Chapter 13: Just a business associate

Vivian's POV

"How could the man I once called my husband reduce me to a business associate?"

Those words echoed through my mind long before I could open my eyes.

Darkness still surrounded me.

My body felt heavy.

I could hear footsteps moving around the room and the soft beeping of the heart monitor beside my bed.

I wanted to wake up.

I wanted to see who was there.

But I couldn't.

I remained trapped inside my own body.

Then the door opened.

Several footsteps entered the room.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Kane," the doctor greeted respectfully.

A deep masculine voice replied calmly.

"Good afternoon, Doctor."

That voice again.

The same commanding voice.

The same man who had paid my aunt's hospital bills.

The same stranger who had assigned a private nurse to care for me.

He had come back.

Why?

Why would someone who didn't know me keep coming back?

The doctor cleared his throat.

"Her condition is improving."

"When will she regain consciousness?" the man asked.

"Soon."

"She's responding well."

I felt someone move closer to my bed.

Although I couldn't see him, I somehow knew he was looking at me.

For several seconds...

No one spoke.

Finally, he broke the silence.

"Have you located any of her family?"

The doctor sighed.

"I'm afraid not."

"We've tried every contact saved in her phone."

"No one has come."

"We even called several numbers repeatedly."

"They either didn't answer or couldn't identify her."

A painful ache spread through my chest.

No one...

No one was looking for me.

The doctor continued softly.

"We managed to speak with one man yesterday."

My heartbeat quickened.

David...

It had to be David.

The stranger asked,

"And who is he?"

The doctor answered,

"According to him, she's only a business associate."

Time seemed to stop.

Business...

Associate?

My heart shattered all over again.

No...

No...

David...

How could you?

Hot tears slipped from the corners of my closed eyes.

After everything...

After every sacrifice...

After every promise...

That was all I had become?

A business associate?

Not your wife.

Not the woman who loved you for years.

Not the woman who gave up four babies because you begged her to.

Not the woman who stood beside you while you built your empire.

Just...

A business associate.

My chest tightened so badly that breathing became painful.

Inside my mind, I screamed.

Why, David?

Was I that easy to erase?

Did our marriage mean nothing to you?

Were the vows we exchanged only words?

The memories rushed back without warning.

The day we stood before the altar.

Your hands holding mine.

Your eyes filled with tears.

"Vivian, I'll love you until my last breath."

"I'll never let anyone come between us."

"You'll always be my home."

I believed every word.

I built my entire life around those promises.

And now...

The world knew me only as your business associate.

I wasn't even worthy of being called your wife.

The humiliation burned deeper than the divorce papers.

The stranger remained silent for a long moment.

Then he asked quietly,

"Did he sound concerned?"

The doctor hesitated.

"Honestly..."

"No."

"He sounded distant."

"He thanked us for informing him and said there was nothing he could do."

Every word struck my heart like another knife.

I wanted to cry.

I wanted to scream.

I wanted to ask God why.

Why had the man I loved become someone I no longer recognized?

The stranger spoke again.

"So she has no one."

"No immediate family," the doctor replied.

"Only an aunt who is currently hospitalized."

"I see."

Silence filled the room once more.

Then the stranger asked another question.

"What kind of person is she?"

The doctor smiled faintly.

"Kind."

"Very kind."

"I've known of her for years."

"She always put others before herself."

"Patients remembered her kindness."

"Students admired her."

"And everyone who met her spoke highly of her."

My tears flowed even faster.

Someone...

Someone still remembered the real me.

Not the broken woman lying on this hospital bed.

Not the abandoned wife.

Just...

Me.

The stranger spoke again.

"Interesting."

His voice was calm.

Thoughtful.

Almost as though he were trying to understand me.

"I've seen many people."

"But pain like hers..."

He paused.

"...doesn't come from an ordinary disappointment."

The doctor nodded.

"I agree."

"It looks like emotional trauma."

"Very severe emotional trauma."

Neither of them knew how accurate those words were.

My marriage had died.

My dreams had died.

The children I never had haunted me every night.

And now...

Even my identity had been taken away.

The stranger sighed softly.

"Increase her security."

The doctor sounded surprised.

"Security?"

"Yes."

"I don't want unnecessary visitors entering this room."

My heartbeat skipped.

Why?

Why would he care whether anyone came to see me?

The doctor answered immediately.

"I'll arrange it."

"And assign another nurse."

"Good."

The stranger turned to leave.

His polished shoes clicked softly against the hospital floor.

Each step carried authority.

Power.

Control.

Just before reaching the door...

He stopped.

For reasons I couldn't explain...

I felt him looking back at me.

Then he spoke.

"Sometimes..."

"People who are abandoned by everyone..."

"...turn out to be the ones worth protecting the most."

My tears would not stop.

Who was this man?

Why did he care?

Why was a complete stranger showing me more kindness than the husband I had loved with all my heart?

The room became quiet again.

The doctor followed him toward the exit.

As the door slowly opened, another voice suddenly called out from the hallway.

"Mr. Kane..."

"I've found something."

The stranger stopped walking.

"What is it?"

The man's reply sent a chill through my entire body.

"It concerns Mrs. Vivian Blackstone... and I don't think she's just a business associate."

My heart stopped.