Chapter 2

2.

After texting Sean the hospital address, he promised he would arrive shortly.

Yet an entire day went by without a single sign of him.

Fortunately, I had already stopped believing a word he said.

I no longer held any expectations for anything he promised.

The next morning, the nurse changed my dressings and told me I was cleared for discharge.

Just as I was wondering how to get home, Sean walked into the room.

He scanned the ward before offering a casual excuse.

“Something came up yesterday, so...”

“When are you leaving?”

I cut him off mid-sentence.

Sean's expression instantly darkened.

“What's that supposed to mean? Are you kicking me out now?”

“Jocelyn! I'm trying to explain what happened yesterday! You refuse to listen and take your anger out on me instead?”

“Why are you acting so completely unreasonable these days?”

He used to say that all the time.

There was a time when I genuinely doubted myself, wondering if I truly was being demanding and irrational.

Now, I saw clearly that he was the one twisting reality.

I pressed my lips together and gazed out the window.

“I'm getting discharged today. If you're heading home, give me a ride.”

“If you're too busy, I'll just call an Uber myself.”

I turned my eyes back to meet his gaze.

Sean's mouth twitched.

“Do you have anything to pack?”

I shook my head.

Sean stepped forward and leaned down to lift me into his arms.

The moment he came near, a wave of pungent, cloying perfume hit my nose, and I dry-heaved twice.

His eyes narrowed as he looked me up and down with deep suspicion.

“You didn't... sneakily get pregnant behind my back, did you?”

Over the years, I had desperately wanted a baby of our own, but he never agreed.

Every time after intimacy, I faithfully took birth control pills just to keep him from getting upset.

Looking back now, I felt profoundly relieved that we never had a child; otherwise, I would never win a custody battle against him.

As for my nausea... it was solely because of the suffocating scent of another woman's perfume on his clothes.

I pushed him away.

The air felt much cleaner instantly.

I shook my head firmly.

“Don't worry. We will never have a child together.”

Sean's face fell, but in the end, he still carried me out to his car.

The drive back was spent in total silence.

When we arrived home and I reached for my keys, the front door suddenly swung open from the inside.

Sonja stood there, beaming with excitement.

“You guys are back!”

Sean froze on the spot.

“Why are you still here?”

*Still here?*

So while I was lying in a hospital bed, she had been staying in our home the entire time.

A flash of panic surfaced in Sean's eyes.

“Sonja fainted yesterday, so I brought her to our place. You know... she can't stand the smell of hospital disinfectant...”

Sonja instantly put on an aggrieved, pitiful face.

“Sister Jocelyn... I'm so sorry, it's all my fault...”

I stood in the doorway, staring at her with a blank expression.

“Don't call me sister. I'm five years younger than you.”

Sonja's face drained of color, her eyes brimming with tears.

She clutched her sweater hem tightly, looking completely helpless and innocent.

“I'm so sorry... I honestly thought you were older...”

Sean pinched the bridge of his nose and told her to go home first.

Sonja turned and ran out in tears.

I assumed he would chase after her, but surprisingly, he stayed put.

None of it mattered anymore anyway, because our marriage was about to reach its final stop.

Yesterday, I had hired an attorney to draft a divorce agreement. Once the hard copy arrived and both of us signed, we could finalize the paperwork and make it official.