Chapter 3

The heavy door hit the wall with a loud bang.

Emmett spun around. His pupils dilated the second his eyes landed on Daisy.

He reacted instantly. He firmly grasped Eryn's arms and quickly detached himself from her embrace, stepping away with cold precision. Eryn stumbled backward.

She fell onto the mattress with a soft cry, tears spilling down her cheeks as she looked at the door.

Emmett took a long stride toward Daisy. "Daisy," he said, his voice tight with panic.

Daisy raised her hand. Her palm faced him, flat and rigid. It was a command to stop.

Emmett's boots halted on the linoleum, just one step away from her. His eyes scanned her soaked red dress, the water dripping from her hair, and the deathly pale color of her skin.

Eryn shrank back against the pillows. "Daisy," she whispered, her voice trembling and weak. "Please don't misunderstand. He was just comforting me."

Daisy didn't even look at Emmett. She stared right through him, locking her eyes on Eryn. A cold, bitter laugh escaped her throat.

"Comforting you?" Daisy said. Her voice was razor-sharp. "Did you not cut deep enough this time, Eryn? Or did you just need an audience for the blood?"

Eryn's face went completely white. She clutched her chest. Her breathing turned rapid and shallow. The heart monitor next to the bed started beeping wildly, the tempo increasing with her panic.

Emmett heard the alarm. His jaw clenched. Instinctively, he shifted his weight and stepped sideways, placing his massive body directly between Daisy and Eryn.

He looked down at Daisy. "Kid, that's enough," he said. His voice was a harsh, commanding rumble. "She can't take this right now."

That single movement-that protective stance-slid into Daisy's chest like a rusted blade.

She stared up at the man she married. He was reprimanding her. He was shielding another woman from her. Her eyes burned with unshed tears.

Her throat felt tight, filled with broken glass. She bit down on the inside of her cheek until she tasted copper. She would not cry in front of them.

She sucked in a breath. Her voice shook with pure rage. "Do you even remember what today is?"

Emmett's eyes flickered. A flash of raw pain crossed his face. His hand twitched toward the pocket of his suit jacket, where a velvet box holding a pink diamond rested against his ribs.

But the monitor behind him was still screaming. "We will talk about this at home," he said, his voice strained.

He reached out to grab her wrist.

Daisy flinched like he had burned her. She slapped his hand away violently.

She took a step back, putting distance between them. The smell of the hospital antiseptic mixed with Eryn's sickeningly sweet perfume clung to his clothes. It made Daisy want to vomit.

Behind Emmett, Eryn let out a weak, pathetic cough.

Daisy looked at the two of them. The fight drained out of her, replaced by a terrifying, hollow clarity. The love she had fought so hard to keep suddenly felt like a joke.

She straightened her spine. She lifted her chin, forcing herself to stand tall despite the freezing wet fabric clinging to her legs.

She looked dead into Emmett's eyes.

"Emmett Reese," she said. Every word was distinct and heavy. "I want a divorce."

The air in the room vanished. The beeping of the monitor seemed to fade into background noise.

Emmett's entire body jerked as if he had been shot. The color drained from his face, leaving his skin ashen. His dark eyes turned lethal.

He closed the distance between them in one step. He towered over her, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Take that back," he snarled, his voice a low, vibrating threat.

Daisy didn't blink. She looked at his furious face, a cold smirk touching the corner of her lips. She turned on her heel and walked toward the open door.