Addison POV:
I woke up in the hospital again. The cycle felt endless. Each time, I was more broken than before. This time, a crisp, official-looking letter lay on my bedside table. My termination notice. Effective immediately. For "unprofessional conduct and bringing disrepute to the institution."
I laughed. A dry, humorless sound that scratched my raw throat. My hands were ruined, my sister was dead, and now my career, the last vestige of my old life, was gone. What else was left to take? Clark hadn't visited. Not once. He had sent his assistant, a bouquet of generic flowers, and the termination letter. A perfectly ordered dismissal.
I discharged myself, my body feeling lighter, less burdened by expectations. I walked home, my footsteps echoing in the empty halls of the mansion that was no longer mine. The door was ajar. Odd.
"...I don't care what she says, Mother," Clark's voice, cold and firm, carried from the living room. "I'm not signing those divorce papers. Not now, not ever."
My heart, a shriveled, brittle thing, gave a small, painful lurch. He wasn't signing? Why?
Another crash. He sounded furious. "She tried to ruin me! My reputation! My family!"
His mother's voice, shrill and disapproving, cut through the air. "Clark, darling, you must be rational. That woman is nothing but trouble. She's damaged goods. Her hands are useless. And after that... incident... at the cemetery. The rumors! Think of our family name! And a woman with such a history... who knows if she can even bear healthy children now?"
My blood ran cold. Damaged goods. Useless. Unfit. The words, flung carelessly, sliced through me.
Clark' s voice again, a low, menacing growl. "I don't care. She's still my wife. And she will remain my wife." A tearing sound. "There. The papers. Shredded. And don't worry about children, Mother. I've been giving her birth control pills since the beginning. She can't get pregnant while I' m married to her."
My breath hitched. Birth control? I had always wanted children. Always. And he... he had been secretly medicating me. All this time.
"I'll have Aurora carry on the bloodline," Clark continued, his voice chillingly calm. "She's always been more... compliant."
I stood there, my hand gripping the doorknob, my knuckles white with strain. My former husband, my captor, my tormentor, was not just abusive, he was utterly depraved. His "love" was a twisted, possessive cage. I felt a wave of nausea, a deep, primal disgust.
The cold night air was a shock to my system. I stumbled out of the house, my phone clutched in my trembling hand. I dialed Mr. Henderson.
"Mr. Henderson," I said, my voice flat, devoid of emotion. "I need you to sell all my shares in Clark's company. Liquidate everything. I don't care about the market value. Just get rid of them. Now."
"Dr. Frank? Are you sure? That's a significant amount of capital..."
"I'm sure," I cut him off, my voice sharp. "And the divorce. You said it was in the final stages. How quickly can you finalize it?"
"Well, with Mr. Barr's sudden refusal to sign, it might get complicated, Dr. Frank. A contested divorce could take months, even years."
"Then find a way," I said, my voice rising. "I need to be out of this country in ten days. Do whatever it takes. I don't care what it costs."
Before Mr. Henderson could respond, the front door of the mansion burst open. Clark stood there, his face thunderous, his eyes dark with fury.
"Where are you going, Addison?" he demanded, his voice like a whip.
Just as I opened my mouth to respond, a frantic knocking sounded from downstairs. Clark's gaze flickered, a momentary distraction. He opened the door, and Aurora, her face streaked with tears, threw herself into his arms.
"Clark! Oh, Clark, thank God you're here. My mother... her chest pain... it's getting worse!" She sobbed into his shoulder, her voice trembling.
Clark immediately softened, stroking her hair. He glanced at me, his eyes cold. "It's your fault, Addison. All of it. Her mother's declining health because of your negligence."
Aurora, clinging to him, looked up with wide, tearful eyes. "Oh, Clark, it's unbearable. My mother is suffering so much. If only there was some rare herb, some ancient remedy to ease her pain. I heard about the 'Moonpetal Orchid' in the distant mountains. It's said to cure all ailments. I'd go myself, but..." she trailed off, her gaze resting on her bandaged arm, a silent plea.
Clark turned to me, his face set, his eyes hard. "You heard her, Addison. You owe her. This is your penance. Go. Find the Moonpetal Orchid. And don't come back without it."
