All Chapters of The Wife He Never Married: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

JUNEThe dean’s office quickly became crowded as doctors lined both sides of the room.The dean removed his glasses. “Explain.”The crying doctor spoke first. “She’s taking every surgery because she’s the CEO’s daughter.” Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. “The rest of us don’t even get opportunities anymore, I’ve worked here for eight years. I… we deserve patients too.”The dean turned toward me.I met his eyes calmly. “The patients specifically ask for me,” I explained. “What exactly am I supposed to do?” Nobody answered. “Tell them no?” I looked around the room. “If a family requests me specifically…” I shrugged. “…should I refuse to treat them?”The dean rested both elbows on his desk. “I understand both sides,” he finally said, then paused to think for a few seconds. “Fine,” he spoke again and everyone turned to look at him “From now on, the hospital will assign surgeries.”A murmur spread across the room.“The patients will be informed,” he continued before anyone interrupted.

DIANEA few days had passed and routine had become the cruelest part of my life because every morning looked exactly like the one before it… wake up, force a smile, make breakfast no one appreciated, listen to Rick’s mother criticize something I had done wrong before I had even finished my coffee and listen to his sister sigh dramatically whenever I walked into the room, as though my existence alone inconvenienced her then gather everything I needed before heading back to the hospital. I fucking hated the both of them. Again and again and again. Some days I wondered if they noticed the effort I put into maintaining the image of the devoted wife, the exhausted mother who never left her sick daughter’s bedside.People pitied women like that, they praised them, called them strong and resilient, if only they knew how much pretending exhausted me.I folded another tiny sweater before placing it carefully into Angel’s overnight bag. Soon. The word repeated inside my mind so often it no lon

DANTEThe moment one of the officers stepped forward, another reached for June’s wrist, instinct took over and I moved between them before he could touch her.“No.”The officer looked at me evenly. “Mr. Reyes—”“No.” My voice came out lower this time. “You’re not putting cuffs on her.”“This is procedure.”I didn’t move still. “So is treating people according to the situation.”I glanced over my shoulder and June stood exactly where I had left her, she hadn’t said a word since the officers arrived, she looked…lost as though she was still trying to understand how saying goodbye to a little girl had somehow turned into this.“She’s not running.” I looked back at the officers. “She isn’t violent nor is she resisting, so you’re not treating her like she’s some criminal.”The hallway had gone quiet again because everyone was watching and waiting.One officer exchanged a look with the other before giving a small nod. “She’ll come with us voluntarily.”Before anyone could move, Rick’s voice

JUNEThe interrogation room was too quiet and it wasn’t the comforting kind of quiet that settled over an operating room before the first incision, this silence pressed against my ears as the fluorescent light above me hummed endlessly.A clock somewhere beyond the walls ticked with irritating precision and every second reminded me how quickly a life could unravel.Yesterday, I had been going over my research paper whilst running my thumb across the diamond Dante had slipped onto my finger. Today, I sat inside a police station as a suspect… again.I lowered my eyes to my hands and even though the engagement ring still rested on my finger, it looked strangely out of place beneath the harsh white lights.A symbol of forever inside a room that suddenly made forever feel very uncertain.I closed my eyes but memories refused to leave me alone, Diane standing in the hallway, her swollen eyes and trembling voice asking to speak to me before I took her to an empty room.“Angel wants to see yo

DANTEEveryone looked to see that the woman wore a distinctive bracelet around her right wrist, it was silver, thick and impossible to miss.I turned toward Raphael. “June doesn’t own anything like that.”He nodded slowly. “She hasn’t worn jewelry except—”“Her engagement ring.” The words left my mouth instantly. “She’s worn it every day.”Raphael zoomed in and the bracelet became clearer but there was no ring on her fingers. “I’ll see if we can identify whoever this is.”“Be fast about it.”The detective suddenly pushed back his chair.“That’s enough.” His tone hardened. “I’ll take it from here, this is my job not yours.”I looked at him but I didn’t answer him, instead I turned toward the chief.“If the investigation had already answered these questions…” I gestured toward the frozen screen. “…we wouldn’t be sitting here.”The chief’s expression remained unreadable, then he finally spoke.“Detective.” The man looked over. “I expect cooperation.” A brief silence followed. “You’ll wor