She Chose Him Over My Life

He saw us come out and quickly hit pause on whatever he was watching, scrambling to his feet.The instant Diana spotted him, she shoved me aside and rushed forward."Slowly! What's the rush? Don't you know you just had surgery? You need to be careful with every little movement!"Diana transformed in an instant. The rage was gone, replaced by something soft and playful, her voice taking on the lilting warmth of a woman besotted."Diana, don't worry, I'm fine. But I heard everything you and Nathan were saying just now.""Nathan, what happened here is all on Diana. She did this without telling me. When I found out, I felt terrible. I had no idea she'd go to such lengths for my sake. I'm honestly devastated, and I feel so guilty. What if I did this, what if I got down on my knees and thanked you properly, from the bottom of my heart?"Vincent Ward had just come through major surgery, yet his color was rosy and full.That was the health I had been waiting so long to reclaim. And now

Memory stretched backward, all the way to when I was first diagnosed. Diana had been impatient from the start.She refused to accept the reality of it. She refused to hear me talk about it.I, fool that I was, told myself she was afraid–afraid of losing me, afraid of being left alone in this apartment.So I went to every appointment by myself. Every test, every prescription, every IV–alone. Every wave of fear and dread, I swallowed alone. I did not tell her how bad it was getting. I was terrified of watching her grieve, of watching her lie awake at night the way I did.Then, later…When Diana found out that her first love had been diagnosed with a similar illness, she locked herself in the bedroom and cried for an entire day and night, no food, no water.The ridiculous part was, at the time, I thought she had learned my condition had worsened, and was worried because of me.I stood outside that door thinking she had finally heard how serious my condition was and fallen apart ove

"Just say it. If I can make it happen, consider it done.""Could you lend me your company's legal team? I'd like them to draft a divorce agreement."Diana had been willing to let me die for Vincent's sake. And this time, she had nearly succeeded.I had nothing left for her, not a trace of love. Nothing but rage, bitterness, and a bone-deep contempt. If Uncle Gordon had not found me, I could have died without anyone ever knowing.And Vincent–that revolting, two-faced excuse for a man–I was going to strip every last mask off him while he stood there watching.I walked Uncle Gordon through the situation. His expression shifted, darkened, and then his temper ignited."This is nothing short of attempted murder. Divorce is the absolute minimum, Nathan, and they're both going to face consequences."Uncle Gordon moved fast. By that same afternoon, his secretary had hand-delivered a completed divorce agreement.I read through it carefully, then arranged for a courier to pick it up.W

Diana’s eyes were fixed on me, sharp and intent–like she had caught the scent of prey."I told you before.""No, you didn’t. I would have remembered something like that." There was absolute certainty in her voice.I had told her. But not about Elliot.What I told her about was Uncle Gordon.Back then, Uncle Gordon had come to me with an offer, a position at his company. I had turned him down. I did not want to rely on my parents’ connections to get in through the back door.I told Diana about it, but she hadn’t been paying attention."Hey, are you even listening to me?"She looked annoyed and brushed my hand off hers."I heard you, I heard you! Isn’t it just your parents again? They’ve been dead for years. Why do you keep bringing it up? It’s annoying."My parents were both police officers. They died in the line of duty.Uncle Gordon had been kidnapped. My parents were part of the team that rescued him. Later, the criminals’ associates took revenge.The car accident… was no

Vincent's face was contorted with fury. He got to his feet and pointed straight at me."It was them! This was a setup! They promised to cover my termination penalty, and promised to get me a manager position at Ryan Corp! And now he's standing there telling me he never said any of it!"Elliot adjusted his glasses and held up his phone, along with a folder of documentation he had prepared well in advance."Mr. Ward did approach me. I declined each time on the grounds that it wasn't appropriate. I never accepted any payment from him, not a single transaction."I watched Vincent lunge toward the evidence, read it, and then go completely to pieces.Everything had been arranged precisely.Elliot–meticulous, unshakeable Elliot–had never made a single written commitment to Vincent. Not one message, not one confirmation.Vincent, on the other hand, had said more than enough. During some of his lowest moments, spiraling toward panic, he had let slip phrases that amounted to soliciting a