Chapter 3 — The Last Decision

I stumbled into my bedroom, tears blurring my vision. I shut the door behind me, trying to escape the weight of everything pressing down on me.

I rushed toward the nightstand, setting my purse aside. The neatly placed papers caught my attention.

I picked them up and saw the heading.

Divorce Papers.

The sight of them made the anger inside me flare, mixing with the ache already burning inside my chest. I flipped through the pages once, and his signature was already there.

I pushed the divorce papers aside, opened the drawer, and pulled out the stack of documents I had signed years ago. It was the marriage agreement I had barely looked at since.

I searched through the pages, desperate to understand what I had missed as the conversation I had overheard in the cafeteria replayed in my mind.

I skimmed through the words, my eyes moving quickly until one line made my breath catch.

"The husband reserves the right to request divorce at any time, and the wife shall not contest the decision."

Disbelief rooted me in place.

So this was the agreement they had been talking about. The one I had signed without ever realizing its consequences, never imagining it would one day be used to end my marriage.

I covered my face with my hand as tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them.

I laid the divorce papers in front of me and took out the pen from the drawer. My fingers tightened around it, but I couldn't bring myself to move.

Before I could make the decision, my phone buzzed from inside my purse. The hospital's number flashed across the screen. I answered with unsteady fingers.

"Miss Bella?" The doctor's voice was urgent. "Aina's condition has suddenly worsened. We need to begin emergency treatment immediately. Please come to the hospital as soon as possible."

For a moment, I couldn't hear anything except the pounding of my own heartbeat.

"I... I'll be there," I whispered, my voice barely steady.

The call ended, and I stared at the divorce papers in front of me.

There was no time left.

I picked up the pen with trembling fingers and signed my name. Without allowing myself another moment to think, I shoved the papers into my purse and rushed out of the room.

I ran out of the house, ignoring the noise of the city outside, my heels pounding against the pavement. Every second stretched unbearably, every breath felt like fire. The thought of Aina, small and fragile on that hospital bed, pushed me forward faster than I thought possible.

I ran down the hospital corridor. The white lights blurred above me as I rushed toward Aina's room.

I turned the corner too quickly and collided with someone. Strong hands caught my arms before I could fall.

"Watch..."

I didn't even look up.

"Move," I snapped, trying to push past. But something made me stop.

I looked up.

Adrian.

I didn't wait for him to say anything. I turned away and hurried toward Aina's room.

The door was half open.

"Aina?"

I pushed it open, my breath catching. The room was empty. The bed had been stripped, the sheets left in disarray, as though she had been moved in a hurry.

"No..." I whispered. They had already taken her. But where?

Panic surged through me as I turned and hurried back into the corridor, only to find Adrian standing exactly where I had left him.

For a moment, everything inside me froze before desperation drove me forward. He stood there calmly, as though he had been expecting me.

None of that mattered.

"Where is my daughter, Mr. Adrian?" My voice came out breathless and frantic. "Where did they take her?"

He didn't answer immediately. His ocean-blue eyes met mine, unreadable as always. The last thread of my patience snapped.

"Don't you hear me?" I shouted, my voice echoing down the corridor. "I said, where did they take my daughter?"

His jaw tightened slightly before he spoke.

"They've taken her to the treatment room."

For a second, the world went silent.

The treatment room.

Without another word, I pulled the signed divorce papers from my purse and slammed them onto the counter. The sharp sound echoed through the quiet corridor.

"There," I said, my voice breaking. "I signed them."

I pushed the papers toward him, as though that signature alone could buy my daughter's life.

"This is what you wanted, right?" I said. "You got your signature."

Adrian took the papers without looking at them. He placed a thick envelope beside them.

"Keep it," he said. "You'll need it for her future expenses."

He remained silent for a moment.

"I'd already paid for Aina's treatment before I came to you," he said evenly. "She'll continue receiving everything she needs."

I stared at him, the words refusing to make sense.

"You... you already paid?"

There was no satisfaction in his expression. Only the same calm composure that made it impossible to read what he was thinking.

"Go to her," he said quietly.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

"What did you do, Adrian?" I whispered, staring at him in disbelief. "If you had already paid... then why did you make me sign those papers?"

His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

"Go to her," he repeated quietly. "This isn't the time."

The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating.

Then I turned away from him and hurried toward the treatment room. They wouldn't let me inside, so I lowered myself onto one of the chairs outside and fixed my eyes on the closed doors.

At some point, exhaustion pulled me under. A familiar voice pulled me awake.

"...How is she now?"

I slowly opened my eyes. Adrian stood a few feet away, his back to me as he spoke with the doctor.

"She's stable for now," the doctor said.

Adrian remained silent for a moment as his gaze briefly shifted toward the closed door.

"Make sure she gets whatever she needs," he said quietly.

"Of course, Mr. Blackridge."

Adrian gave a slight nod before extending his hand. The doctor shook it briefly, and without another word, Adrian turned and walked away.

I watched him disappear down the corridor, my thoughts tangled in a confusion I couldn't begin to understand. Before I could make sense of any of it, the doctor noticed me standing there.

I hurried toward him.

"Doctor..." I whispered. "Is my daughter okay? Can I see her?"

A reassuring smile crossed his face.

"She's responding well. We've sedated her, but she's stable. You can see her for a few minutes."

Relief crashed over me all at once. I covered my mouth, tears filling my eyes.

"Thank you," I whispered.