LOGINChapter 50He didn't move.Sandra stood there, arms folded now, waiting. The beep from the monitor filled the space where his answer should have been.Ryan, she said again. Lift it.His jaw tightened. I told you, it's nothing. Just a burn from the crash. The nurse alreadyDon't lie to me, she cut in. Not tonight. Not after everything.Something in her voice made him stop. It wasn't loud. It didn't need to be. It was the voice of a woman who had already buried every soft thing she used to feel for him, and was speaking now from whatever was left standing in the ashes.His fingers moved to the edge of the bandage. Slow. Like every inch hurt more than the accident itself.Sandra watched. She didn't blink.The gauze came away in a strip, then two, then his skin showed through — pale, bruised at the edges, and there, just above his wrist, dark against the white of him.A tattoo. Fresh. Still healing at the rim.Two letters, wrapped in a small broken heart.J & R.The room tilted for Sandra
Chapter 49The beep didn’t change. But the air did.Sandra felt it first. A shift. Like the room had been holding its breath with her, and finally exhaled.Ryan coughed. It wasn’t loud. It was thin. Wet. The sound of a man dragging himself back from somewhere dark. Her eyes moved before her head did. His eyes opened slow.Dull at first, like a light bulb flickering. The hospital ceiling came into focus. The IV drip. The window with black night pressing against it. Then his gaze dragged across the room and stopped. It landed on herSandra didn’t speak. She didn’t even blink. Her arms were still crossed over her chest. Her face was still stone. But inside, her heart was slamming against her ribs so hard it hurt. Ryan’s mouth opened but No sound came out. He tried again. His head turned on the pillow. The bandage on his forehead pulled tight. He hissed through his teeth.He ignored it.he groaned in pain as he try to sit upHis elbows shook. The sheet slipped The monitor beside h
Chapter 48The hospital room didn’t breathe,It only beeped.tge atmosphere felt heavy for sandra as sge sat with Ryan’s phone heavy in her palm like it was made of stone and guilt. The screen was still warm. The gallery was still open. She stared with all her focusHer thumb had frozen.The first photo made her lungs stop.Her hands tremble as she slide of the photos, three years ago She was sitting on the floor of their old apartment, back against the couch, knees pulled to her chest. Her wedding ring was on her finger, but her face was buried in her hands. She was crying. Silent. The kind of crying that didn’t want an audience. She remembered that day, butShe didn’t remember anyone being there.She remembered that night. Ryan had come home late. They’d fought about money. About his mother. She’d gone to the floor because the bed felt too big without him in it. Her hand went down but stiil holding the phone, she stare into the thin air, He took a photo of me in my despair,she th
Chapter 47Sandra stood frozen in front of the double doors. The doctor’s last words still rang in her ears. You, Sandra, will be the one to stay by his side. All day. That’s what he needs now.Her chest felt tight. Her hands clenched at her sides. She didn’t want to accept it. She didn’t want to be the one. Not for him,Not after everything she's gone throughShe turned her head slowly and Looked to the side.Mrs Clara was there. Still weeping and Still on her knees on the cold hospital floor. Her shoulders shook with every sob. Her face was buried in her hands, but Sandra could see the lines of age, of regret, of a mother who had lost her son twice.Her heart melt, A sharp, unwanted tug in her chest. Pity. Maybe something older. Something that looked like the woman who used to call her daughter before she called her trash.But Sandra won’t let her get down. She won’t let herself feel that. She won’t show it.Her face stayed hard. Her jaw stayed locked. She turned back to the doct
Chapter 46The car engine roared as Ryan’s hands gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles went white. His eyes were fixed on the road, but he wasn’t seeing it. Not really. His mind was full, Full of thought. Full of Sandra.Every mile they drove away from Sandra’s house felt like a mile deeper into hell. His mother sat quiet in the passenger seat. Miss Clara didn’t speak. She just clutched her cane and stared out the window, her face wet with tears she’d cried at Sandra’s door.But Ryan’s mind would not rest. He kept seeing Sandra’s face. The way she pulled her hand away like his touch was poison. The way she shouted, I don’t want you. The way she slammed the door like he’d been dead to her for years.I broke her. I broke her and now she won’t let me back in.l don't blame her for any actions she's taken now,l made her that way, Ryan muttered to himselfHis chest felt tight. His breathing came fast. The road blurred as the Streetlights became streaks of gold and red.Miss C
Chapter 45Daniel’s small hands held theirs together. His fingers were warm between their cold ones. He looked up with tears on his cheeks and hope in his eyes.Monny. Daddy. Please. I want you both together.Sandra stared at their hands. At Ryan’s hand under hers. At Daniel’s fingers squeezing them both like he could force the years apart to disappear.Then Sandra was surprised. She yanked her hand away. Immediately. Fast. Like Ryan’s skin burned her. Like touching him set her nerves on fire. The separation was sharp and Violent. She didn’t say anything. Not at first. She bent down, scooped Daniel up into her arms, and held him tight against her chest. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought Ryan could hear it.She didn’t speak. She just kept on staring at Ryan. Ryan stared back. For two minutes they stood like that. Two minutes that felt like two years. No one moved, No one blinked. Mr. and Mrs. Grant watched from inside. Miss Clara stayed on her knees on the porch, forgotten
The Morning After the LieThe sunlight bled through the thin white curtains in long golden streaks, painting the floorboards with a warmth that felt cruelly out of place. Ryan stirred first. He shifted on the king-sized bed, the crisp linen rustling beneath him. His eyelids fluttered open, heavy
*Chapter 5: The PartyTomorrow had arrived, and with it, a quiet fear that settled into Sandra’s chest like a stone.She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, her thoughts tangled and restless. Ryan’s words from yesterday echoed in her mind, sharp and cold.We’re ending this in three months. My debt h
Chapter 2 The Birthday GiftIt was the nineteenth of the month.Sandra woke before the sun, the quiet of dawn pressing against her chest like a hand she couldn’t shake off. For a moment, she almost believed it was a normal day. Almost believed the ache in her ribs had finally dulled. Almost believe
Three Years of NothingDon’t push your luck, Sandra. I only married you as repayment for saving my life. Not because I love you. I only love Jasmine.Ryan’s voice was flat, bored, like he was reading a grocery list. If you’re not comfortable with that, I can have the divorce papers prepared immedia







