TILL DEATH DO US APART EX WIFE

Chapter One

Losing my baby

Jane's pov

"Mrs.Jane, I'm sorry you haven't been able to keep the baby "

The doctor's words hit me like a sledgehammer, stealing the air from my lungs. I stared at her lips, moving slowly as she repeated herself, but the words didn't seem real. I clutched my phone, staring blankly at the screen, willing the notification bar to light up, hoping Christian had responded to my texts.But yet nothing happened

"What do you mean doctor " I ask as my voice breaks .

Miss Bright is always a petite woman with kind eyes, touching my hand gently. "Given the condition at hand now your body has been unable to nourish the fetus , this causes the fetus to deceased and I will advise we proceed with the abortion in other to keep you safe . " She said as she hand me an envelope.

"Take your time. Let me know when you are ready for the surgery. I'll step out for a moment."

I nodded, though I didn't know what I was agreeing to. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving me alone in the sterile room. My phone sat heavy in my hand, its blankness taunting me.

I typed a quick message:

"I'M AT THE HOSPITAL. CALL ME."

I stared at the screen, waiting for the receipt. Nothing. Five minutes passed. Ten. Still nothing.

Of course. Why would he bother?

I sank back into the bed, my body aching, not just from the miscarriage, but from five years of loneliness. Five years of being invisible to the man I married. Christian was a shell of a husband physically present but emotionally tied to someone who wasn't me.

Amanda.

I still remember the way he lit up whenever her name was mentioned. He didn't even bother hiding it. She was his first love, the one who "got away." She went overseas to study, leaving him with nothing but promises to stay in touch. And me? I was the rebound. The second choice. The standin wife.

And now, she is back.

It had been all over the news just this morning. I glanced at the TV mounted in the corner of the hospital room. The reporter's voice echoed in my head as if taunting me again:

"Amanda Stewart has returned to the country after years abroad. Her former flame, Christian Holmes, was seen greeting her at the airport with a brand new luxury car. Sources close to the pair confirm they are back together and expecting a baby. An engagement party is reportedly in the works."

The image that followed was burned into my mind: Christian standing at the airport, grinning like he hadn't in years, holding Amanda's hand as they descended from the plane stairs. She looked radiant, glowing in a way I hadn't since... Well, ever.

I was nothing compared to her.

A message pinged on my phone. My heart leapt. Finally, Christian!

I opened the text.

"I don't care Jane . What I care is Amanda her baby is my priority now."

The world around me went down as My chest burned, and tears blurred my vision. I dropped the phone onto the bed.

How could he say that? How could he...

I wiped my face roughly and hit his number. The phone rang once, twice then cut off.

He'd busied me.

It wasn't enough that Amanda had taken him from me; now, he was erasing any chance I had of keeping something someone of my own.

The door creaked open. The doctor peeked in, her expression gentle but firm. "Jane, have you decided?"

My voice was hollow as I spoke. "Yes miss bright." Let's proceed with the surgery." I continued.

"Do you wish to contact anyone before we begin the surgery? "She asked. I wished there was someone to contact but I am just on my own on this . "No" I said

She nodded and gestured for the nurse. As they prepared me for surgery, I caught snippets of their conversation.

"Did you hear about Christian Holmes?" one nurse whispered to the other. "He's such a romantic. Waiting all these years for his first love. And that car he gave her wow, what a man."

I bit my lip to keep from crying. Of course, everyone saw him as a hero. A devoted lover. No one knew the devastation he left behind. No one cared.

The hallway leading to the operating theater was cold and impersonal. The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly above. My heart felt heavier with each step. By the time they laid me on the table, I was numb.

Three hours later, I woke up, groggy and empty. The nurse wheeled me into the doctor's office, where I sat waiting for my discharge papers and prescription.

I felt hollow. Like a shell of myself. I stared out of the window, watching the rain streak down the glass. My phone buzzed again, but I didn't bother checking it. What was the point?

The door burst open, slamming against the wall. My head snapped up, startled. It was Christian. He looked so surprised as he saw me there like he never gets my text or what .

He stood there, his face hard and cold, a storm brewing in his eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here, Jane?"

His voice was ice, cutting through the room like a blade.

Jane's pov

You don't belong here

"I said, what the fuck are you doing here, Jane?" Christian's voice was sharp, demanding, each word cutting through the air like glass.

I looked at him, my expression calm, my hands folded neatly in my lap. It wasn't calm, though not really. It was empty. A practiced indifference. I didn't even flinch, didn't let him see how his words twisted something deep inside me.

Instead, I glanced at the window, pretending not to hear him. Pretending he wasn't even there.

"Jane," he said again, louder this time, stepping closer. "Don't act like you didn't hear me."

Before he could press further, the door opened, and Dr. Bright walked in. She barely glanced at him as she came to stand by my side.

"Mr. Holmes, please," she said firmly, her professional tone leaving no room for argument. "Be calm. She's just come out of the theater. She needs rest."

She handed me a clipboard with discharge papers and a prescription slip. "Here are the documents, Mrs. Holmes," Dr. Bright said gently. "Sign here, and I'll get everything finalized for you."

Before I could pick up the pen, Christian's voice cut through the air again, colder and harsher this time. "Wait. Jane..." He stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as if he were only now piecing something together. "Don't tell me... Don't fucking tell me you terminated the pregnancy."

I froze, the pen hovering over the paper. His words were like a slap, but I wasn't about to let him see the impact. Slowly, I set the pen down and turned to him.

"You've got some nerve, Christian." My voice was soft, steady, but every word carried weight. "You've been ignoring my texts for hours. Hours. You made it perfectly clear how you felt about this baby."

"What the hell are you talking about?" he snapped, his confusion genuine, or at least it seemed that way.

I leaned back in the chair, my arms crossed. "I've been texting you since I got here. I even called you. And you told me, in no uncertain terms, that Amanda and her baby were the only ones you cared about. That I should go ahead and terminate this one because it didn't matter to you."

"That's a lie," he said immediately, his tone sharp. "I never said that. I never texted you, and you never called me. Don't put words in my mouth."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and shoved it in front of me, scrolling through his messages. "See? Nothing. No texts, no calls. Whatever you're talking about, it didn't come from me."

But I didn't even look at the screen. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of trying to defend himself. Instead, I turned to Dr. Bright.

"Is there anything else I need to sign?" I asked her, my voice flat, ignoring the storm brewing just inches away from me.

She hesitated, her eyes flicking between Christian and me before sliding the clipboard back toward me. "Just these, Mrs. Holmes. You're almost done."

I signed the papers quickly, barely noticing my shaky handwriting.

"Do I need a family member to countersign, or is this enough?" I asked the doctor, trying to keep my voice even.

Dr. Bright shook her head. "No, you're fine on your own."

I handed the clipboard back, then turned to Christian. "Go back to Amanda, Christian. That's where you belong. That's where you've always belonged."

The words stung even as I said them, but I kept my face blank.

It was then that I noticed her. Amanda. She was standing just outside the door, her hands resting lightly on her stomach. She winced, clutching her side, her face twisting in pain.

"Christian..." she murmured softly, her voice weak.

His head snapped around immediately, his attention shifting like a reflex. "Amanda?" he said, rushing to her side.

I watched as he caught her before she could stumble, his hands steadying her as if she were made of glass. His touch was so gentle, so caring. The way he looked at her... It was like she was the only thing that mattered in the world.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice soft now, full of concern.

"I think it's just cramps," Amanda said, leaning into him. "I'll be fine."

"Let's get you checked out," he said, his arm around her protectively.

And just like that, I disappeared.

It was like I wasn't even in the room. Like I'd never been in the room.

I stared at them, my chest tightening painfully. The hurt was overwhelming, but I swallowed it down. I refused to let it show.

Christian turned to the doctor. "Can someone take a look at her? Please?"

Dr. Bright nodded. "Of course. Follow me."

As they left the room, I sat there alone, my hands clenched into fists on my lap. The silence was unbearable, but it gave me too much time to think.

How had I ended up here? How had I married a man who could treat me like this? Who could toss me aside so easily?

My mind replayed the last five years, the slow, painful unraveling of our marriage. The way he'd always made me feel like I was competing with someone who wasn't even there. And now that Amanda was back, I'd lost.

Completely and utterly lost.

The door opened again, and Christian walked back in, his expression hard.

"This isn't over, Jane," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "I deserve some fucking answers."

I met his gaze, my own eyes cold. "Do you?"

He didn't reply. Instead, he turned on his heel and left, heading straight back to Amanda.

Jane's pov

His lies

The room was silent, too silent, and my thoughts kept circling back to him Christian. Every moment, every effort, every sacrifice I had made over the years felt like it meant nothing now. I had twisted myself into knots, trying to be what he wanted. A good wife. A loving partner. But nothing I ever did could compete with Amanda, the ghost that had haunted our marriage from the start.

How many nights had I stayed up, waiting for him to come home, only to hear his excuses? How many times had I swallowed my pride, hoping that one day he'd look at me the way he used to talk about her?

I sighed, rubbing my temples as the reality of it all settled deeper into my chest. I looked down at the prescription papers and the small bag of medicine on the chair beside me. I couldn't stay here any longer. I needed to leave.

Grabbing the papers, I stood and headed for the door. The hospital smelled like antiseptic, and every step felt heavier than the last. I stepped outside and hailed a cab, the cold air stinging my cheeks.

"Miss Holmes, wait!"

His voice stopped me for a moment, but I didn't look back. I couldn't. Did he care now? No, of course not. If he cared, he wouldn't have ignored my texts. He wouldn't have made it clear where his priorities lay.

"Miss, where to?" the cab driver asked, glancing at me in the rearview mirror.

"Just drive," I said softly, leaning my head against the window.

When I got home, the emptiness of the house hit me. Everything felt off, and I started feeling unwell almost immediately. A sharp pain twisted in my stomach, and I stumbled toward the bathroom.

"Not again," I whispered, clutching the sink for support.

I gagged violently, blood spilling from my mouth as the room spun around me. My knees gave out, and the last thing I remembered was the cold tile floor pressing against my cheek as everything went black.

When I woke up, I was in my room, still in the same clothes I had worn to the hospital. The dried blood on my shirt made my stomach churn, and I felt weak, shaky. How did I get here?

I pushed myself off the bed, wincing at the ache in my body. The faint smell of food wafted through the air. I walked to the door, holding onto the wall for support, and made my way downstairs.

In the kitchen, the sight stopped me cold.

Christian was there, chopping vegetables, and Amanda was standing beside him, stirring something in a pot. They looked so at ease, like they belonged there, like I was the stranger in my own home.

Amanda was the first to notice me. Her smile was bright, almost smug. "Well, look who's awake," she said, nudging Christian lightly.

He turned, his expression unreadable. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, his voice soft but distant.

I ignored them both, walking to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. I wasn't in the mood for his fake concern or her smug little smirks.

"Jane," Christian said, stepping toward me. "You don't look good. Are you sure"

"I'm fine," I cut him off, brushing past him.

"Jane, stop," he said, his tone sharpening as he followed me out of the kitchen.

I didn't stop. I headed straight back to my room, slamming the door shut behind me. Of course, he wasn't far behind.

"Jane, what the hell is going on?" he demanded. "You can't keep ignoring me. You owe me an explanation. Why the hell would you terminate our baby without even telling me?"

I turned to face him, my anger bubbling to the surface. "Oh, don't act like you care, Christian. You made it very clear how you felt about this baby. Don't come in here pretending to give a damn now."

"What are you even talking about?" he snapped, his frustration evident. "I never said I didn't want the baby. I didn't text you, and I sure as hell didn't tell you to do this!"

"Really?" I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "You're going to stand there and deny it? After everything you said, after ignoring me for hours while you played house with Amanda?"

Christian groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Jane, I didn't get any texts from you. I didn't even see your calls. Look."

He pulled out his phone and held it out to me. "There's nothing here. No missed calls, no messages. Nothing."

I stared at the phone, but I didn't move to take it. "How convenient," I said, my voice flat.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered. "Maybe you didn't even send them. Maybe you're just making all of this up in your head."

My chest tightened at his words, the accusation hanging heavy in the air. "You think I'm lying?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Christian's face softened for a moment, but he didn't back down. "I'm saying something's not adding up. Let's figure it out together. Show me your phone."

I grabbed my phone from my bag and unlocked it, scrolling to my call logs. My heart sank. The calls were gone. I switched to my texts, my hands trembling, but they were wiped clean too.

"Well done, Christian," I said, holding up the blank screen. "I see how far you're willing to go. Deleting my messages? Erasing my call logs? Really?"

He looked genuinely surprised. "Jane, I didn't touch your phone. I swear to God. Maybe... maybe something's wrong with your phone."

"Of course," I said bitterly. "Because nothing is ever your fault, is it?"

He stepped closer, his voice rising. "You're being impossible! I didn't do anything to your phone, and I didn't tell you to terminate the baby. Why the hell would I ever say that?"

I was too tired to argue anymore. "You know what, Christian? Believe whatever you want. I don't care anymore."

Before he could respond, another sharp pain shot through my stomach. I clutched my side, doubling over slightly.

"Jane, stop this," Christian said, his voice cold. "You're fine. Stop pretending."

I straightened up, glaring at him. "You're unbelievable."

Just then, Amanda's voice rang out from the kitchen. "Christian? Can you come here for a second?"

Without hesitation, he turned and left the room, leaving me standing there, clutching my stomach.

I could hear him in the kitchen, his voice soft and caring as he spoke to Amanda. It was everything I had ever wanted from him, and he gave it to her without a second thought.

Tears burned my eyes as I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor. I had spent years hoping for a love like that, and now, I realized I had been chasing something that was never mine to begin with.