I was basically telling him to leave, but Darien did not seem to understand. "I don’t need you."
"Elodie," he said softly, "you don’t have to pretend to be strong in front of me."
I looked up at him, my voice cold and unwavering. "Darien Eugene, where were you when I needed you the most?"
"Do you even know what it feels like… to feel life slipping away from inside you, piece by piece?"
"You don’t. You never will. And honestly? I don’t think you even care. Because in your eyes, I was never as important as Vienna. Not me. Not even my child."
His body stiffened. His lips parted in disbelief, words stumbling out of him. "What? Our… our child is gone? No… that can’t be…"
I stared at him, unmoved. "Don’t pretend. Isn’t that what you wanted all along? Wasn’t that the plan? To get rid of it?"
"No! No, it’s not like that." Darien grabbed my shoulders, his eyes frantic, his grip trembling with desperation. "I would never harm our child. I only lied to Vienna because if I didn’t, she would’ve come after you both. I was trying to protect you!"
I let out a bitter laugh, hollow and exhausted. "The truth doesn’t matter anymore, Darien. Not after everything."
Just then, the doors to the operating room flew open. "Family of Esther?"
I jolted forward and ran to the doctor. "I’m her daughter. How is she?"
"She just fainted from stress," the doctor said calmly. "She’s stable now and only needs rest."
I finally exhaled the breath I had been holding. Relief was just beginning to settle in—until the doctor continued, "However, during the examination… we found signs of leukemia."
The ground shifted beneath me. My knees buckled and I nearly collapsed—until someone caught me from behind. I fell briefly against Darien’s chest. For a heartbeat, I almost let myself lean into his warmth.
But the moment I realized, I shoved him away.
"Don’t touch me. All of this… everything that’s happening is because of you. You’re the reason we’re here."
Darien dropped to his knees right there in the corridor.
"Ellie, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I was blinded by desperation. The Eugene Family didn’t go bankrupt, but we were hanging by a thread. If the Daelan Family hadn’t stepped in, we wouldn’t have lasted another week. That’s why I agreed to everything, but the truth is—I never stopped loving you."
"Don’t justify it," I snapped. "None of that excuses what you did—to me, to my family. You’re not just weak, Darien. You’re cruel."
Still kneeling, he reached for my hand, clutching it with trembling fingers. "Let me make it up to you, Ellie. Give me a chance to fix everything."
"You had your chances every step of the way. But you didn’t stop. You chose this path. And now that I’ve uncovered the truth, you’re scrambling for redemption? That’s not remorse. That’s cowardice."
"I don’t want anything more to do with you. I want you out of my life for good." I turned away, not even sparing him a glance.
He opened his mouth, as if to speak again—but then, a commotion erupted down the hall.
"Darien! Darien!" Austin came running, his voice echoing through the corridor, loud enough to draw sharp glares from nearby doctors.
"This is a hospital," one of them scolded. "Keep your voice down."
However, Austin couldn't care less. He charged forward, yanked Darien to his feet and shot me a nasty glare. "You’ve got time to play around with her? My sister’s about to jump off a building for you!"
Darien’s face drained of color. "What did you just say?"
No matter what happened between them, I did not care anymore. The operating room doors swung open again and my mother was wheeled out, still unconscious.
"She’s on the roof right now!" Austin shouted.
Darien instantly pulled out his phone and dialed. The line picked up almost immediately.
"Darien…" came Vienna’s voice, soft and trembling.
"Vienna, don’t do anything stupid! I’m coming right now. Just wait—anything you want, I’ll agree to it, okay?"
He hung up and turned to leave, with Austin right behind him. But halfway down the corridor, he stopped and looked back at me.
"Come on, Darien. Hurry up!" Austin barked.
"Ellie," Darien called, "please take care of Mom. I’ll be back soon."
He did not even wait for a reply. He just turned and ran.
I stood there, watching the man I had once loved with all my heart walk away—again.
And softly, I whispered the only thing left to say.
"Goodbye, Darien."
Later, after arranging for my mother’s transfer to another hospital, I returned to the small apartment and began packing. There was not much I wanted to bring with me—just two boxes.
Before heading to the airport, I made one final stop—Darien’s office.
I left behind a sealed envelope.
Inside were two things. One was our divorce certificate. The other was a voice recording.
One marked the end of us.
The other would shatter what little trust remained between him and Vienna. But that part… that was their story now.
