Chapter 5

No amount of apologies could erase the days and nights I spent in the dark, devoured by fear and despair.

When Maxwell noticed the coldness in my eyes, the panic on his face intensified.

For the next several hours, he barely left my side. He stayed around to guard me, personally fed me water, and wiped my hands. His eyes were full of a desperate need to please me.

That afternoon, his phone suddenly rang. When he answered, I heard Maya's sobbing from the other end of the line.

"Maxwell, Lena got into a car accident. The driver was Mrs. Ford's bodyguard."

Maxwell snapped his head toward me. The gentleness in his eyes was swiftly replaced by rage.

After hanging up, he grabbed my wrist with such a tight grip that it felt like he might crush my bones. "Lena is just a three-year-old, Val. Why do you keep trying to hurt her?"

I shook his hand away and felt my heart sink. "Is that really who I am to you?"

He opened his mouth to say something, but his phone rang again. This time, his expression was even grimmer after he hung up the phone.

He grabbed me and started dragging me toward the door. "Lena has a rare blood type, and the hospital's blood bank is low. Since you have the same blood type, come with me and donate!"

His tone left no room for argument, as if I weren't a patient who had just returned from the brink of death, but a blood bank he could draw from whenever needed.

Before I could even refuse, he dragged me to the donation center in a fit of anxiety. The nurse ushered me in, and as I watched the bright red blood flow through the tube into the collection bag, I felt cold all over.

There was a flicker of hesitation and pain in Maxwell's eyes, but all he did was coldly say, "This is the price you have to pay for hurting others. Remember not to do it again, or it's not going to be just as simple as drawing blood."

I smiled and couldn't even be bothered to argue anymore. "Alright. I'll keep it in mind."

It wouldn't happen again anyway.

Five days had passed, and my visa was ready. Soon, I would leave Maxwell and never look back.

After the donation, I stumbled as I tried to get back on my feet. He reached out to hold me, but I avoided his touch.

His expression turned grim, but he eventually sighed and said, "I know you're mad at me, Val, but I'm doing this for your own good.

"Return to your ward while I check on things at the operating room. Maya is my employee, after all, and since this whole mess was your fault, it's only right that I look after her."

I said nothing and watched as he rushed off toward the operating room.

Just as I was about to leave, Maya appeared out of nowhere and handed me a folder. "Here. This is what you wanted."

I opened it to skim through the contents and saw Maxwell's bold signature on the divorce papers.

"Thank you."

After turning around and walking away, I didn't return to my ward. Instead, I hailed a cab straight to the visa center.

Once I had the visa, I returned home and began packing my suitcase.

When I entered the study to grab my belongings, I caught a glimpse of Maxwell's computer screen.

It was on and displayed a notarized inheritance agreement. Maya's name was written under the section for the heir's mother.

I gave it an indifferent look and turned away.

Once I finished packing, I placed a signed copy of the divorce papers on the most prominent spot of the coffee table. I took one last look around the place I used to call "home" and dragged my suitcase out the door without hesitation.

After hailing a cab, I headed for the airport.

As the plane took off, I watched the city shrink beyond the window and felt completely calm.

Maxwell, my husband, who supposedly loved me to death and the man I had given my whole heart to, now belonged to the past.

We would never meet again.