Chapter 8

When Justine woke up in the hospital, it was already early the next morning.

The doctor frowned as he explained her condition, "Your previous wounds hadn't even started to heal, and now, you've taken two more stabs. If a bystander hadn't gotten you here in time, you would've bled out before making it.

"You shouldn't be going through something like this alone. You should let your family take care of you."

She was stunned to learn it was a bystander who had taken her to the hospital.

She blinked. Noah had been right across from her that night. And yet, he had done nothing. She wondered what he had been doing while she bled out.

Justine's thoughts flashed back to that night outside the bar.

She gave a bitter smile and shook her head at the doctor. "I don't have any family."

"I honestly don't know how you still have the nerve to cling to Noah." Hazel's voice cut through the silence.

Hazel was suddenly here, leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed and a smug smile tugging at her lips. She looked perfectly unharmed as she stepped gracefully into the ward and said, "Yesterday, I only pretended to faint, and Noah didn't even hesitate—he brought me straight to the hospital.

"He didn't even glance back at you. If I were you, I would've divorced him a long time ago. So, this is how you've managed to cling to him all these years? You're really shameless. And look at you—still breathing. I really underestimated how stubborn you are."

Every word was laced with ridicule and contempt. She expected Justine to lash out, to break. But she didn't.

There was nothing left in her—no rage, no grief, no fight.

Justine met Hazel's provocation with nothing more than a cool, flat remark. "If you're feeling faint, get more rest. And if you're going to fake it, at least make it believable. It'd be a shame if he sees through you one day and that dream life of yours comes crashing down."

"You!"

Before Hazel could finish, footsteps sounded outside the door.

Hazel rushed to the bedside and suddenly threw herself to the floor, crying out dramatically, "Justine, I only came to check on you! You didn't have to shove me. What did I ever do to deserve this?"

Noah and Gavin had just reached the doorway when they heard Hazel's words.

Without a second of hesitation, Noah stormed inside and gently scooped Hazel into his arms. His gaze turned sharp as it landed on Justine. "What the hell are you doing? You made enemies out there, and now, you're blaming Hazel for it?"

Gavin sprinted in behind him. Without a second thought, he swung his fist straight at Justine's stomach. "Bad person!"

It landed right where Justine had been stabbed. Pain radiated through her stomach as fresh blood seeped through the hospital blanket. Trembling, Justine reached out and hit the nurse call button.

Noah froze, stunned by what had just happened. Regret flickered across his face—briefly but genuinely.

Madge rushed in and immediately began redressing the wound. After hearing what happened, she turned to Noah, struggling to contain her anger.

"You're his father. Don't you think it's your job to teach him better? He punched her right in a fresh wound. If she had bled out, could you have lived with that?"

Noah opened his mouth but said nothing.

Beside him, Hazel jumped in with a soothing smile, trying to diffuse the tension. "He's just a child. He doesn't know any better."

Gavin immediately shrank behind her as if she were his only refuge.

Madge narrowed her eyes, suddenly recognizing Hazel. "You're the mistress, aren't you? The one who requested to undergo every test, only to have the results turn up completely fine? If you're going to fake fainting, at least try to be convincing. Stop treating everyone like idiots."

It wasn't her place to say that, but she couldn't stand it any longer.

Hazel's face went pale with panic. Even Noah turned to her, suspicion flickering in his eyes.

In a moment of desperation, Hazel blurted, "Justine, even if you hate me, you shouldn't be encouraging the staff to spread lies about me, should you?"

She sniffled, playing the victim to perfection.

Noah didn't hesitate. He immediately stepped to Hazel's side, his eyes cold as he turned to Justine. "I'm beyond disappointed in you. Apologize to Hazel."

Justine had nearly bled out from two stab wounds. She was the one who had teetered on the edge of death because her husband hadn't taken her to the hospital in time. Yet somehow, she was now expected to apologize to the woman who hadn't suffered a scratch and had lied through her teeth.

It was laughable.

She pressed her lips together and shut her eyes, her silence a clear refusal.

Noah's voice was sharp. "If you won't apologize, don't expect me to visit you again."

He turned on his heel and walked out.

And he meant it. For almost two weeks, Noah didn't show his face even once.

Instead, Hazel messaged Justine every single day, sending photo after photo of their "perfect family" living in bliss.

Justine didn't bother opening them. She simply saved everything into a folder.

On the day the divorce agreement officially took effect, Justine signed herself out of the hospital against medical advice. She went home, packed up the last of her belongings, and booked a one-way ticket.

Before leaving, she zipped all those messages and photos into a compressed folder and scheduled it to be sent by email. Then, she placed the finalized divorce papers right on the center of the coffee table.

She said goodbye to the house that had suffocated her.

She said goodbye to the man and the boy who had drained her dry.

She said goodbye—and meant it. There would be no looking back.