Chapter 2

Dahlia POV

The doctor looked from me to the phone, then back to Alva, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. He didn't press the issue. My husband, Gideon, finally arrived hours later. He strode in, looking disheveled, but not from worry. More like he' d been dragged out of a party.

"Dahlia, what happened?" he asked, his voice laced with annoyance rather than concern. "I told you I was busy. You know how important Elsa's launch was." He didn't even look at Alva, who was still silently sitting in the corner, observing.

"I nearly died, Gideon," I said, my voice flat, devoid of the pain that was still tearing me apart inside. "I had an ectopic pregnancy. It ruptured."

His eyes widened, then narrowed. "An ectopic what? Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" He sounded offended, as if I had deliberately kept a secret to inconvenience him.

"I was going to," I replied, the words tasting like ash. "Last night. Our anniversary dinner. You never showed up."

He scoffed. "And you think that's a reason to... to have some kind of medical emergency? You're so dramatic, Dahlia. Always making everything about you." He gestured vaguely at my bandaged stomach. "I missed the after-party because of this. You ruined my night."

My heart, already shattered, splintered further. Ruined his night. Not our baby. Not my life. Just his inconvenience.

Alva, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, his voice low and steady. "She could have died, Gideon. She was bleeding out when I found her."

Gideon finally noticed Alva, his gaze sharpening with suspicion. "And who are you? What are you doing here?"

"He's my neighbor," I clarified, my eyes still fixed on Gideon. "He saved my life."

Gideon waved a dismissive hand. "Well, thank you for your... neighborly duties. But I'm here now. You can leave." His tone was cold, arrogant.

Alva just nodded, a tight line to his lips. He stood up, his gaze lingering on me for a moment, a silent message of sympathy passing between us. "I'll be nearby if you need anything, Dahlia," he said, then quietly left the room.

The door clicked shut, leaving me alone with the man I had married, the man who saw my near-death and the loss of our child as an annoyance.

"You need to rest now," Gideon said, his voice softer, but it was a performative softness, not genuine concern. He took out his phone. "I'll tell my assistant to arrange for you to go home tomorrow. You'll need to clean up the house, I suppose. It must be a mess."

Clean up the house. That was his first thought.

I looked at him, truly looked at him, and saw a stranger. A selfish, narcissistic stranger who had never cared for me as much as he cared for his image, his career, or Elsa. The last thread of love, of hope, snapped inside me.

"Gideon," I said, my voice surprisingly steady. "I want a divorce."

He froze, his phone halfway to his ear. "What did you say?"

"I want a divorce," I repeated, each word a stone falling into a deep, dark well. "I'm done."

He scoffed, a humorless sound. "Don't be ridiculous, Dahlia. You're emotional. You've been through a lot. You don't mean that."

"Oh, but I do," I countered, a bitter smile touching my lips. "I mean it more than anything I've ever said."

He stared at me, a mixture of disbelief and irritation on his face. He actually thought I was bluffing. He actually thought I would take him back.

My phone buzzed on the table. A message. From Gideon's number. A link to an online flower delivery service. "Sorry the party wasn't great for you. Hope these cheer you up." It was a generic bouquet of roses, already wilted in my mind. A careless, thoughtless gesture. He hadn't even bothered to buy them himself.

And then, his latest Instagram post popped up. A new photo, taken perhaps minutes after he left the hospital room. It was another selfie with Elsa, this time captioned, "Back to celebrating with the real MVP! The night is still young, my dear Elsa!"

My blood ran cold. He had left my bedside, knowing I had just lost our baby and nearly my life, to go back to her. To celebrate her.

"You really are something else, Gideon," I murmured, my voice a dangerous whisper. "You leave me dying, ignore my calls, then come here, complain about your ruined night, and go straight back to celebrating with Elsa. All while sending me a 'sorry' bouquet you ordered online?"

He flinched, caught. "It's not like that, Dahlia. You're overreacting. Elsa needed me. She was upset about something."

"Upset?" I laughed, a harsh, humorless sound that brought tears to my eyes. "She was upset? While I was bleeding out on my floor? While I was losing our baby? Do you know what an ectopic pregnancy means, Gideon? It means it never had a chance. And if Alva hadn't found me, I wouldn't have either."

He looked away, uncomfortable. "Look, we can talk about this later. You're not thinking clearly."

"I've never been clearer," I stated, my voice gaining strength. "I'm done. I want nothing from you. Just sign the papers."

He turned back to me, his jaw clenched. "You're just jealous, Dahlia. You always have been. Elsa and I have a bond you'll never understand. She's family. My rock."

"Your rock?" I spat, the bitterness finally overflowing. "She's your mistress, your financial drain, and the reason you embezzled our savings to fund her pathetic lifestyle brand! Don't you dare talk about jealousy. I'm not jealous of a fraud who can't design her way out of a paper bag!"

His face went pale, then purple with rage. "How dare you! You have no idea what you're talking about! You think you're so smart, don't you? Sitting here, feeling sorry for yourself, while I'm out there making a living, supporting us."

"Supporting us?" I scoffed. "By ignoring me, by cheating on me, by stealing from me? I've supported your career for years, Gideon! I put my dreams aside for you! I built your firm from the ground up while you took all the credit!"

He lunged for my phone, his eyes wild. "You're going crazy! You're saying insane things!"

Just then, Alva returned, carrying a small paper bag. "They said you might be hungry, Dahlia. I got you some soup." He stopped dead, sensing the tension in the room.

Gideon wheeled around, his face contorted in a mask of fury. "Get out! What part of 'leave' didn't you understand, neighbor? You think you can just waltz in here, try to steal my wife, and get away with it?"

Alva set the soup down, his gaze unwavering. "I'm here for Dahlia. She needs a friend, not a tyrant."

"Tyrant?" Gideon roared, his voice echoing in the small room. He pointed a trembling finger at Alva. "I'm her husband! And you," he turned back to me, his voice a venomous hiss, "you're nothing but a pathetic, self-pitying excuse for a wife! And for a mother! You couldn't even keep a baby, could you?"

The words ripped through me, tearing open fresh wounds. My breath caught in my throat. I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting back the urge to scream. Not for myself, but for the tiny life he had just so carelessly insulted.

I opened my eyes, a cold fire burning within me. "Get out, Gideon," I whispered, my voice dangerously calm. "Get out of my sight. Get out of my life. You want a divorce? Consider it done. You'll hear from my lawyer."

He stood there, stunned, his anger warring with a flicker of fear. He must have seen the finality in my eyes, the absolute, unshakeable resolve.

"You'll regret this, Dahlia!" he snarled, turning on his heel and storming out of the room. The door slammed shut with a deafening bang.

Moments later, my phone began to buzz furiously. Text messages, dozens of them, flooding in from Gideon. Accusations, insults, threats. Then pleas, promises, apologies. All empty. All too late.

I picked up the phone, scrolled through the angry, desperate words, then calmly blocked his number. He was a ghost now. A memory I was determined to erase.

Alva gently placed a hand on my arm. "Are you okay?"

I looked at him, truly seeing him for the first time. Not as my neighbor, but as my savior. My friend. "No," I admitted, a single tear escaping. "But I will be."

I spent another day in the hospital, recovering physically but rebuilding my spirit. The doctors cleared me for discharge the next morning. Alva was there again, waiting patiently.

"I can take you home, if you'd like," he offered, his voice soft.

Home. The place Gideon and I had shared, now tainted by his betrayal and my loss. But it was my home too. And it was where I would start fresh.

"Yes, please," I said, a faint smile touching my lips.

As we walked out, I saw him. Gideon. Standing by the entrance, looking anxious. He must have been waiting.

"Dahlia!" he called out, rushing towards us. He ignored Alva, his eyes fixed on me. "What are you doing? I thought you'd call me. We need to go home. The house is a mess. And I have a meeting this afternoon, you need to prepare my files." He spoke as if nothing had happened, as if I hadn't just ended our marriage.

My smile vanished. The last shred of me that might have hesitated, might have wavered, solidified into granite. He truly saw me as his unpaid assistant, his homemaker, his convenient wife. Nothing more.

"The house is no longer your concern, Gideon," I said, my voice cold and distant. "And neither are your files."

He frowned, confused. "What are you talking about? You're my wife. You take care of these things."

"Not anymore," I stated, my gaze boring into him. "I'm going home. To pack my things. And then, I'm going to file for divorce."

His face paled, then flushed with anger. "You can't be serious! You're still sick, you're not thinking straight. You're just being dramatic." He looked at Alva, then back at me. "Is this about him? Is he poisoning your mind?"

Alva stepped forward, a protective glint in his eyes. But I put a hand on his arm, a silent signal. I needed to do this myself.

"This is about you, Gideon," I said, every word carefully chosen. "About your choices. About your priorities."

He scoffed. "You think you can just walk away? You have nothing without me, Dahlia. No career, no money..."

"I have my dignity," I cut him off, my voice unwavering. "Something you clearly lost a long time ago."

He opened his mouth to retort, but then his eyes lit up, a malicious glint replacing the anger. "Fine. If you want a divorce, you can have it. But not before you come with me." He grabbed my arm, surprisingly strong, pulling me towards a waiting car. "Elsa's celebrating her award tonight. You're coming. You can pretend to be the supportive wife one last time."

My heart hammered, not from fear, but from a strange, cold resolve. This was it. The final act.

"Let go of me, Gideon," I said, my voice low, but he only tightened his grip.

"You're making a scene, Dahlia," he hissed, pulling me harder. "Don't embarrass me."

I didn't resist. I just let him drag me. I would go. I would see his true face, and Elsa's. And then, I would make them regret every single second of it. My eyes met Alva's over Gideon's shoulder. He looked concerned, but I offered him a tiny, almost imperceptible nod. I had to see this through.