Chapter 2
"Divorce?!"
Ryan looked at me like I'd just told him the sky was falling. "Chloe, have you lost your mind? You want a divorce over something this small?"
"I meant every word." I didn't spare him a second glance and turned toward the locker room.
Ten years of swallowing my pride. Dying alone on that basement floor. Every last second of it was still pressing down on me. I couldn't stand breathing the same air as this man for one more minute.
By the time I'd packed up my things and made it back to our apartment, I could hear laughter through the door before I even opened it.
Ryan's mother, Mrs. Smith, was sitting on the couch holding Lily's hand, snacking on fruit that I'd paid for.
"See, Lily is such a sweetheart. Not like that Chloe — always walking around with a sour face, can't even cook a proper meal. I have no idea what my son ever saw in her."
Lily ducked her head, her voice syrupy sweet. "Oh, Mrs. Smith, don't say that. Chloe's just been busy with work."
The sound of the door opening shut them both up.
Mrs. Smith spotted the suitcase in my hand and her expression curdled. She switched tones in an instant. "Oh, so you do remember you live here? It's this late and you haven't started dinner? Trying to starve my son?" She jabbed a finger toward the kitchen. "Lily's had a rough day. Go make her something nice to eat — she needs the comfort."
I stood there, looking at this woman who'd treated me like her personal maid for ten years in my last life, and all I felt was the sheer absurdity of it all.
I'd burned every bridge with my family for so-called love. I'd even broken off the engagement they'd arranged for me. And for what? So I could stand here and cook for these people?
In my last life, I'd bought into the whole "keep the peace, just endure it" act. Swallowed everything without a word.
And what did that get me? When I was bedridden and dying, this woman poured my medication down the drain and called me a waste of money.
"I said, why the hell should I?" The words came out with a cold laugh.
"What?" Mrs. Smith blinked.
"I said, why should I wait on any of you?" I stepped forward, my gaze cutting. "She's your son's mistress, not my grandmother. You care about her so much — go cook for her yourself. Your arms and legs work just fine. Or do you need someone to wipe your ass for you too?"
"You — you ungrateful little wretch!" Mrs. Smith was shaking with rage. She shot up from the couch and swung her hand at my face.
I caught her wrist mid-air and shoved.
The old woman stumbled backward onto the couch, wailing like I'd broken her in half.
Ryan, who'd just parked and come upstairs, walked in on exactly that. He rushed over and pulled Lily and his mother behind him.
"Chloe! Have you gone completely insane? You pushed my mother!"
"Ryan, don't blame Chloe, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have come..." Lily squeezed out a couple of tears right on schedule, clutching the hem of Ryan's sleeve.
I stood in place, staring at the table full of things bought with my money, and felt a wave of nausea rising from my chest.
I took one step forward and flipped the coffee table.
CRASH.
Glass shattered. Juice and pastries splattered across all three of them.
Through their stunned, terrified faces, I locked eyes with Ryan. "Tomorrow morning. Nine o'clock. Courthouse. If you don't show up, I hand over your falsified medical records to the medical board."
I grabbed my suitcase and walked out into the rain without looking back.
The divorce papers never got signed. Disaster got there first.
It was the darkest day in St. Mary's Hospital's history.
A chemical plant in the city center suffered a chain of explosions, taking out a section of the nearby overpass. Casualties flooded in by the dozens, and the entire ER descended into chaos.
Every personal grudge got shelved in the face of life and death. The hospital put out an emergency call for every licensed surgeon they could reach — myself included. Despite everything, I was still one of their best, and people were dying. I scrubbed in and threw myself into the rescue.
