002 - The Weight of His Words

SCARLETT

"Mom, if you can hear me... please wake up. I need you."

I sat beside her hospital bed, holding her thin hand in both of mine.

Her skin felt cool and paper-thin, like it might tear if I squeezed too hard. The machines around us beeped softly-steady, mechanical heartbeats that had become the only proof she was still here.

Five years.

Five long years in this quiet room, tubes and wires keeping her body alive while her mind stayed somewhere far away.

I stared at her peaceful face and felt the same ache I'd carried every single visit. Yesterday Ethan had threatened to pull the plug.

One call, he'd said. One call and all this ends.

The words kept replaying in my head like a bad song I couldn't turn off.

Was it a bluff? Or was he serious? I searched her face for answers, but she gave me nothing.

Just the slow rise and fall of her chest, the same rhythm that had tricked me into thinking there was still hope.

I rested my forehead on our joined hands. Tears slipped out and soaked into the thin hospital blanket.

I wasn't ready to lose her. I never would be. But what if Ethan was right?

What if keeping her here was only delaying the inevitable?

What if love wasn't enough to keep someone breathing forever?

The thought made my stomach twist. For five years I'd believed Ethan was my rock.

The man who stepped in when the medical bills piled up higher than I could ever pay.

The man who promised to take care of us both.

I'd married him thinking he loved me enough to carry that weight with me.

I was wrong.

He hadn't married me out of love. He'd married me because I came with a price tag he could afford-and now he wanted his money's worth in heirs.

If I couldn't deliver, he'd find another way. And if I fought back, he'd take the one thing I still had left.

My mother.

I closed my eyes and let the tears fall freely. I felt small. Trapped.

Angry at him, angry at myself for not seeing the truth sooner.

I'd given him everything-my trust, my future, my family name-and he'd turned it into leverage.

The phone buzzed on the bedside table.

I lifted my head, wiped my cheeks quickly, and glanced at the screen. Ethan's name glowed bright.

I almost didn't answer. But ignoring him would only make things worse. I took a shaky breath and pressed accept.

"Where are you?" His voice came through clear and calm, like nothing had happened last night.

"Still at the hospital," I said quietly. "With Mom."

A short pause. "Okay. I'm coming to pick you up. We need to go shopping. Mark's birthday party is tonight-his wife's throwing something big. You should look nice."

I stared at the wall. Shopping. A party. As if the world hadn't cracked open yesterday.

I didn't reply.

"Scarlett?" he prompted.

"I'm here," I managed.

"Good. I'll be there in twenty. See you soon."

He ended the call before I could say anything else.

I set the phone down and looked back at Mom. Her face hadn't changed.

No sign she'd heard any of it. I leaned over and kissed her forehead gently.

"I'll come back tomorrow," I whispered. "I promise."

I stood up slowly, legs numb from sitting so long. I smoothed my hair, wiped my eyes again, and walked out of the room without looking back.

If I looked back, I might never leave.

An hour later Ethan's black Mercedes pulled up to the hospital lobby.

The windows were tinted dark, just like his mood. I opened the passenger door and slid inside.

The leather was cold against my legs.

He didn't say hello. Just put the car in drive and pulled away from the curb.

The silence between us was thick and uncomfortable.

I kept my face turned toward the window, watching buildings blur past.

My reflection stared back-pale, red-eyed, exhausted.

I looked like a stranger.

Ethan cleared his throat after a few minutes.

"You should wear something elegant tonight. The black dress with the low back-the one I bought you last month. My colleagues will be there. I want to introduce you properly."

I kept staring out the window.

"Why don't you bring one of the girls you're planning to sleep with? Wouldn't that be easier? Show them the new future Mrs. Reed?"

His hands tightened on the wheel. I saw his knuckles go white again.

"Don't start," he said, voice low.

"Why not?" I turned to face him.

"You said it yourself. Open marriage. You get to have fun. You get kids. Why hide it? Bring her to the party. Let everyone see how modern you are."

He glanced at me, eyes hard.

"You're upset. I get it. But you're still my wife. Tonight you're coming as my wife. That's the deal."

"Your wife," I repeated. The word tasted bitter.

"The damaged one who can't give you children. Must be embarrassing to walk in with me on your arm."

"Stop it, Scarlett." His tone sharpened.

"You're making this harder than it needs to be."

"Harder?" I laughed once-short and painful.

"You threatened to kill my mother if I don't agree to share you with other women. And now you want me to smile and play perfect wife at a party? That's not hard. That's impossible."

He exhaled through his nose, like I was being childish.

"Believe me, if you actually tried this, you'd see it's not so bad. You'd have freedom too. You could meet someone. Have fun. Forget you ever said these things. You won't lose anything. You're still Mrs. Reed. The money, the house, the security-it's all still yours. Just don't make a drama out of it."

Drama.

He called my pain drama.

"You really think that's what I want?" I asked quietly.

"To sleep with strangers so you can feel less ashamed? So your family stops looking at you like a failure?"

He didn't answer right away. Just kept driving, jaw tight.

"I think," he said finally, "that you're being selfish. Five years, Scarlett. Five years I've waited. I've paid every bill. I've kept your mother alive. And all I ask is one reasonable solution. One way to have the family I need without throwing everything away."

Reasonable.

There was that word again.

I turned back to the window.

"You don't love me," I said softly.

"You never did. You loved what I cost you-and what I could give you. When I couldn't give you the one thing you really wanted, you found a way to take it anyway."

He didn't deny it.

The car fell silent again.

We pulled into the underground parking of the luxury mall.

Ethan killed the engine but didn't move to get out.

"Look," he said, softer now.

"I don't want to fight. Tonight just... be my wife. Smile. Let me introduce you. We'll talk more later."

I stared straight ahead. "I don't know if I can smile anymore, Ethan. Not for you."

He sighed.

"Then try. For your mother. For the life we've built."