Chapter 3

3

After saying goodbye to my in-laws and heading home, I lay in bed alone.

I opened Yara's livestream again.

Sure enough, she was basking in the glow of her latest victory.

"I didn't spend the night with my family. My hometown is far from here."

"My man was supposed to be with his family, but I whined a little. I told him I didn't want to be alone, and he dropped everything to come to me~"

"He's in the shower right now, so I'm gonna hop off."

"His body is so fit, I'm keeping the rest of the night all to myself. No peeking for you guys!"

With a smug grin, she ended the broadcast.

I threw my arm over my eyes in despair, tears leaking silently from the corners.

I finally started to doubt everything.

Is a marriage like this really worth the hesitation?

Am I really going to wait until I'm pushed off a cliff before I'm satisfied?

I stared at the ceiling for the rest of the night. I didn't sleep a wink.

The next morning, I was driving to work in a daze from exhaustion.

Because I was so out of it, I swerved and slammed into a guardrail.

The metal from the door pierced my calf. The agonizing pain drenched me in a cold sweat.

I called 911 first, and then immediately dialed Dwight.

The phone rang for a long time before he finally picked up.

His voice sounded groggy and satisfied. "Hello?"

I gritted my teeth against the pain and rasped, "Where are you?"

There was a pause. "I'm at the office. I pulled an all-nighter and I'm just resting in the lounge."

He was still lying. Even now.

Waves of intense pain crashed over me. I finally broke and begged him for help, my voice trembling.

"Dwight, I was in a car accident on Grand Avenue. Can you come here? Now?"

"An accident?!"

His voice sounded panicked for a moment, but then I heard the rustling of fabric over the line.

And then, the unmistakable, wet sound of a suggestive kiss!

When he spoke again, his voice was shaky. "Are... are you hurt bad? The thing at the office... it isn't finished yet."

Hearing his heavy breathing, my heart finally turned to stone.

The love I had protected and cherished for so long had become something disgusting.

He had already trampled my dignity and our history into the dirt. I was the only fool who thought that if I was patient enough, things could go back to the way they were.

I was so incredibly stupid.

I didn't say another word. I just hung up.

The next second, the world went black, and I passed out.

When I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital bed.

The person sitting by my side was Liam Beckett.

Liam was the son of my company's CEO and had been my senior back in college.

We'd known each other for years and were always on good terms.

I didn't know how long he'd been there, but he had heavy bags under his eyes.

Seeing me wake up, he rushed to call the doctor. Once the doctor cleared me, he let out a massive sigh of relief.

"Summer, you scared the hell out of me."

I coughed twice, and Liam immediately grabbed a cup, helping me sip some water through a straw.

Once I felt a bit better, I managed to speak.

"Why are you here?"

"You didn't show up at the office yesterday morning. I was worried, so I called you. The hospital answered."

"That's how I found out."

"Yesterday?" I frowned. "You've been here for a whole day and night?"

"I'd stay for three days and nights if it meant you were okay!"

Liam realized how that sounded and his face flushed a deep red.

I stayed silent. Liam looked at me and asked cautiously, "Summer, is something going on with your husband? I called him, and he said he didn't have time to come."

"But you were in a major accident. How can a husband just ignore that?"

I had been carrying this burden alone for so long. The moment Liam asked, the dam inside me finally broke.

I covered my face and began to sob uncontrollably.

Liam panicked and started frantically wiping away my tears.

"Summer, don't cry. Whatever it is, tell me. We'll figure it out together!"

Between sobs, I told him everything that had happened over the past few weeks.

By the time I finished, Liam actually looked relieved.