I spent another day in the hospital. My body was still weak, but the silence hurt more than the pain. I thought maybe Dominic would finally show some care—maybe ask how I was.
But when the door opened, the first thing he said was,
“Did you ditch the client? Seriously, Hannah? I sold you for a reason. You could’ve just played your part so I could get the money.”
I froze. My chest tightened. “You… sold me?” I asked slowly. “Are you insane?”
He didn’t even look guilty. “I told you I need money, and what’s wrong with that? I am your husband, so I can use you as an asset. But you ruined it!”
“Then you could’ve asked!” I shouted. “If you need help and money, you can ask me. How dare you sell me? They tortured me—”
He cut me off sharply. “I need more, Hannah. And I’m sure you wouldn’t give it to me. You’ve been hiding deals from me. Do you think I don’t know you’ve been stealing clients behind my back?”
“I didn’t steal anything from you!” I snapped. “It’s not my fault they want to work with me and not your company! You should do better!”
He gave a dry, humorless laugh. “Or maybe it’s because you’ve been seducing them.”
I stared at him, disgusted. “What did you just say?”
“You heard me.” His eyes narrowed. “And don’t think I don’t know about the man who saved you that night. Who is he? Your boyfriend? Your paramour? Tell me!”
“No!” I yelled. “There’s no one! I don’t have anyone—maybe it’s you who has someone else so you want to kill me!”
The sound came fast—a sharp crack echoing across the room. He slapped me. My cheek stung, and I could taste blood on my lip.
“This is your fault,” he said coldly. “Because of you, I didn’t close that deal. So you better settle this, Hannah. If you have to seduce the client, then do it. Otherwise, you need to give me everything from your company!”
My voice trembled, but I forced myself to speak. “You’d say that to me? After everything? I lost our baby, Dominic! And I can't get pregnant anymore.”
He looked at me without a trace of emotion. “So what? It’s just a baby. It’s not like I ever wanted one with you.”
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. His words pierced deeper than the slap. I felt my vision blur, and before I could say anything else, he turned and left the room.
When the door shut, the silence broke me. My hands shook as I covered my face, and I cried—hard and uncontrollably. It wasn’t just pain anymore. It was the realization that the man I had loved was long gone, maybe he never existed at all.
Then came the flashback.
I saw it clearly—the beginning, when we were still enemies pretending to be husband and wife.
Dominic and I never had peace. We fought over everything—projects, clients, even the color of our office walls.
“You think you’re smarter than me just because your father handed you half of the company?” he once shouted across the room.
“At least I earned my half!” I threw back. “You’re just scared that I might actually be better than you.”
He slammed his hand on the table. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re arrogant,” I spat.
Those were our early days—sharp, ugly, and full of hate. Sometimes he’d grab my wrist when I tried to walk away; sometimes I’d shove him back. We were chaos disguised as a marriage.
But somewhere along the line, the shouting softened.
He started showing up to my meetings. Bringing me coffee. Asking if I’d eaten.
“You’ll get sick if you keep skipping meals,” he said one night, placing a bowl of soup beside my laptop.
I remember laughing quietly. “Since when did you start caring?”
He only shrugged. “You’re my wife. I have to.”
It was stupid how that made me smile. For the first time, I thought maybe things could be different.
Maybe we could actually be a real couple, not just two enemies forced to share a name.
He began to change—gentler, warmer. He kissed me goodnight. He remembered anniversaries. And I fell, completely, believing he was falling too.
But now, lying in this hospital bed, I realized the truth.
All of it—his kindness, his gestures, his care—had been a lie.
A strategy.
He had never loved me. And I had been too blind to see it.
I wiped my tears and reached for my phone. My hands still trembled, but my voice was steady when I spoke.
“Mr. Cruz,” I said when my lawyer answered. “I want to file for a divorce.”
There was a pause. “Mrs. Hale… I’m not sure that would be possible right now.”
“What do you mean?” I asked sharply.
“Both your families are tied by several contracts. Your father and Mr. Hale’s father won’t agree to it easily. It could destroy the business alliance—”
“I don’t care,” I interrupted. “Draft the papers.”
He hesitated. “Even if I draft it, you’ll need your father’s approval to proceed. Without that, the court won’t—”
“I’ll convince him,” I said coldly. “Just do what I said.”
He sighed. “Understood, Mrs. Hale.”
“And one more thing,” I added. “Make sure every investor, every partner we can reach—moves to my company. I don’t want Dominic to have a single one left.”
I discharged myself and went home alone. My body was tired, but my mind was sharp.
As I walked through the hallway, voices stopped me cold. Dominic… moaning with a woman. My chest tightened, a mix of anger and disgust.
I didn’t hesitate. I pushed open the door. He didn’t even flinch. He didn’t stop. He just looked at me for a brief second before returning to what he was doing, completely unashamed.
I took a steady breath, my eyes burning with fury.
“Let’s get a divorce,” I said, my voice calm but deadly. “I’m done. I’m done with lies, with betrayal, with everything you’ve done.”
