05

THE steady beeping of the monitor filled the room. Slow and consistent. Alive.

Damien sat on the metal chair beside the bed, his head resting back against the wall, eyes closed, fingers loosely clasped together. The tension in his jaw hadn’t eased since they got here.

On the bed, Alessia lay still.

An oxygen cannula rested beneath her nose, the thin tube looping over her ears. An IV line was fixed into her hand, clear fluid dripping steadily into her veins. A pulse monitor clipped to her finger blinked faintly with each beat, tracking what her body was still trying to stabilize.

Her skin had lost that frightening flush from earlier, though faint redness still lingered along her neck. Her breathing, though shallow, had evened out.

The door opened quietly and a nurse walked in, clipboard in hand.

Damien’s eyes opened immediately. He straightened.

“How is she?” he asked.

The nurse moved to the bedside, checking the monitor first, then the IV line. Calm. Routine.

“She is stable,” she said. “Her vitals are returning to normal.”

Damien exhaled, but the tension didn’t leave his shoulders.

“Stable?” he repeated. “So… she’s fine now?”

The nurse glanced at him briefly.

“She is out of immediate danger,” she clarified. “But she had a severe allergic reaction. Anaphylaxis.”

She adjusted the IV slightly.

“If you had arrived any later,” she added, her tone still professional but firmer now, “it could have been fatal.”

That landed.

Damien’s expression shifted.

“She… almost died?” he asked, quieter this time.

The nurse nodded once.

“Yes.”

A beat of silence passed.

“She was given epinephrine as soon as she was brought in,” the nurse continued. “We have also administered other medications to reduce the reaction and prevent recurrence.”

She checked Alessia’s pulse again.

“She will need to be monitored for a few more hours. Sometimes symptoms can return.”

Damien ran a hand over his face.

“I didn’t know it would get that bad,” he muttered.

The nurse didn’t respond to that. Instead, she reached for a small packet of medication on the side table.

“These are prescriptions,” she said, placing them neatly. “She will need to take them as directed once she is discharged.”

She looked at him properly now.

“And please make sure she avoids whatever triggered this. Completely.”

Damien nodded.

“Yeah… of course.”

The nurse gave one last glance at the monitors, then turned.

“If there is anything unusual, difficulty breathing again, swelling, dizziness, call immediately.”

“I will.”

She nodded and walked out.

The door closed softly behind her and silence settled again.

Damien leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on his knees now, eyes on Alessia.

A second and another passed.

And then, there was a small movement. Her fingers twitched.

Damien straightened immediately.

“Alessia?”

Her brows pulled together faintly before her eyes slowly opened. The light hit her first. Then the ceiling. And then him.

“You are awake,” he said quickly, standing up.

She blinked once. Twice.

“Yes…” her voice came out low, rough. “I am.”

She shifted slightly, wincing as she pushed herself up. Damien moved closer instinctively.

“Careful.”

She ignored him.

Slowly, she sat up, her hand brushing against the IV line as she adjusted.

For a moment, she said nothing. Just breathed. Then her eyes turned to him.

And whatever calm had been there, cracked.

“You left me.”

Damien paused.

“What?”

“You left me,” she repeated, her voice stronger now. “You watched me struggle to breathe… and you walked away.”

His jaw tightened slightly.

“That is not what happened—”

“That is exactly what happened!” she cut in sharply.

Her chest rose and fell a little faster now, anger slipping through.

“I couldn’t breathe, Damien,” she continued. “I was asking for help. I was right there in front of you.”

He ran a hand through his hair.

“She needed me too,” he said.

A short, disbelieving laugh escaped her.

“She?” Alessia repeated. “Your mistress?”

“She is carrying my child,” he snapped back immediately.

That hit hard.

Alessia’s expression stilled for a second as something flickered in her eyes. Then hardened.

“And I am your wife,” she said, quieter now but sharper.

A pause.

He didn’t respond immediately.

“I almost died,” she added.

His gaze dropped briefly, then returned.

“But you didn’t.”

That did it.

Something in her broke at once, not loudly, not visibly. It just… shifted.

“Right,” she said slowly.

Of course.

She should have expected that.

“You made a choice,” she continued. “And it wasn’t me.”

Damien exhaled.

“You are making this bigger than it is.”

Her eyes snapped back to his.

“Bigger?” she echoed.

Before she could say more, his phone rang. Sharp and loud, cutting through everything.

“Shit,” he muttered, pulling it out.

He glanced at the screen.

“Vanessa?”

Alessia’s hand clenched slowly against the bed.

He answered.

“Yeah?”

Vanessa’s voice came through, panicked, breathy.

“Damien… where are you?”

“Still at the hospital,” he replied. “I told you—”

“I need you,” she cut in quickly. “Please… I don’t feel right.”

His expression shifted immediately.

“What do you mean you don’t feel right?”

“The baby… I don’t know, I just— I need you here. I don’t feel comfortable.”

Damien glanced at Alessia briefly.

“I’m with my wife.”

There was a pause. Then she spoke.

“Yes. And so?”

Alessia’s fingers tightened further.

“She just got hospitalized, Vanessa,” he said, his tone strained now.

“And I am pregnant!” Vanessa snapped. “What if something happens? What if something goes wrong? You are just going to leave me here alone?”

Damien shut his eyes briefly.

“Nothing is going to happen—”

“I need you here!” she cut in again, her voice rising. “Damien, I’m serious!”

“I’m coming,” he said.

He ended the call quickly and the room fell silent again. He slipped his phone back into his pocket and turned to Alessia.

“She needs me,” he said, “I will be back,” he added.

He didn’t wait for a response, he just turned and walked out.

The door closed behind him. Alessia stared at it for a long second.

“Don’t bother,” she muttered under her breath.

Silence fell.

The beeping machine continued.

She inhaled slowly, then exhaled. Her hand slowly moved, reaching for the phone on the side table.

Her fingers wrapped around it as she unlocked, paused for just a second and then typed.

Carl.

Her fingers hovered over the screen briefly before she began.

**I just got out of something life-threatening. I almost didn’t make it.**

A pause.

Her jaw tightened slightly.

Then she continued.

**I’m done here. I will be filing for divorce.**

Another second.

Then,

**I’m ready to come back. To the company. To my rightful position.**

She stared at the message. Then hit send. It delivered instantly.

Barely a second passed before her phone buzzed again.

His reply.

**I’m sorry you had to go through that. Truly.**

Another message followed immediately.

**But I’m glad you reached out. Welcome back, Alessia.**

Her chest eased just slightly.

Then,

**I will come get you in three days. We will handle everything from there.**

She let out a quiet breath. A breath of relief. And it was real, for the first time that day.

She was about to drop the phone when something crossed her mind and she stopped.

Her grip tightened again. She typed once more, slower this time and more deliberate.

**I will need your help with something else.**

A pause.

Then,

**Can you have a divorce agreement prepared? Quietly. Clean and airtight.**

She stared at it for a second, then hit send.

Immediately after, she dropped the phone back onto the table and relaxed into her bed.