roughly, grabbed my phone, and forced my breathing to steady.
When my lawyer picked up, my voice didn’t shake.
“Mr. Wells,” I said quietly, “prepare my divorce papers.”
There was a pause on the other line.
“Mrs. Grant… that won’t be easy,” he said carefully.
“Why not?” I asked sharply.
“Your families are bound by multiple agreements. Your father and Mr. Grant’s father would need to approve it. This could collapse the entire alliance—”
“I don’t care,” I cut in immediately. “Just prepare it.”
Another hesitation.
“Even if I draft it,” he continued, “you’ll still need your father’s approval. Without it, this won’t move forward legally—”
“I’ll handle my father,” I said coldly. “Just do your part.”
“…Understood, Mrs. Grant.”
“One more thing,” I added after a pause. “Redirect every investor and partner we can reach. Move them under my company. I don’t want Matteo left with anything.”
By the time I left the hospital, I went alone.
The ride home was quiet, but my mind wasn’t.
And when I stepped into the hallway of the house, I froze.
Voices.
Low, intimate… and unmistakably his.
Matteo.
And a woman.
My stomach turned as I followed the sound, every step heavier than the last. I didn’t even think—I just pushed the door open.
What I saw made everything inside me go still.
He didn’t even pretend to stop.
No panic. No guilt.
Just a brief glance in my direction before continuing like I wasn’t even there.
Like I didn’t matter at all.
My nails dug into my palms as I forced myself to breathe.
Then I spoke—calm, controlled, and completely done.
“We’re getting a divorce,” I said evenly. “I’m finished. With you. With this marriage. With every lie you’ve ever told me.”
