---- Chapter 5 The nurse gave me a shot of painkillers, glanced cautiously at Ethan, and then followed the doctor out of the room Mr. Carter's gaze flickered between Ethan and me, his expression understanding more than | wished he did. He nodded at me. "Vivian, think about what | said. I'll be in touch" When they left, the room fell into an uncomfortable silence, broken only by Ethan's ragged breathing, His eyes, bloodshot and wide with disbelief, locked onto me. "Vivian, this isn't real, right? You told me it was just a cold last time..." looked at the man still kneeling on the floor and sighed. "Ethan, if you'd come to the hospital even once, you'd know better." It had been about two weeks since Ethan told me he was going on a business trip to another city. Confident everything would be fine, he dumped all the company's responsibilities on me. | worked double shifts, eventually collapsing at my desk late one night. It was one of my coworkers who found me and rushed me to the hospital the next morning, ---- Years of overworking myself to help Ethan secure his place in the industry had finally broken me down, So when the doctor delivered the diagnosis, | wasn't surprised When they told me | needed surgery and required a family member to sign the papers, | made my first call to Ethan in days The moment he picked up, loud music and laughter filled the line. "What's up?" His voice was impatient, annoyed. Clutching the phone tightly, | rushed out the words before he could hang up. "Vm sick. | need surgery. A sweet, syrupy voice interrupted from his side of the line. "Mr. Harrington, who are you talking to?" Ethan covered the receiver but didn't bother to lower his voice. "| provide for you, dor't I? What could you possibly be sick with? Take some medicine and get over it." "And don't make up lame excuses to try and get me back to the office. If you can't handle your job, just say so. I'l find someone who can." The line went dead. The doctor came in with the consent forms. ---- "When will your family member be here?" | shook my head and forced a smile. "Ive decided against the surgery. Just give me some medication" Eventually | returned to work, enduring the pain, only to find that Ethan had brought Maddie on board-not just to replace me as his secretary but perhaps as something more. Blinking back to the present, | saw Ethan still frozen in place. Maybe he was remembering how he'd been spending his time with Maddie while I'd been struggling alone He crawled to my bedside, gently taking my hand, the one with the IV still attached. "Vivian, I messed up. I'll do whatever it takes-spend whatever it costs-to make you better." My eyes caught the faint lipstick smudge on his cuff. | pulled my hand away and pressed my lips into a thin line. "if you really want to make it up to me, then agree to the divorce." His eyes filled with tears, his lips trembling "No. | can't. | won't. | need you. | can't live without you." How funny, Just a few weeks ago, he seemed to be doing just fine with Maddie by his side. ---- Now, all of a sudden, he couldn't live without me? Exhaustion settled over me like a heavy blanket. | closed my eyes, shutting him out. | didn't know how long | lay there before | felt the warmth of a single tear land on the back of my hand, quickly wiped away by trembling fingers. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!