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Chapter 12

Author: VictoryAnne Vice
last update Last Updated: 2026-01-05 17:27:01
15 minutes later I was entering a VIP room on the second floor of the convention center.

Ms. Nicollini had described this event as a “business mixer.” But instead of bland food and grim-faced professionals, wine was flowing freely as a live string ensemble played softly onstage.

It felt expensive and very, very exclusive.

But I didn’t have time to marvel at the fine accommodations. Within moments of crossing the threshold of the room, I was approached by several investors who had either read my research paper or were impressed with my presentation. Some just wanted to introduce themselves, but others made offers to have me speak at other conferences, or to collaborate on future projects.

It felt so good speaking with like-minded people about a topic I was passionate about. For the first time in a long time I felt truly alive.

I was glowing, radiant, in my element.

Until my mood came crashing down.

“Did you follow me here too, Ariana?” Misha’s familiar voice shattered my joy. “Th
VictoryAnne Vice

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  • After Three Years: She Wakes Up   Chapter 20

    [Ariana]Misha’s last words to me hung heavily in my mind as I walked away from Misha to block myself off in what had once been our shared bedroom. “Fine,” I said as I passed, throwing down my bag as I opened the door. “I’ll stay. But I don’t want to see you right now.” Striding forward with my last shred of dignity, I took the last steps forward, slammed the door behind me, and locked it with shaking hands, keeping him on the other side. It’s bad enough that I had to return to this place because my lawyer thought it would be a good idea to collect evidence from the inside, but I refuse to sleep with him, especially after what he just said, his sullied hands reaching out to touch me in his sleep…The thought made my stomach roll with disgust. As bile rushed up my throat in a sudden wave of what I now recognize to be morning sickness, I dry-heaved over the toilet bowl, holding on to the edges as I gasped for breath and considered my situation.There is no way I’m sharing a baby with

  • After Three Years: She Wakes Up   Chapter 19

    [Misha]“How could you leave me? We’ve built a life together?”She doesn’t respond. Reaching for the door, she is only a few steps away from disappearing on me again.Panic tightens in my chest.Ariana is my wife—the only woman I’ve ever loved. She just needs to stop long enough to listen to me. Long enough to remember us.“You can’t leave me,” I say sharply. “You need me.”The words come too fast, too desperate.“Or did you forget—you still have a sick mother?”“What did you just say?” Ariana gasped, and I regretted the words the moment they left my mouth as her eyes widened, hurt flashing across her face. Silence stretches between us. After several stunned seconds, Ariana lowers her gaze. She looks defeated, broken. I did that. I broke my promise. When we got married, I swore that I’d take care of her and her family—including her mother, Lucinda, who lies trapped in a vegetative state at the Manhattan Rest Home. I promised there would be no conditions.“She’s my family too,” I h

  • After Three Years: She Wakes Up   Chapter 18

    Taking the train to the other side of Manhattan, I was soon standing outside the main entrance of Columbia University. My old professor and mentor, Dr. Ryland Winchester, was waiting for me with a large smile on his face.“Ariana, I’m so glad you could make it,” he waved as he rushed towards me, his sandy hair glowing golden in the sunlight. “Come, let me show you around.” Hesitantly, I took my first step across the threshold of the school in three years. When I dropped out of school to be with Misha, I had given this life up for good. I knew that even if I could finish my degree to become a doctor, I’d never have a chance to work as a top researcher after ditching school the way I did. And yet, here I was, walking with my old mentor as if I had never left. Releasing a breath I hadn’t even noticed holding, my footsteps fell in line with the professor’s, and walking side by side, the two of us fell into a comfortable camaraderie, reminiscing about old times and talking about new op

  • After Three Years: She Wakes Up   Chapter 17

    It was late before Allison finally let me sleep, and as soon as my head touched the pillow of her comfortable guest room bed, I crashed hard, exhausted from two days of unrelenting stress and misery. The next day, I was so out of it that It was 9am before my phone woke me up, buzzing as it received a dozen new messages, all from things I forgot to take care of before making my flash decision to leave Misha and head west. All I had been thinking about was putting as much decision between me and that bastard as I could. I had forgotten about all the little things, like paying bills and cancelling appointments. I scrolled through the messages listlessly until I came to one from an unfamiliar online account asking me to friend them. Thinking it might be someone I met at the convention in SF, I clicked “accept request.” Only to regret my decision immediately. As soon as the request was accepted, I received a vague message. “You should check this out.” It read, with a link to an earlier

  • After Three Years: She Wakes Up    Chapter 16

    I recognized the ring, because I had been the one to place it on my husband’s hand. The phone beeped again as a new message appeared. “He was worried I would leave. He didn’t want me to be upset,” the message read. “Don’t be mad at him.” I don’t know how she got this number, but there is no mistaking who these messages are from. Turning my phone all the way off. I lie flat on my back and look up at the ceiling. I’m not angry or sad anymore, just numb. I don’t have enough left in my heart to feel anything else. A few minutes later, there is a knock on the door. “Ari, are you awake?” Not waiting for a response, Misha pushed his way inside the room and flipped on the light. “Hey, Ariana, about tonight, let me explain.” “What is there to explain?” I say in a cold, flat tone as I cover my eyes with my hand. “You made your choices, and I’ve made mine.” “About Mavis,” Misha continued, “I didn’t invite her, she wasn’t supposed to be here tonight.”Misha’s face was beet red as he stu

  • After Three Years: She Wakes Up   Chapter 15

    Except, that we never got the chance to have that conversation.As soon as the plane landed and Misha turned on his phone, there was a message waiting from his mother. “Sorry, Ari, but my mom wants us to come over for family dinner tonight. Do you mind? We can just throw the luggage in the back of the car and….” “Fine,” I groaned, not wanting to argue. I looked and felt like hell, but what did it matter, she wasn’t going to approve of anything I did anyway. “Thanks Angel,” Misha exhaled in relief, his shoulders relaxing.“We’ll just have to talk later.” “Of course,” my lips curled upward, somewhere between a grimace and a smile. As we rode through the slow traffic, I closed my eyes, but I couldn’t rest. My mind was busy, trying to figure out what I should do. Misha is in denial, clueless, unable to see that his actions have already destroyed our marriage. Considering his strangely overprotective and possessive behavior yesterday at the convention, I’m sure that if I tell Misha abo

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