Chapter 3

3

I didn't see Arthur again until five days later.

A nurse from the hospital called me.

She said they found my mother's hair clip while cleaning the room.

I went to pick it up, and as I walked through the lobby, I ran straight into Arthur.

He was walking in with Rosie, and they were laughing and talking.

The moment he saw me, his smile vanished instantly.

For some reason, seeing him now only filled me with disgust.

I planned to avoid him without saying a word.

But he stepped forward and grabbed my arm tightly.

"Evelyn Thorne! I'm working my ass off at the hospital every day. What are you throwing a tantrum for?"

His words left me speechless.

I didn't understand how handling my mother's funeral alone for five days was a "tantrum."

But I didn't feel like explaining anything to him.

I tried to pull my wrist away from his grip.

This only made Arthur more agitated.

He pulled me closer and lowered his voice.

"You've been acting out for a year. Haven't you had enough? I don't know what Rosie did to offend you."

"Why are you bringing up divorce again out of nowhere?" he demanded.

I looked up and studied the man in front of me.

I realized I understood him less and less every day.

He was the one who drafted the papers, yet now he was blaming me.

Arthur seemed to read the look in my eyes.

The anger on his face faded, replaced by a softer tone.

"Evelyn, I only mentioned divorce because I was angry. How could you take it seriously?"

"Look, I'm not mad at you anymore. Let's just call it even, okay?"

"I just got back from a trip and I missed you. Go wait in my office for a bit? I have something to tell you."

His sudden change in attitude was confusing.

But the divorce needed to be settled once and for all.

I nodded and agreed to wait.

Satisfied with my answer, Arthur glanced back at Rosie.

Rosie rolled her eyes at me.

Then she stepped forward and grabbed Arthur's arm.

"Mentor, let's go. The Dean is waiting for us. It's urgent."

Arthur's gaze lingered on Rosie.

He didn't look at me again as she led him away.

I stood there watching them walk off, laughing together.

I realized that in this relationship, I had long since become the outsider.

I knew the way to his office by heart.

On the nights he worked late, I used to spend hours in that cramped space with him.

Back then, I thought I was being a hero.

My husband was fighting for lives in the OR, and I was his backbone at home.

Now, that thought felt like a pathetic joke.

I pushed open the door to his office.

The room, which used to be a mess, was now exceptionally tidy.

When my eyes landed on the photo frame on his desk, everything made sense.

The frame that used to hold our wedding photo had been replaced.

It now held a picture of him and Rosie.

They weren't doing anything inappropriate, but the way they looked at each other...

They looked like soulmates.

No wonder Arthur had spent the last year banning me from coming to the hospital.

The signs had been there all along.

Strangely, I didn't feel any pain.

I actually leaned back and fell into a deep sleep in his office.