He’s heartless

—SAMANTHA’S POV—

A groan escaped my mouth as my eyes fluttered open, my head pounding like a drum while a heart monitor beeped steadily nearby. My ears rang, the pressure in my chest heavy, making it hard to breathe. As I tried to focus, I realized I was in a hospital bed. The cold white walls felt distant, too sterile, too foreign for my mind to make sense of. How did I get here?

Suddenly, the door flew open, and in walked a slender brunette wearing a blazer, her handbag swinging casually on her shoulder.

Maryjane’s eyes flew wide when she saw me awake and a scream tore out of her throat. "Sammie? You're awake!" She exclaimed, rushing to my side.

Mary Jane was my best friend since childhood, the one person in my pathetic life I could always count on. I groaned again, reaching for my head as the pounding intensified. "What happened?" I croaked, my throat dry and scratchy.

Her eyes flicked with concern as she stood next to me. "How do you feel? Should I call a doctor?" Her voice was frantic, like she was about to jump out of her skin.

I shook my head weakly, grabbing her wrist before she could leave. "No, don’t. I’m fine." I swallowed hard. "I just need some water."

"Okay, okay, wait here,” she said, her tone full of worry. She hurried out of the ward and returned a few moments later with a bottle of water. Her hands were shaking as she helped me to drink, her concern written all over her face.

"Thanks," I whispered as I set the bottle down on the table. The cool liquid had soothed my parched throat, but the ache in my head remained. I sank back into the pillow, trying to gather my thoughts.

"How did I end up here? And why are you here?" I asked, confusion clouding my mind.

MaryJane sat back in the chair beside my bed, her arms crossed, and sighed. "Zeke called me. He said you’d collapsed. But… you won’t believe this—that man of yours left right after I got here, with Ophelia! That Jezebel is back in Skyline City. Zeke didn’t even stick around to see how you were doing because of her." She shook her head, her voice incredulous. "I can’t believe him, Sammie. What is he doing with that damn woman?"

I let out a bitter laugh, the reality of the situation crashing down on me all over again. "What do you think he’s doing with her?" I asked, my voice laced with self-mockery. "He’s with her because he never cared about me: I was a nobody to him.”

Mary Jane’s eyes widened. "What? What are you talking about? How can you say that?"

I looked down, tracing the edge of the blanket with my finger. My chest tightened with every word I spoke, but I needed to say it. I needed her to understand. "Zeke doesn’t care about me, Mary. He never did. He was never my husband in the way a man should be to his wife. He was just putting on airs as the loving and devoted husband when in reality he was just using me, just like he used my sister Gina." My voice cracked, and I paused, taking a shaky breath. "It was all a lie."

"What do you mean? He used Gina?" Maryjane repeated, her voice sharp with disbelief. Her dark eyes burned with anger as she stared at me, waiting for an explanation.

I swallowed hard, nodding. "Yes. Zeke never loved her. He played her from the very start. He used her innocence, her love, just to secure his inheritance. Gina thought Zeke was her forever, but to him, she was just a means to an end. And when she becomes inconvenient, he was ready to throw her away like she was nothing. More like he would give her the perfect wedding, then divorce her at the perfect time so nobody would suspect a thing of what he did."

Maryjane’s fists clenched at her sides. "That bastard!" she spat.

I continued, "But Zeke hadn’t anticipated that Gina’s scandal would broke out, and since she committed suicide; I became their solution –the next pawn to use. Gina was my twin so we looked alike, they compelled me into her place to clean up their mess and I agreed because of my promise to Gina to care for Amore and Zeke."

I let out a bitter chuckle, shaking my head. "But you know what? I’m glad it’s me suffering now and not my sister."

Gina… she was too soft, too fragile for this kind of betrayal. If she had lived just to find out that Zeke never truly loved her, it would’ve broken her.

“…At least she died believing he did love her." My voice cracked, and I wiped my eyes before the tears could fall. "Even in death, she was spared from knowing what kind of monster he really is."

Maryjane exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "That doesn't make it okay, Sammie. It doesn't mean you have to endure this for her!"

I gave her a tired smile. "Maybe not. But it means she never had to feel this kind of pain. And for that, I can live with it."

Mary Jane’s face flushed with anger. She stood up suddenly, her chair scraped across the floor. "No! No, Sammie! I disagree with you! You can’t just sit there and take this. Zeke’s a scumbag! You need to divorce him, now! He doesn’t deserve you!" Her hands clenched into fists, and I could see the fire in her eyes.

I shook my head slowly, feeling the weight of everything press down on me. "I can’t," I whispered, my voice heavy with the truth I’d been carrying for so long.

MaryJane froze, looking at me as though I’d just slapped her. "Jesus fucken Christ! What do you mean, you can’t? He’s betrayed you and your sister. He’s with Ophelia, and you’re still defending him?" Her voice cracked with frustration. "I know you loved him, but this—this is too much, Sammie!"

“I never loved Zeke Frost," I replied quietly. The words felt like a weight lifting off my chest as I decided to tell her the truth.

"I never did. I only treated Zeke like I did because of Gina’s dying wish. She asked me to take care of him, to give him a family with their daughter, and to raise Amore. Everyone thought I was madly in love with him, but it was never like that."

Mary Jane stared at me eye-wide for a long moment, she didn't seem to believe me but when she saw the seriousness in my eyes, her face softened from relief.

"Oh, Sammie..." She sighed deeply, sitting back down. "I’m glad you’re telling me this, you don't know how relieved I am. But you can’t stay with that evil son of a bitch! You can’t let him keep doing this to you."

I shook my head, more resolute than ever. "I can’t leave him. Not yet. If I do, I’ll be breaking my promise to Gina. She asked me to give Amore a complete family, and if I leave, I’ll be failing her. I can't do that."

Mary Jane’s eyes rimmed with frustration. "But what about you, Sammie? What about your happiness? You’re trapped in this, and he doesn’t care about you! You deserve more than this."

Tears pricked at my eyes, but I fought them back. "I love Amore and that mattered. I promised Gina I’d take care of her. I can’t break that promise, no matter how much Zeke hurt me."

Mary Jane stared at me for a long time, then finally let out a heavy defeated sigh. "Alright. If that’s what you need to do, I get it. But you can’t do this alone. If you ever need help, if you need a place to stay, you know you can come to me. I’ll be here for you."

I nodded and felt a surge of gratitude wash over me knowing there was someone there for me and at the same time the weight of my decision pressing down on me.

After a moment of thought, Mary Jane cautiously asked, “But what if Zeke wants to divorce you?”