No Love for the Unworthy

From the time I was rescued by a passerby to when I was discharged from the hospital, Beverly Mitchell never called me. For over a month, there was not even a single message from her.The only thing I received was an accusatory text on the day of the incident."You thought it was a good idea to pull a runaway stunt just because I didn't answer your call? Suit yourself. Don't come back unless it's for good!"After that, she blocked my number.Day and night, I was in excruciating pain. I tortured myself daily by scrolling through Beverly's social media, sinking from heartbreak to complete despair.What stared back at me were cozy pictures of her, her secretary Ashton Larsen, and our daughter Celeste Lane visiting amusement parks together every week.They looked like a picture-perfect family of three. Meanwhile, as her husband of seven years, I hadn't even made it onto her social media.I used to think Beverly simply didn't like posting photos of her private life. But apparently, t

Beverly spun on her heels and scowled at me as though I had committed an unforgivable crime."What the hell is wrong with you? Ashton has been taking care of Celeste while you were out doing God knows what for over a month! What's with you now? Does either of us owe you something? If you came back just to cause trouble, then don't bother coming back at all!"Her words were cruel, but my emotions had already been drained.I nodded numbly and replied, "Once you sign the divorce papers, I'll disappear and stop interfering with your lives. You won't even need to come up with excuses to spend time with him anymore."Beverly's fury erupted. She grabbed a glass from the table and hurled it to the floor, roaring, "How many times do I have to repeat myself? How long are you going to keep spewing this nonsense?"You're the one who disappeared for a month! I didn't even say anything about it, yet you're asking for a divorce right when Celeste is starting school. Do you even care about this f

Beverly turned to look at me in disbelief."What… What's going on? Why is the police calling you? Why didn't I know about this? What happened to you during the past month?"Her voice trembled with panic and confusion.Similarly, Ashton's face tensed with unease.Worried I'd expose his lies, he jumped in hurriedly, "Mr. Lane, whatever issues you two have, you should talk them out. There's no need to stage a call like that to fool her. Ms. Mitchell's been under a lot of stress lately. This isn't fair to her."But for once, Beverly uncharacteristically cut him off. Her eyes locked onto the scar on my neck, and she demanded, "Mateo, what happened to your neck? Where have you been for the past month? I'm your wife. I have the right to know!"I snorted and said, "What's the matter? Didn't your lover fill you in? You weren't there when I needed you. Now, my life is none of your concern. Quit the act. It's disgusting."With that, I got up and cast her an icy glance. "I don't want anythi

I turned away and walked off.After being discharged from the hospital, I contacted a real estate agent to find a new place.Fortunately, it wasn't the peak rental season, and by the end of the day, I had paid the deposit and moved in. The apartment was bare, but it gave me hope for a fresh start.However, just as I was stepping out to buy some essentials, I ran into Beverly at the door. My expression darkened instantly."You already know everything. Why are you still following me?" I asked. "Or do you think I haven't cleared myself of your baseless accusations and are here to dig up more evidence?"Anger crept into my tone as I continued, "I've made it clear that we're divorcing. I won't take a penny from you. What more do you want? There's no need to make this uglier than it already is.""I'm sorry. I misunderstood you before," Beverly intoned. "I've talked to Ashton. He admitted the investigation was rushed, and the conclusions might've been wrong…"I stared at her in disbeli

I observed Beverly with a complicated feeling. In the end, I nodded."Let's eat first. We'll talk later. But I want you to keep in mind that no matter how our relationship changes, Celeste is innocent. She needs our love and support."The meal was heavy with unspoken tension, and we both silently avoided sensitive topics. Afterward, I was about to clear the dishes when Beverly stopped me."Play with Celeste. I'll clean up."I carried Celeste into her room, my emotions swirling with complexity.The days that followed seemed to bring everything back to what it was a month ago. Celeste came stumbling toward me with her beloved toy, her face lit up with pure joy."Dad, look! Mom bought me this toy!" Her eyes sparkled with excitement.I looked at her, and my eyes involuntarily welled up with tears.This was the very reason I fought so hard to survive.During the moments when I was on the verge of death, my only thought had been to get back to my daughter and be there to protect her