Chapter 15
I wandered aimlessly through the hospital’s stark, sterile hallways, the bright fluorescent lights above doing nothing to warm the chill that seemed to settle in my bones. My footsteps echoed softly
against the linoleum floor, but my mind was louder-
wouldn’t stop haunting me.
How had it come to this? Maya had turned my life into a nightmare. I felt like a marionette, my strings tangled by her manipulative fingers. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. I stopped near a window, clutching my phone tightly. Desperation clawed at me, and I thumbed through my contacts, searching for comfort. But the screen mocked me
with its emptiness.
Maya. That woman had meticulously isolated me from everyone I once called a friend. Each subtle word, each whispered doubt, had slowly chipped
away at my relationships until there was nothing left but her false friendship. How had I not realized it
until now?
My finger hovered over my mother’s number. I
hesitated, memories of our complicated
relationship bubbling up. She had given me away as
a baby. but years later, when she learned her long-
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a baby, but years later, when she learned her long-
lost daughter had married into wealth, she
welcomed me back with open arms. Guilt, love, and
the promise of financial stability tied us together.
I took a deep breath and hit the call button.
“Emily?” My mother’s voice came through, soft
but cautious.
The floodgates opened. “Mom,” I choked, tears
streaming down my face. “I can’t do this anymore. I
want a divorce.”
There was a pause on the other end. “Emily,
what happened? Why are you talking like this?”
“I’m not happy, Mom. I haven’t been happy for a
long time. Louis… he’s not who I thought he was,
and I can’t live like this anymore.” My voice cracked
as I poured out my desperation.
“But Emily,” she began hesitantly, “Louis has
been good to us. To your father and me. He’s
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supported us in ways we could never have imagined. Are you sure this is what you want?”
“Yes,” I said firmly, wiping my tears. “I’m sure. I
know it might hurt the business, but I can’t stay with
him just for that. I need to leave.”
My resolve seemed to catch her off guard. “You
sound… different,” she said softly. “Stronger. If this
is what you truly want, then don’t worry about us.
We’ll manage.”
Her words were a balm to my wounded heart.
For the first time in weeks, I felt a flicker of support.
“Thank you, Mom,” I whispered.
“E–Emily… You know that despite everything, I
love you very much, right?”
“I do, mom.”
After we hung up, I found a quiet staircase and
sank onto the steps. The air was heavy with
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antiseptic, and the faint hum of machinery filled the
background. I stared at the ceiling, whispering to
myself, trying to soothe the storm raging within. I
needed to find the next steps.
“It’s alright… Everything will turn out fine… I
didn’t push her… Divorce is the right decision…”
“Emily?”
The voice startled me, and I looked down to see
a man standing at the base of the stairs. He was
dressed in a white coat, concern etched on his face.
“Daiman?” I recognized him as the doctor I’d
met after the car incident. What were the odds?
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice gentle.
I offered a weak smile, my face hot with
embarrassment. “I’ve been better,” I admitted.
He climbed the stairs and sat a small distance
away, giving me space but staying close enough to
talk “Rough day?!!
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talk. “Rough day?”
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I let out a bitter laugh. “More like a rough life.
It’s… it’s everything. My marriage, my so–called
friends, this entire mess. I feel like I’m drowning.”
He studied me for a moment, his expression.
kind but thoughtful. “Sometimes, when everything
feels like it’s falling apart, it’s hard to see things
clearly. But you have to trust yourself, Emily.”
I sighed, my fingers fidgeting with the edge of
my sleeve. “That’s easier said than done. I’ve made
up my mind, though, I want a divorce. I just want to
leave all of this behind.”
“That’s a big decision,” Daiman said, nodding.
“But it sounds like you’ve already put a lot of thought
into it. If leaving is what you need to find peace, then
it’s the right choice.”
I looked at him, surprised by his certainty. “You
really think so?”
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“I do. But more importantly, what do you think?”
“I think…” I hesitated, searching for the words. “I think I’ve lost myself. I’ve spent so much time worrying, uncovering schemes, and feeling trapped in this cycle of rage and suspicion that I don’t even recognize who I am anymore. And he blames me for it all, like his infidelity was my fault.”
Daiman’s gaze was steady. “That’s not unusual in situations like this. Chaos has a way of pulling us
away from who we are. But the fact that you’re aware of it means you’re already on the path back to
yourself.”
His words resonated with me. I hadn’t realized
how much I needed to hear them.
“Thank you,” I said softly. “For saying that. For…
listening.”
“Of course.” He offered a small smile. “I’m
actually a psychiatrist, so listening comes with the
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territory. If you ever need someone to talk to, my
door is open.”
The weight of his sincerity surprised me. We’d
only met twice, but his words felt genuine, untainted
by ulterior motives.
“I’ll think about it,” I said, managing a faint smile
in return.
He stood, brushing off his coat. “Take care of
yourself, Emily. You’re stronger than you think.”
As he walked away, his words lingered. Maybe I
wasn’t as broken as I felt. Maybe I could take control,
rebuild, and finally find my way out of the chaos.
I sat on the stairs a little longer, the faint buzz of
hope flickering to life within me. For the first time in
what felt like forever, I believed that things might,
just might, get better, even after everything had
been taken from me. The thought of my unborn.
child, the one I’d dreamt about for so long, was like a
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been taken from me. The thought of my unborn
child, the one I’d dreamt about for so long, was like a
stabbing from within.
I would find out what happened, uncover Maya’s
deception, her murderous intent, and in the process
find peace and happiness away from her and her
plans for Louis.
