Addison POV:
My fingers hovered over the 'send' button for the message to my lawyer-a simple instruction: initiate divorce proceedings. Before I could even press it, the hospital room door burst open with a familiar, jarring violence.
Clark.
He rushed towards me, his face a mask of concern, his eyes wide with a practiced sorrow. He pulled me into a suffocating embrace, his arms wrapping around me tightly. My body stiffened, every fiber of my being recoiling. His touch, once a comfort, now felt like a violation. I could smell his cologne, the scent of a lie.
"Addison, my love, you're awake," he murmured, his voice thick with what he wanted me to believe was relief. "I've been so worried. I thought... I thought I'd lost you."
The words turned my stomach. Love? Worry? It was all a performance, a grotesque farce. I pushed him away, my strength surprising even myself. My gaze, usually soft, was now a hard, unyielding glare. There was nothing left in my eyes for him but pure, unadulterated hatred.
He tried to take my hand again, his fingers reaching for mine, as if nothing had happened. "Let's put all this behind us, my dear. I've already arranged for your reinstatement at the hospital. You'll be back in surgery in no time. Everything will go back to normal."
"Normal?" I scoffed, a bitter laugh bubbling up from my chest. "You think you can just buy back what you've destroyed? You think my career, my hands, are worth more than Anissa's life?" I snatched my hand back, as if his touch burned me.
The memories, sharp and painful, flooded my mind. Our beginning. He' d pursued me relentlessly, a whirlwind of charm and lavish gifts. He' d rescued me, he' d said, from the crushing burden of my mother' s death, from the injustice that had tainted my early career. I was a rising star, a brilliant neurosurgeon, but the scandal had threatened to eclipse my talent. He promised to protect me, to give me a life free from worry.
I remembered the day I saved his life. A terrible cycling accident, a subdural hematoma. They said no one could do it. I did. I worked for eighteen hours straight, my hands moving with impossible precision. He woke up, looked at me, and said I was his angel. That day, I truly believed I was the luckiest woman in the world. Everyone did. They called us a power couple, a fairy tale.
But beneath the glittering facade, the cracks had always been there. His possessiveness, his need for control, the casual cruelty he reserved for anyone who wasn't him. And then Aurora had reappeared, a ghost from his past, his "one that got away." My heart sank as I watched him look at her, the way he had once looked at me. I was just a placeholder, a stand-in until the real star returned.
The door opened again, pulling me back to the present. My divorce lawyer, Mr. Henderson, entered, his briefcase clutched in his hand. Clark' s face instantly paled, a flicker of panic in his eyes. He must have thought I was preparing to sue Aurora. He always protected her.
"What is this, Addison?" Clark demanded, his voice suddenly sharp.
I ignored him, reaching for the papers Mr. Henderson held out. My hand, steady now, took the divorce agreement. I looked at Clark, a cold, triumphant smile on my lips. "This, Clark, is called freedom."
A sigh of relief escaped him. He actually thought I was just after money. "Finally. You want what's rightfully yours, then? Fine. I'll make sure you're well compensated." He even looked a little relieved, as if a large burden had been lifted. His world revolved around wealth, so he couldn't comprehend any other motivation.
Just then, Aurora burst into the room, her eyes wide and tearful. "Clark! My mother! She's not well! The doctors say it's... it's a complication from the surgery. Addison, you have to help her!"
Clark's composure shattered. He grabbed my wrist, his grip like a vise. "What did you do, Addison? Did you deliberately botch the surgery? Was this your revenge?" His voice was laced with venom, his face contorted with fury.
I just stared at him, a hollow laugh escaping me. "Revenge? You want to talk about revenge? While my sister lies dead because of you, you're worried about your precious Aurora's mother?" My eyes burned into his. "Post-operative complications are common, Clark. Even for the best surgeons. You know that."
Aurora, ever the manipulator, began to weep, kneeling beside my bed. "Addison, please! My mother is everything to me! I know you hate me, and you have every right to. I deserve all your anger. But please, don't let my mother pay for my mistakes." Her words were a performance, her tears carefully timed.
Clark' s eyes hardened. "If anything happens to her, Addison, I swear, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. I'll make sure you suffer in ways you can't even imagine."
"Then sign it," I said, my voice dangerously calm. "Sign the divorce papers, and I'll see to her. Consider it payment for my freedom."
His jaw tightened, a muscle jumping in his cheek. "You're threatening me?"
"No, Clark," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, "I'm just collecting what's owed to me."
He snatched the pen from Mr. Henderson, his hand shaking with barely controlled fury, and scrawled his signature across the document. The pen dug into the paper, tearing slightly. The sound was like a gunshot. It was over. We were over.
I handed the signed papers back to Mr. Henderson. "Get this processed immediately. I want this divorce finalized before the week is out."
Mr. Henderson nodded, his expression grim. "It will take some time, Dr. Frank. Finalizing the details, asset division…"
"No," I cut him off, my voice sharp. "I don't care about the money. Just the divorce. I want to be free. Ten days. That's all I need."
Clark watched me, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes, a dawning realization of what he had truly lost. His face was a mixture of anger and confusion.
Once Mr. Henderson left, I stood up, my body still weak, but my resolve iron-clad. Aurora was still sobbing dramatically, her eyes darting to Clark for reassurance. He put an arm around her, his gaze still fixed on me.
"Let's go," I said, my voice flat, already moving towards the door. "Show me to her."
Aurora sniffled, wiping her eyes, and led the way to the intensive care unit. As I stepped through the door, a heavy crystal vase flew past my head, shattering against the wall behind me. Shards glittered on the floor.
