Todos os capítulos de She was never his to own: Capítulo 11 - Capítulo 20

"It's not life or death. It's about treatment options—""Isn't it, though?" I stood, pacing the small chapel. "If I refuse the procedure and he doesn't recover, he could have permanent brain damage. He could die. If I approve it and his memories come back, he could become that person again. Either way, I'm responsible for what happens to Sofia's father."I hung up before she could respond. Sat back down, hands pressed against my belly where Sofia moved and kicked, oblivious to the impossible choice her mother faced.The chapel door opened. Sarah rushed in, still in her pyjamas, her hair uncombed. "Rosa called me. Tell me what's happening."I explained everything—the procedure, the choice, the weight of it all."Tell me what you're thinking," Sarah said, sitting beside me."I'm thinking that I hate him." The words came out raw, honest. "I'm also thinking that I don't want Sofia to grow up knowing I could have saved her father and didn't. I'm thinking that every choice here destroys me

I should have said no. I should have protected myself, maintained my boundaries, and remembered every reason I had to stay far away from this man.But looking at him now—lost and scared and reaching for me like I was a lifeline—I found myself nodding."Maybe," I heard myself say. "I'll think about it."The relief that washed over his face was genuine and profound. "Thank you. Thank you, Elena."Dr. Chen appeared at the door, a clear signal that the session was over. I turned to leave, Rosa's hand immediately on my back, guiding me."Elena?" Alexander's voice stopped me at the door.I turned back."Promise me you'll come back,” he said.I nodded once, not trusting my voice, and fled.---In the parking lot, I sat in the driver's seat, unable to start the car. My hands shook on the steering wheel, trembling so badly I couldn't get the key in the ignition."Why did I tell him we're still married?" I asked, staring straight ahead. "Why did I lie?""Because he looked so lost, mija," Rosa s

Before he could finish, his face transformed. His eyes went distant, unfocused. His breathing quickened, became shallow."Mr. Blackwood?" Dr. Chen was already moving toward him, her professional calm cracking slightly.But Alexander held up a hand, stopping her approach. His eyes were locked on something invisible, something only he could see. I'd seen this before—the thousand-yard stare of someone watching a memory play out like a movie only they could see."You were leaving," he said, his voice strange and flat, emotionless. "I came home early. You were in the bedroom, packing a suitcase. Your favourite blue dress, the one I bought you. You were folding it carefully, and I just... I was so angry."My heart hammered against my ribs so hard I thought it might break through. This was it—a memory surfacing. Not the art museum. Not the happy times. The day I'd first tried to leave him, eight months into our marriage, when I'd still thought escape was possible."Why was I so angry?" Alexa

Jennifer hesitated. "Visiting hours ended at eight. But given the circumstances..." She glanced at my belly, then at Rosa's protective stance beside me. "Five minutes. And I'll be right outside the door."Alexander's room was dim, lit only by the monitors beside his bed and the soft glow from the hallway. He was sitting up, staring at his phone, his finger scrolling through something I couldn't see from the doorway."Alexander?" I said softly.His head snapped up, and the relief that washed over his face was so profound it actually hurt to witness. "Elena. You're okay. You're..." His voice cracked. "I thought something happened. I kept calling your number, but it went straight to voicemail, and I thought…..""You've been calling me?" I pulled out my phone and saw it then: seventeen missed calls from an unknown number. I'd had it on silent. "I didn't know. I had my phone off."He closed his eyes, and I saw his whole body sag with relief. "I thought I'd hurt you again. The memory– I kee

Reading your words and knowing they were true. Knowing that somewhere in my broken brain, I remember doing all those things and thinking I was justified. Thinking I was protecting you. Protecting us. Protecting our marriage."He stopped pacing, turning to face me directly."I tracked your phone. I monitored your emails. I made you quit your job. I isolated you from your friends and family. I interrogated you for hours because you smiled at someone or took five minutes too long at the grocery store. I made you afraid to exist in your own life."Each statement was a hammer blow. I'd lived through all of it, but hearing him say it out loud, hearing him acknowledge it without defensiveness or excuses, was somehow worse than when he'd been doing it."And then you got pregnant," he continued, his voice breaking. "You got pregnant, and you were so afraid of me that you hid it. You planned your escape in secret because you knew I'd never let you go. You waited until I was out of town to pack