I sat quietly in the corner of the hospital room, the thin blanket still wrapped around my shoulders even though I no longer felt cold. I had finally run out of pain to feel.
The soft ding of a message snapped me back to reality. It was from my lawyer. Divorce papers are finalized. Ready for delivery.
I inhaled deeply, ignoring the tight pull of my bandaged arm. My voice was steady when I typed back: Deliver them tomorrow. At the merger event. Make sure the announcement reads like he’s being overthrown. I want the entire board to see it.
“Understood.”
I stared at the screen for a moment longer. Then, another message popped up, this time from Isabel.
“You bitch, I heard what happened. Don’t you dare pretend to be sick until tomorrow. The merger is scheduled and we need your signature. Don’t ruin this. You don’t have a family anymore. You only have us now. So do your part and let us control the company.”
My lips parted slightly in disbelief, but no sound came out.
I was about to drop my phone to the side when another notification buzzed across the screen.
It was from Luigi: I learned the truth about the accident. I’m near. Wait for me!
My thumb hovered over it, unsure until my breath caught and instinct made me tap. The footage was grainy, clearly taken from a security camera—silent, timestamped. The image flickered, then stabilized.
There she was. Isabel. Standing in what looked like a dim parking garage. Her voice was faint at first, muffled. But then the audio picked up, and her words cut through like ice.
“Make sure it looks like an accident. A malfunction. Brake lines. Nothing too obvious.”
My stomach dropped.
“No, I don’t care how. Just do it before the auction. Make it quick. Her parents always had too much say. It’s time she learns who really owns this family now.”
I couldn’t breathe. I replayed it once. Twice. A third time. My hand trembled, my vision blurring at the edges, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
Then, as if the universe wasn’t done mocking me, another message lit up the screen, this time from Mateo.
“Don’t visit Layla. Don’t show your face to her, she’s sensitive and scared you’ll hurt the baby. Just show up tomorrow for the merger, and after that, I’ll treat you to a nice vacation.”
I stared at the words, a bitter laugh choking its way through my sobs. But I didn’t reply. Instead, I blocked him.
I stood up. I still had one last thing to do before leaving. I wandered through the stark white halls of the hospital until I found her room. Gladly, there was no Mateo.
She glanced up when I opened the door. Her face curled into a smirk. “Oh, look. The ghost bride rises from the dead.”
I stepped inside without saying a word.
“What?” she sneered. “Here to fight me? Please, Isla. You’re just embarrassing yourself. Mateo’s never loved you. Even his mother can’t stand you. Honestly? Just die already. That would really help us be happy.”
My hands clenched at my sides. I looked at her and saw flashes of our childhood. Sneaking out of school together. Pinky promises. Nights we spent dreaming about weddings, careers, and families. never knowing one of us would destroy the other.
“I used to love you,” I said quietly. “You were my best friend. You were my sister before anything else.”
Layla rolled her eyes. “Please don’t get all poetic on me. You stole him, Isla.”
“No,” I said firmly. “You left him. You ran when he needed you most. I stood by him. I married him. I gave him everything.”
She laughed bitterly. “That was your mistake.”
“And this,” I said, reaching into my pocket, “is yours.”
I pulled off my wedding ring and threw it across the bed. It bounced once before landing in her lap.
“There,” I spat. “Wear it. Be the perfect Miss Madrigal. Play house. Pretend it means something.”
Layla’s smile faltered.
“Just don’t ever let him crawl back to me,” I added. “Because I won’t be here. Not anymore.”
She scoffed. “Good. He won’t even look for you.”
“I hope not.”
I turned on my heel. And just as I stepped back into the corridor, I saw him.
Luigi. Standing there, dressed in black, sunglasses tucked in his shirt, eyes scanning the hall until they found me.
“There you are,” he said softly, pulling me into his arms. “I’m sorry I’m late.”
“It’s okay,” I whispered against his chest. “You came.”
He nodded, brushing my hair back. “You ready?”
“More than ever.”
We walked out of the hospital together.
At the airport, I walked straight to the bin by the boarding gate, pulled out my phone, snapped the SIM card in half, and tossed both inside without hesitation.
I boarded the plane without looking back, finally able to breathe as the door closed behind me because soon enough they would regret betraying me.
