Chapter 2 Let's Get A Divorce

"Connor, what are you talking about?" Deanna murmured, stunned by his words.

For a long time, she had known he would never stand on her side. Even so, she always believed he would at least try to be fair. She never thought he would rely on Gillian's version of the story without taking a moment to understand what had actually happened.

Now that belief crumbled before her.

Deanna dropped her gaze, and a faint, self-mocking smile tugged at her lips.

This was the man she had chased after with her whole heart. He was the one she had insisted on marrying even when her father warned her not to.

During the past three years, she had seen clearly that Connor's heart had always rested with Gillian-they had grown up together, and their history was long and tangled. But since Gillian was already married to Andrew, Deanna convinced herself that Connor would eventually warm up to her.

So when Connor offered marriage in exchange for her caring for Gillian's illness, she paused only briefly before agreeing.

She never imagined that three years later, he would suggest a divorce with such ease.

Deanna lifted her eyes toward Connor, who once again chose Gillian without hesitation.

His cold stare met hers. His handsome features were unreadable, and when his gaze landed on her, it felt like she was nothing more than a stranger he happened to pass in a hallway. It was just as it had been when they first married.

At that moment, she understood how deeply she had fooled herself. He didn't care for her, and he never would, no matter how much she tried.

"Deanna! Did you not hear Connor? Quit your job or accept the divorce!" said Susan loudly. Her voice rang with mockery as she looked straight at Deanna.

Deanna pulled herself upright. "I've already told you-I've done everything I can. If you're convinced there's a problem with the medication, then ask the hospital's inspection team to check. I'm not about to give up the career I worked so hard for."

Slamming her palm down on the table, Susan jabbed her finger toward Deanna and let out a sharp laugh. "You really think you've done enough? You have the nerve to drag the inspection team into this? Do you believe I don't know what you and your hospital friends are up to? Gillian has told me everything about how you mistreated her, and she still tried to cover for you."

She paused for a moment before she instructed sharply, "Alright then! If she refuses to admit fault, take her down to the basement and lock her up. She can come out when she's ready to confess. Since she's so stubborn, don't bother feeding her. Just make sure she has enough water to stay alive!"

Deanna stared in disbelief. Was this really happening in the present day? How could they talk about locking her in a basement and starving her like it was nothing?

Instead of arguing back, she turned her eyes to Connor.

She couldn't help herself. Some part of her still longed to know what he really thought.

When Connor finally looked at her, his eyes were cold. "Take your time and think it over. Gillian lost her child, and you have to answer for it."

"Why bother arguing with her, Connor? Just toss her into the basement. Let her go without food for three days. Maybe then she'll stop acting so tough." Kristina never tried to hide her dislike for Deanna. She always thought Connor had been forced into this marriage. Ever since Deanna joined their family, Kristina went out of her way to make her life difficult.

Ignoring Kristina completely, Deanna kept her eyes fixed on Connor. Kristina's opinions meant nothing to her. Only Connor's ever mattered.

With hope flickering in her gaze, she faced him and said, "Connor, I would never hurt Gillian. I'm a doctor. I care for every patient. You always talk about being reasonable. Can't you show me the same fairness you claim to believe in?"

Hope flickered in Deanna's eyes as she searched his face.

Nothing about her plea was about wanting special treatment. All she wished for was simple fairness. She wanted someone to look at the facts and tell her the truth behind it all.

That was the only thing she ever asked from him.

Still, she found herself let down in the end.

Dragged back home by the family's butler, Deanna was led straight into the basement.

The door swung shut, separating her from Connor and sealing her away from the world.

Her pulse raced, panic creeping in. Through the narrow gap, she caught a final glimpse of Connor's distant gaze. There was nothing in his eyes, no warmth or regret.

The cold look he gave her made Deanna freeze in place. Her heart pounded as she watched him vanish behind the door.

Time lost all meaning as she sat in the pitch-black room.

All she could tell was the floor felt clammy under her hands, and the air pressed down with an oppressive weight.

Every now and then, something small scurried past, making the silence even harder to bear.

She went from feeling heartbroken to feeling nothing at all. At some point, she simply settled onto the cold floor, her heart slowly giving up on the man she once loved.

She couldn't guess how many hours or days had passed in the darkness.

At last, the basement door creaked open and sunlight spilled across the floor, forcing her to shield her eyes.

Standing in the glare, Connor asked flatly, "Have you admitted what you did wrong?"

If she answered yes, he'd send her right back to the hospital to care for Gillian.

But after Deanna heard him say that, whatever love she still had left was finally gone.

Still, she refused to let go, clinging to something she could not quite name. Maybe it was the weight of three years together. Maybe it was the hope that Connor might finally see her.

"I have never mistreated Gillian. I've done everything I could to help her. If you let me, I'll go to the hospital and uncover the truth. All I'm asking for is one last chance, Connor. Isn't that fair?" Deanna pleaded with hopeful eyes.

"One last chance?" Connor's eyes glinted with cold amusement. "You mean more time to hide what you've done?"

Heartbreak still washed over Deanna, even though she had tried to brace herself for this moment.

Rising unsteadily from the floor, she faced her husband and asked, "After everything we've been through, did you ever feel anything for me at all?"

For a brief second, Connor hesitated. Then a low, humorless laugh slipped out of him.

That sound struck her harder than any blow. It told her she had clung to a hope that never existed.

"So that means never," she murmured, her complexion turning ghostly. "I really was fooling myself."

A bitter chuckle escaped her. "In that case, let's end this. Let's get a divorce."

Connor froze, staring at her as if she had spoken something impossible. His brows tightened while his gaze turned colder.

He had expected her to confess guilt after a night in the basement. He assumed she would fold, step aside from her position at the hospital, and fall in line the way she always had.

He never imagined she would be the one to bring up divorce.

To him, her refusal to bend looked ridiculous, even defiant in all the wrong ways.

Watching his expression shift, Deanna felt a hollow laugh rise in her chest as she lowered her head.

His surprise made sense. She had spent three years following every word he spoke.

Taking a steadying breath, she looked him in the eye and said again, "Connor, I want a divorce."

With those words, she turned and walked out of the basement.

Her steps were slow. The fever from yesterday clung to her, and every bruise throbbed under her skin. The memory of those small creatures brushing past her fingers made her shiver all over again.

But she kept moving.

She chose to leave this house behind, to walk away from the Dixon family, and to end the marriage she once believed she would treasure for the rest of her life.