Pain. It was the first thing I felt when I opened my eyes.
A sharp, unbearable pain that made every breath feel like a battle. My body was heavy, every limb aching, and when I tried to move—nothing. A strangled whimper escaped my lips as I lay there, helpless.
And then it all came rushing back. Tears welled in my eyes as the memories slammed into me. Lauren and I had been fighting, screaming, clawing at each other, and then—suddenly, we had both gone over the edge.
With great effort, I turned my head slightly, my gaze shifting to the hospital room around me. White walls. The sterile scent of antiseptic. The distant hum of machines.
I opened my mouth to call for help, my voice hoarse, weak. “Please… help—”
The door burst open. I flinched as Ryan stormed inside, his face twisted in fury.
“You selfish bitch!” His voice was like thunder, echoing through the small space. His eyes burned with rage, his hands clenched into tight fists.
I barely had the strength to respond. My throat was dry, my voice barely above a whisper. “Ryan… I—”
“You nearly killed her!” He towered over me, his presence suffocating. “Lauren is in critical condition! And our baby—” His voice cracked, his entire body trembling. “You killed our child!”
My breath hitched. No.
I shook my head frantically, panic seizing my chest. “I didn’t mean it! It wasn’t me! She started it, Ryan, she—”
His hand shot out, gripping my wrist with bruising force. I cried out in pain as he yanked me upright, my broken body screaming in agony.
“Shut up!” he roared. “I don’t want to hear your pathetic excuses!”
Tears streamed down my face as I gasped, the pain unbearable. “Please—Ryan—”
But he wasn’t listening. He dragged me out of the hospital bed, ignoring my screams of pain as he pulled me through the halls. I could barely stand, my legs weak, my vision blurring from the agony coursing through my body.
“Ryan, stop—please! This is enough!” I sobbed, my nails digging into his wrist in a desperate attempt to break free.
But he didn’t stop. He didn’t even hesitate.
The elevator doors slid open, and before I could process what was happening, he shoved me inside. My stomach twisted with dread as I realized where he was taking me.
No.
No, no, no—
The rooftop. My breath hitched as we stepped out onto the open space. The wind howled around us, sending a violent chill through my already broken body. The city stretched out below, an endless abyss of glittering lights and death.
I staggered back, my body shaking.
“Ryan, please,” I begged. “Don’t do this.”
But his face was cold. Emotionless.
“If I had known you were nfertile, I would have never married you,” he spat, his words cutting through me like a blade. You were nothing but a waste of my time.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, my heart hammering in my chest. “Ryan—”
“You’re useless, Alicia.” His voice was low, filled with pure hatred. “And since you have no purpose—”
His lips curled into a cruel smirk.
“Then you might as well die.”
My eyes widened in horror. “No—”
His hands slammed into my shoulders.
And then—
I was falling.
The world blurred into a rush of wind and lights, my body weightless as I plummeted through the night.
I screamed.
Tears streamed down my face as memories flashed before my eyes.
Ryan, holding me for the first time. Ryan, kissing me under the stars, whispering promises of forever. Ryan, sliding a ring onto my finger, telling me I was his everything.
Had it all been a lie? Had I been nothing more than a disposable piece in his perfect life?
I wanted to hate him. But as I fell I realized I had already wasted too much of my love on a man who would never love me back.
I closed my eyes. And let the darkness take me.
I woke up to the sound of voices. My eyelids fluttered open, the blinding white of the hospital room making me wince. My body ached, every bone feeling like it had been shattered and stitched back together.
I wasn’t dead. I was alive.
A soft gasp escaped my lips as I turned my head slightly. A nurse stood beside me, adjusting the IV drip. When she noticed I was awake, her eyes widened in surprise.
“You’re awake,” she said gently. “You’re incredibly lucky to be alive.”
I blinked, my mind struggling to process her words. “W-Why?”
She offered me a small, kind smile. “There was a maintenance crew cleaning the windows when you fell. You landed on their safety slide before hitting the ground.”
A choked breath escaped me. I had survived.
I should have felt relief. But all I felt was emptiness.
Tears pricked my eyes as reality sank in. I had hoped—even in the smallest, most foolish part of me—that Ryan would be here. That despite everything, he would at least care.
But then, outside my hospital room, I heard the nurses whispering.
“He’s been here all night.”
“Of course, he has. She’s still in a coma.”
“Poor man. Losing their baby must have devastated him.”
I stiffened. They weren’t talking about me. They were talking about Lauren.
Ryan had been here all night… but not for me. A fresh wave of pain crashed over me, worse than any physical injury I had endured.
Tears slipped down my cheeks as I curled my fingers into the hospital sheets. I had given everything to Ryan. My love, my devotion, my loyalty.
And he had chosen her. Even after trying to kill me, he still chose her. I bit my lip, suppressing the sobs threatening to escape.
I didn’t know how much time had passed when I felt someone grab my wrist.
My eyes shot open. Ryan. His grip was bruising, his eyes filled with pure rage.
“I can’t believe you’re not yet dead after what happened.”
My breath hitched. “Ryan—”
“I told you what would happen if anything happened to my heir.” His voice was sharp, dangerous. “And now—”
His fingers tightened, his face twisting into something monstrous.
“I’m really going to make sure you will die!”
