Chapter 3

Elliott left, his footsteps heavy and slow, the door clicking shut behind him like a final gavel. The silence that followed was deafening, but it was a welcome quiet, a space where I could finally breathe without the suffocating weight of his lies. My hands still trembled from the confrontation, but my mind was coldly clear.

First, I reached for my phone. My fingers flew across the screen, dialing the number Coretta had given me weeks ago – a discreet but formidable divorce attorney she knew. This wasn't some impulsive outburst; this was a decision forged in pain, hardened by betrayal. I spoke calmly, concisely, outlining my situation, requesting the necessary papers.

Then, I dialed Coretta. Her voice was thick with relief when she heard mine. "Jalynn, sweetheart! Are you okay? I've been so worried."

"I'm fine, Coretta," I said, the lie tasting like sawdust. "And I'm leaving him."

A beat of silence, then a choked sob from her end. "Oh, my poor girl," she whispered. "My son is a fool. A damn fool. Come home, Jalynn. Come to me. My house is your house."

"It's not your fault, Coretta," I told her, the words genuinely meant. She had been my rock, my only ally in this nightmare.

"It's my fault for raising such a blind idiot," she corrected, her voice sharp with self-reproach. "But you... you were the best thing that ever happened to him. You pulled him out of that dark place. He never deserved you."

Her words brought a fresh wave of ache, not for him, but for the ghost of a past that no longer existed. My fingers instinctively went to the faint scar on my wrist, a constant reminder of the depth of my commitment to Elliott, and the price I' d paid.

I closed my eyes, and the memories flooded back, sharp and vivid, a stark contrast to the hollow man who had just left my room.

It was four years ago. The accident. A career-ending injury for Elliot, a rising star architect. He was broken, physically and emotionally. The doctors had saved his leg, but the light in his eyes had died. He lay in that hospital bed, a shadow of the vibrant man I knew, refusing rehab, refusing to eat.

I was just an aide then, fresh out of school, assigned to his case. He was hostile, bitter, pushing everyone away. But I saw past the anger, to the raw pain beneath. Day after day, I sat with him, talking, listening, sometimes just being silently present. He' d curse, he' d rage, he' d throw things.

"Just leave me alone!" he' d roared one day, his voice hoarse, his eyes burning with self-pity. "I'm useless! My life is over!"

"No, it's not!" I' d shot back, surprising both him and myself. "Your life isn't over, Elliott. Your old life is. And maybe that's a good thing. You're not your legs. You're not your career. You're more than that."

He' d stared at me, shocked into silence. And slowly, painstakingly, a flicker of something had returned to his eyes. Hope.

I pushed him, gently at first, then fiercely. I was there for every painful step, every tear, every small victory. My arms, strong and steady, supported his trembling body as he relearned to walk. My laughter filled his silent room. My love, pure and unwavering, stitched him back together, piece by piece.

"You saved me, Jalynn," he' d whispered one night, months later, strong and almost whole again, pulling me close. "You brought me back to life. I will never forget that. I will never let you go."

The memory faded, replaced by the bitter reality of his betrayal. He had forgotten. He had let me go. Or rather, he had let me fall, while he caught another.

A sharp buzz from my phone jolted me back to the present. My heart leaped, a flicker of hope that it might be Coretta, or the attorney. But it was Kenya. A picture message.

My blood ran cold. It was my necklace. My grandmother's locket, a gift from my late father, a priceless heirloom. It was lying on a cracked tile floor, shattered, its delicate silver chain broken. And beside it, a small, triumphant foot, Leo's foot, clad in a dirty sneaker.

The accompanying text was simple, brutal: He gave it to his real son. He said it was just junk. Didn't you know his real son played rough?

Rage, cold and pure, surged through me, eclipsing everything else. My body trembled, not from fear, but from a volcanic fury. This wasn't just about Elliott. This was about my father. About my family. About deliberate, calculated cruelty.

I ripped the IV out completely this time, the wound stinging. I ignored the nurses who rushed in, their voices frantic. "No!" I screamed, pushing past them. "Get out of my way!"

My legs, still weak, carried me on sheer adrenaline. I burst through the doors, ignoring the protests, and stormed down the hall. I knew exactly where she was. Elliott had let it slip. Her "recovery suite," as he called it. The irony choked me.

I threw open the door to her room. Kenya lay in bed, propped up on pillows, leisurely painting her nails. A faint, sickly sweet scent of nail polish filled the air. She looked utterly serene, a picture of domestic bliss, except for the garish hospital gown.

She looked up, startled, her eyes widening. A slow, malicious smile spread across her face. "Well, well, well," she purred, dropping her nail file. "Look who decided to join the party. Still bleeding, are we? So dramatic."

"You evil bitch," I hissed, my voice low and dangerous. "You broke my father's locket. You let your son destroy my family's legacy."

"Oh, that old thing?" she scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "Elliott gave it to Leo. Said it was trash. He didn't want you to have it anymore. Said it reminded him of his mistake." She paused, her smile twisting. "And speaking of mistakes... your father was a mistake too, wasn't he? A spineless worm who let your mother be humiliated. Just like you."

The insult to my father, who had loved me fiercely, was the final straw. My vision went red. I lunged at her, my hands finding purchase on her shoulders. I shook her, hard, the flimsy bed rattling beneath us.

"You don't know anything about my father!" I screamed, my voice raw with grief and rage. "You don't know anything about me! You're a leech! A parasite! You just want his money!"

She laughed, a high, mocking sound. "Oh, honey, I want more than his money. I want him. And I've got him. He's in my bed every night. He calls my name. He says he loves me." She leaned in, her voice dropping to a theatrical whisper. "He says I'm the one who truly understands him. The one he always regretted losing."

My stomach churned. The bile rose in my throat. The image of Elliott with her, the intimacy she described, painted a vivid, sickening picture in my mind.

"You're pathetic," she sneered, enjoying my pain. "Always crawling back to him. You think he loves you? He bought me this whole suite. He's paying for everything. He knows where his loyalty lies. You're nothing to him. A forgotten obligation."

Something snapped inside me. The last thread of my restraint, of my dignity, frayed and broke. I slapped her. Hard. The sound echoed through the room. Her head snapped back, a crimson mark appearing on her cheek.

"You are a disease," I whispered, my voice trembling with disgust. "And I'm going to cut you out of our lives."

"Get out!" she shrieked, clutching her cheek. "Elliott! Help me! She's attacking me!"

The door burst open. Elliott stood there, his eyes wide with horror as he took in the scene: me, standing over Kenya, my hand still raised, her cheek red and swollen.

"Jalynn!" he bellowed, his voice filled with a cold fury I' d never heard directed at me. He grabbed my arm, his grip bruising, and pulled me away from Kenya. "What the hell is wrong with you? She's sick! She's fragile!"

Kenya began to sob dramatically, clinging to Elliott. "She attacked me, Elliott! She's crazy! She's trying to hurt our baby!"

Our baby. The words twisted the knife even deeper. I stared at Elliott, his face contorted with anger. He looked at me as if I were the monster.

"You really believe her?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper, my heart crumbling into dust. "After everything?"

"Look at you!" he roared, shaking my arm. "You're out of control! You're violent! What kind of example are you setting? You're jeopardizing everything!"

"I'm jeopardizing everything?" I scoffed, a bitter, hysterical laugh escaping me. "You jeopardized everything, Elliott! You! Your lies! Your betrayal! You have destroyed us!"

"Get out!" he yelled, shoving me towards the door. "Get out of here before you do any more damage!"

I stumbled back, my arm throbbing where he' d held me. My eyes met his one last time. There was no love there. Only accusation. Only disgust.

"Fine," I said, my voice eerily calm. "I hope you enjoy your new family. Because you just lost your old one. Forever."