Chapter 2

In the hospital room, Arya sat quietly on the bed while several doctors and nurses surrounded her, running tests.

She had been the one to press the call button by her bed, signaling the nurses that she had finally awakened. After five years trapped in a vegetative state, she was done being silent. Now that she was awake, one thing was clear. She was getting a divorce.

Her youth might have been wasted, but everything else—her assets, her career, and most of all, her two children—she would take back, one piece at a time. She wouldn't let that bastard walk away with anything.

Her ultimate goal? To strip Neil of custody and send him away empty-handed.

After five blank years, though, she needed time. She had to play her cards carefully.

From the corner of her eye, she spotted Neil's tailored suit just outside the door.

The timing was perfect.

"Dr. Tambling, what's wrong with my eyes?" Arya asked shakily. "Why can't I see anything since I woke up?"

Neil, who had just entered, froze at her words. He frowned with concern and rushed to her bedside.

"Ary," he called softly.

His voice disgusted her.

"Neil, you're here…" she said, her voice shaking, eyes unfocused like a blind woman's. She reached out and collapsed into his arms.

The scent of another woman's perfume clung to his clothes.

"Neil, I'm scared. I… I can't see you…" she cried.

Neil held her gently, trying to comfort her. "Don't worry, I'm here. No matter the cost, I'll find the best doctors and make sure you recover fully."

Isaac stepped forward. "Mr. Hammond, don't panic. There's nothing seriously wrong with Mrs. Hammond's eyes. It's likely a result of prolonged unconsciousness. Her visual nerves simply haven't reactivated yet."

"How long until she recovers completely?" Neil asked.

Isaac hesitated. "That depends on her condition. It could take two or three months… or much longer."

Arya leaned into Neil like a helpless woman, but inside her eyes were cold and calculating. She felt it clearly—his body, once tense with suspicion, had finally relaxed.

A blind woman who might never regain her sight? That was enough to lower his guard.

Seizing the moment, she said weakly, "Neil, I don't want to stay here anymore. Can we go home? When my eyes get better… I want the first thing I see to be you and our children."

Isaac added, "Returning to a familiar environment might help Mrs. Hammond recover faster."

After a brief pause, Neil agreed to take her home.

Arya still couldn't walk, so Neil borrowed a wheelchair and wheeled her downstairs himself.

She thought of how he had just held Lindsay earlier and almost laughed. He could hold another woman with such care but couldn't be bothered to carry her.

In the elevator mirror, she studied him through her sunglasses.

Five years had passed. Neil was still handsome, now with the edge of a mature man. But she was gaunt and pale, drained of life.

And hadn't she been? Their relationship had sucked everything out of her.

Meanwhile, back in the hospital, Isaac slipped out his phone and dialed a number once Neil and Arya were gone.

"Mr. Pearce, Mrs. Ham— I mean, Ms. Songhurst…" Isaac stumbled over his words, panic barely held at bay. "She's finally awake."

…

Downstairs, Arya kept her expression neutral as she scanned the area. Lindsay and the kids were gone, likely left early.

Neil wheeled her to the passenger side and opened the car door. The first thing Arya saw was a tube of Chanel lipstick resting on the seat.

Neil glanced at her. Without a word, he picked up the lipstick and slipped it into his pocket as if it had never existed. Then he lifted her into the seat.

"Neil," Arya said softly, "in the five years I was in a coma… did any other woman sit in this passenger seat?"

"Of course not," he replied instantly.

He then chuckled and added, "Everyone in the city knows my wife is famously fierce. You once stormed into a hostage situation with a gun to save me."

'Fierce? Right…' Not long after their marriage, Neil had been kidnapped. The police had been slow to act, and Arya had nearly lost her mind with worry. She had called in every favor, chased every lead, and finally tracked him down. She had brought a case full of money and a gun, risking everything to save him.

Neil had sworn back then that he would never betray her.

…

At a red light, the car rolled to a stop.

Neil suddenly turned and asked, "Ary… what was it like? Being in that state for five years?"

Arya stared straight ahead behind her dark glasses as he reached over and gently held her hand. She answered, "It felt like a long, dark dream. No light, no sound… just endless darkness. It was terrifying."

He seemed satisfied. He gave her hand a pat and said softly, "It's all over now, Ary. We're going home."

She forced a smile. "Yes. It's over."

It was over for them too. Now it was time to settle the score.

The light turned green and the car moved forward.

Just then, a black Maybach sped past in the opposite lane. In the blink of an eye, Arya's face, behind her sunglasses, reflected on the tinted rear window as the two vehicles passed.

Inside the Maybach, a man sat half-shrouded in shadow. Sharp-featured, cold, and distant, he looked like a sculpture carved from ice.

When he caught that fleeting glimpse of Arya's face, his eyes widened. He lowered the window, searching outside.

"Mr. Pearce, is something wrong?" Samuel Ketchum, the man's assistant in the passenger seat, asked in surprise. He had never seen his employer lose composure like this.

"No," the man replied.

The Bentley was already far behind, vanishing into the distance.

Troy Pearce slowly pulled his gaze back. Not far ahead, the towering sign of the Niall Group glowed grandly under the night sky. He narrowed his eyes.

A mocking, almost bitter smile curled at the corners of his lips.

"Arya Songhurst," he muttered softly, a buried longing beneath his words. "Was it worth it?"