Chapter 8
During Cassie’s week plus hospital stay, Callum’s presence was noticeably sporadic–appearing every two or three days for brief, distracted visits.
Cassie understood without being told that he was shuttling between her room and wherever they were keeping Laurina. She never voiced any complaints–what would be the point now?
On discharge day, he made an appearance to drive her home, his mind clearly elsewhere as he checked his watch repeatedly. The moment they reached their front door, he was already backing toward his car, keys in hand, some half–formed excuse about “urgent business” dying on his lips.
As his taillights disappeared around the corner, her phone rang–the immigration office confirming her paperwork was complete, her new life ready to begin.
With methodical precision, she collected her documents, then systematically canceled her Social Security card and other American identification markers that tied her to this life.
Back home, she moved through their shared space like a ghost, filling suitcases with only what she’d brought into the marriage. Everything acquired during their three years together stayed behind–physical reminders of a relationship built on deception weren’t worth the baggage.
While sorting through their bedroom, she unearthed countless totems of their supposed happiness–matching robes monogrammed with their initials, framed honeymoon photos, the secret stash of infant clothes and stuffed animals she’d been collecting before she knew the truth. Without hesitation, she dumped everything into black garbage bags, erasing the remnants of a woman who no longer existed.
Halfway through her purge, the front door opened. Callum returned, his car trunk overflowing with luxury shopping bags–his standard response to any marital friction.
He rushed toward her with manufactured enthusiasm, then stopped abruptly when he spotted the discarded memories spilling from the trash bins. His expression darkened with confusion. “What’s going on here? Are you still upset about the accident? Look–I bought you the entire spring collection from Gucci. Can’t we just put all this unpleasantness behind us and move forward?”
If forgetting were that easy, Cassie thought bitterly, she wouldn’t have spent weeks drowning in silent agony.
She gazed at the mountain of glossy shopping bags, sudden exhaustion weighing her voice. “I’m not upset. And I don’t want any gifts.”
Her flat response clearly unsettled him. He gripped her hands like he could physically anchor her to him. “What’s happening with you? You’ve been different since the hospital. If I’ve screwed up somehow, just tell We can fix this–whatever it is.”
Cassie couldn’t summon the energy to respond. What could she possibly say that wouldn’t expose everything? That three years of their marriage had been nothing but an elaborate lie? That she’d discovered his shrine to another woman? That she’d terminated the pregnancy he’d only wanted as genetic homage to his real love?
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Addio To The Stand–In Past, This Time I Chose To Reclaim My Own Life
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Chapter 8
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As Callum’s frown deepened, preparing to press further, her phone mercifully rang.
“Cassie! Get to Memorial immediately!” Sebastian’s voice cracked with panic. “Laurina collapsed at home–the doctors are saying acute kidney failure. It’s critical!”
Standing close enough to overhear, Callum underwent a transformation that would have been fascinating if it weren’t so devastating to witness.
Every pretense of concern for his wife vanished instantly. The color drained from his face as raw terror took over. His body physically trembled, all composure shattered by three simple words: Laurina, kidney, critical.
Seeing him frantically searching for his car keys, hands shaking so violently he could barely function, Cassie made a decision. She quietly took the keys from him and drove them both to the hospital.
Inside, the Brooks family had gathered in full force. Everyone was being tested as potential kidney donors, their faces grim with the knowledge that matches outside immediate family were statistically rare.
Medical staff spoke in hushed tones nearby, unaware of who might be listening.
“Patient’s only twenty–seven–unusually young for this level of kidney deterioration. With her limited family pool, finding a compatible donor seems unlikely. We’ve already added her to the transplant list, but with her blood
type…”
Callum’s hands clenched into white–knuckled fists, a vein pulsing visibly at his temple as he processed their words. He stared through the glass at Laurina’s unconscious form, medical equipment surrounding her like some twisted modern art installation.
Without warning, he whirled around, gripping Cassie’s shoulders with bruising intensity. “You need to get tested
too.”
Sebastian immediately stepped between them, shock evident in his voice. “Absolutely not! She’s four months pregnant! She can’t be considered as a donor!”
But Callum was beyond reason, already trying to physically guide her toward the testing area, his desperation palpable. “The tests are just blood work. It doesn’t hurt the baby.”
Something in Cassie finally snapped. She jerked away from his grasp, the movement sharp enough to draw attention from nearby nurses. She fixed him with a direct stare. “And if I match? What then? What about the baby?”
Callum’s mind seemed to short–circuit, the careful husband persona falling away completely. Raw truth spilled out
unfiltered.
“Saving her comes first. You’re young, Cassie–we can have more children. She’s your aunt, your rer’s sister. How can you stand by and do nothing?”
The words hung in the air between them like physical things.
Cassie’s eyes filled with unexpected tears–not of hurt, but of strange, bitter vindication. After all this time pretending, she finally had confirmation directly from his lips: nothing mattered to him more than Laurina. Not their marriage. Not even their unborn child.
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This Time I Chose To Reclaim My Own Life
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Chapter 8
After a moment of perfect stillness, she lowered her head and laughed softly–a cold, empty sound. In that moment, she felt perversely grateful she’d terminated the pregnancy. Better no child at all than one conceived as a living memorial to another woman.
Without another word, she walked toward the testing room.
Not for him.
Not to save the woman who’d unwittingly stolen her husband.
But because regardless of everything else, Laurina was her blood–her fatehr’s only sister.
And unlike Callum, Cassie understood that Laurina had never encouraged his obsession. The woman had repeatedly pushed him away, had torn up his shrine of devotion, had prioritized her niece’s feelings over her own.
The true villain in this story had always been the man standing behind her, watching her walk away.
Life
