Chapter 1
My husband made me run out in a thunderstorm to bring him meds–just to impress another woman.
I thought it was an emergency.
I raced through the downpour like my life depended on it.
Then came the crash.
A steel rod pierced through my chest.
My kidney was crushed.
On the ambulance ride, blood pooling around me, I begged Nurse Garcia to call my husband.
She dialed.
He answered.
And what came through the speaker wasn’t concern.
It was rage.
“Useless! You couldn’t even deliver the meds?”
“Most the damn bet because of you!”
In that moment, I realized–my body was broken.
But my heart?
Already shattered.
I went through surgery, treatment, and recovery all alone.
It’s been fifteen days since the accident.
Nathan hasn’t called. Not once.
The only message he ever sent was the morning after the crash:
“You’re seriously jealous over a game?”
“You ran out in the middle of the night and left our son home alone–what kind of mother does that?”
“If you don’t come back, don’t bother coming back at all.”
And then–radio silence.
Even in pain, I tortured myself by scrolling through his social media.
There he was at the amusement park with our son.
And Sarah.
His “assistant.”
She packed his breakfast.
She surprised him with gifts.
07:57
Fifteen Dave in Hall While:
Like she was the wife, not me.
Seven years of marriage, and I’d never once appeared in his posts.
It was all fancy brunches, travel, work…
But never me.
Once, I joked about wanting to show up in one of his stories.
He shot me down like I was embarrassing.
Said he didn’t want people commenting on me.
All the signs I used to ignore were how screaming the truth in my face.
While I was barely surviving in a hospital bed, he was living in some romantic fantasy at home.
That steel rod didn’t hurt as much as his betrayal.
Half a month later, I was finally discharged.
I wore an oversized hoodie to hide the bandages.
And to hide the scars.
But when I pressed my finger to the smart lock, it kept rejecting me.
Error after error.
I thought maybe the crash had worn my fingerprint down.
I kept trying. Desperate.
Until the lock triggered the security alert.
That’s when Nathan pulled up in the driveway.
When he saw me sitting by the door, drenched and helpless, his concern twisted into irritation.
He opened the door a me a cold smirk.
“Well, look who finally decided to show up.”
“No gifts? Not even for our son?”
“Thought you were out there enjoying your freedom.”
“Olivia Carter, you do remember you have a family, right?”
The stab in my chest ached again.
And with it, the two weeks of pain I’d swallowed down came rushing out.,
Eyes burning, I glared at him.
“You didn’t even ask what happened to me–you just start blaming me?”
“You made me deliver your medicine in the middle of a freaking storm!”
“Did it never cross your mind I might get hurt?”
“Or maybe… you were hoping I wouldn’t make it back at all?”
“So you could finally play house with Sarah without interruption?”
Chapter 1
“It’s all out there now–your precious social media made it loud and clear.”
“Just waiting for me to die, huh?”
I was trembling.
Nathan didn’t flinch.
He kicked off his shoes and snapped,
“I’ve told you–Sarah is just my assistant!”
“Yeah, we grew up together, so what?”
“She’s responsible, smart, and actually helpful.”
“I’m supposed to fire her just because you’re insecure and paranoid?”
“That night was a company team–building event.”
“Truth or Dare. I lost. I had to take the dare.”
“What was I supposed to do?”
“Act like a jerk in front of my staff just to keep you happy?”
“I work my ass off to support this family, and you can’t even handle a little inconvenience?”
“You abandoned our son over a stupid fight, and now you’re here playing the victim?”
“I must’ve been blind to ever fall for you.”
Those words knocked the air out of me.
The doctor said it was a miracle I survived.
But now I wondered if God just wanted me to see this man for who he really was.
Heartless.
Cruel.
A liar.
As I stood frozen, he went on,
“You wanna know who’s been stepping up since you vanished?”
“Sarah. She’s been taking care of your kid like a real mom.”
“You should be thanking her.”
My control snapped.
Tears blurred my vision as I screamed,
“He’s my son.”
“Mine. Not yours, not hers. MINE.”
“And when we divorce–don’t you dare try to take him from me.”
I looked at the man I had loved for a decade.
And all I felt…
0.5%
Chapter 1
Was disgust.
