Chapter Five: One down! Two chances Left.

Dione’s POV

He picked the bottle and read, “ Dione, are you really serious?”

My throat begged for breath. “ I need my pills please,”

“Axitinib tablets? For kidney diseases?” He asked rather curiously.

“Just give me my pills, Aldric” I asked, my voice tired.

The searing pain in my ribs threatened to shut down my system.

“Wow, you deserve an oscar for acting, Dione, just wow.” He said rather astonished, his expression growing serious.

Acting?

This pain all over my body, is acting?

It riled me up the most, I just gritted my teeth and stretched out my hand for my medication but they didn't even touch him.

“You even bought props to act with? But it's not gonna work. Because I know it was Lily who donated the kidney,” he hissed, glancing all over me with contempt, like I disgusted him so badly he could puke in my face.

"Give me my pills,"

“I've handed Lily over the Vaughn project. You can withdraw from it now,” he said, returning his eyes to the pills.

A frown crept into my face.

I wouldn't have just gotten Vaughn's investment less than four hours ago and he's already handing it over to Lily.

I steadied my voice before letting it speak “You are giving away my project?” I asked, my voice unsteady, pain and confusion clawed at me.

He gave a half-shrug, then nodded.

No words. Just a nod like I didn't deserve to be consented in the first place.

And that got me more plagued.

“Okay, so the candlelit dinner, the flowers, the gift, that was all for Lily?”I asked, my heart beating fast and my body seemed to heat up.

He shook his head, his hands moving to rest on his waist, “Dione, every single thing I've done has been for your good, so don't push it okay,” he said and looked at me like I was crazy or something.

“My good?”

He nodded and shrugged his shoulders.

“Giving my project to your secretary was for my good, Aldric?”

Yet, he nodded again.

Pressure built behind my ribs aching like a sore.

I felt pain stabbed on my stomach, “ Just give me the pills.” I said and bit down my lips.

His lips cracked into a mocking smirk it made me more sick, “oh this? Your tiktaks? Here.”

He withdrew himself far from me and stretched the bottle.

I strained to reach him as the pains in my stomach grew more.

But as soon as my fingers were about to touch, his phone rang, buzzing into our ears and he withdrew the bottle from my reach and glanced at his phone.

His gaze returned to me, but not after he had picked the incoming call and that particular poisonous voice tuned out of his phone.

“Honey! The power just went out and I'm scared, can you come over quickly?” His brows squinted worriedly.

That? It made irritation build up in my chest.

My husband was worried and looked like he had just come from death because of his mistress, while I just lay here, groaning in pain.

I hadn't asked for more than I could give. I only asked for love and commitment.

Not that I literally asked for it. He vowed in front of all the people before the altar at our wedding.

But I guess, some marriage vows don't stay longer than the guests present.

“I’m cold too, please hurry up!”

“Sure, sure, I will be right over to warm you up now.”

He turned to leave, throwing the bottle over his shoulder towards me and walked off.

I strained and picked the pills with a shaky hand.

He stopped. Turned, and said, “By the way, I have a business meeting tonight, don't expect me to come home. Just drop the Vaughn project.”

I threw the tablet into my mouth and swallowed, “ Whatever you want,” I answered, “Two chances left, then we're done.”

Even at this point, I still wonder why I'm giving him chances when it's all clear I've turned his underdog.

But I guess my kind of heart doesn't want to be held in debt.

And the certainty that Aldric will use those up was not a complicated reality.

“I'm sorry? What was that?” He scoffed, “You know you really are good at pretending all the time. It's a shame you are not an actress. Hollywood could use you.”

The door banged close as he left. The clinking sound of his footsteps grew faint, till there were no more.

Silence, like a heavy curtain fell across the room. And darkness threatened to pull me into its embrace.

My phone buzzed, piercing through the silence and I picked it from my purse.

A video call from an unknown number I hadn't saved popped up.

I should've ignored it, but I didn't.

I thumbed the green button and heard the last annoying voice I needed to tear my world down.

“Dione, your husband's bed was so comfy,” Lily's voice surged through my phone's speaker.

My chest rose and fell.

“Hope you don't mind I borrow your husband again tonight? I think he moans better with me , don't you agree?” She asked, rather mockingly. “From now on, everything is mine.”

My heart bolted and my jaw clenched so tight I tasted copper.

Her voice made me sick.

“Dione, thanks for letting me steal credit and take your place. No way I would have taken your spot so fast after only knowing Aldric for two months. Check out my I*!”

I flipped across my phone into Lily's page.

My heart exploded.

And I just want to die.

Aldric proposed to Lily.

“Your dear husband proposed and I said yes! duh! And hey, don't blame him. Poor thing needed an upgrade from that old hag wife of his, anyways. True love knows no bound, Dione,” She sang and hung up, loosening the knot in my throat.

Aldric?

The somewhere he needed to be, was going to propose to Lily?

Angered swam in my veins and it made my head throb.

I clicked the button and hung the call.

My head throbbed with the multiple betrayal.

I fought to hold on to my consciousness. My body was going numb.

Reaching for my phone again, I dialed on it and watched it ring.

“Alexander, can you take me to the hospital?” My voice came out lower than I intended. My breathing slurred.

As soon as I had finished talking, the line broke from the other end of the phone, without a response.

And almost immediately, I heard the door being banged on, followed with the door squeaking open and footsteps approaching.

Alexander's men.

I only found out Alexander had placed me under watch by his men a few months ago.

After realizing they were always a few seconds late to reach me when I got into trouble, or when I experienced my episodes.

At first, I felt stalked and it was creepy how he was always wherever I was. I warned him and asked him to stop.

He did stop…in his own way.

In a way that they wouldn't interfere until I had permitted them to help.

I heard voices grow faint in my ears.

My eyes were shut but I sensed we were in motion, most definitely in the car being driven to the hospital.

The thick, soothing darkness crawled back again and that sweet hum played in my head.

And this time, I didn't fight it…I just let it take me away.

To the other side, where it doesn't ache and I don't have to groan in pain.

And my husband's chances, steadily ticking away.