Chapter 8 I'm Not Divorcing You
942 Words
Irene sent the butler, Jack, to Victor's place to try and bring him over, but Victor didn't come.
Jack came back with Victor's words. "I never treat the unfaithful and ungrateful patients."
Jack relayed the message to Irene word for word.
Irene was leaning weakly against her bed, her face as pale as death, her breathing ragged and heavy. Jack stood beside her, his face lined with worry.
"Nola! That b***h! It must be her! She's stopping Victor from treating me! She's trying to kill me!" Irene yelled, her voice sharp and grating.
Her anger got the best of her, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood just as Sean came in.
Sean rushed to her bedside, his heart pounding. "Mom, are you okay?"
"Honey, you're finally here." Irene's eyes were filled with venom. "Your so-called wife is keeping Dr. Fellows from treating me. She wants me dead!"
Sean frowned and glanced at Jack in confusion. Jack spoke in a low voice, "Mrs. Buren fell seriously ill two years ago, and it was only after Dr. Fellows' careful treatment that her life was saved. Recently, it seems Ms. Olley visited Dr. Fellows, and ever since, he's refused to come for any more treatment..."
"Is there some sort of misunderstanding? She promised—"
"Misunderstanding?!" Irene cut him off with a sharp scream before breaking into another fit of violent coughing, her pale lips now smeared with blood.
Sean's chest tightened. He quickly grabbed Irene's shoulders and said, "Mom, please stay calm. I'll go talk to Victor myself."
"Don't bother!" She shoved Sean's hands away and said bitterly, "Nola must have conspired with Victor long ago. She did all this to me!"
After a moment of silence, Sean added, "Then I'll find you another doctor and deal with Nola when I'm back. She's really gone too far this time!"
Meanwhile, I was sipping wine alone, my mind drifting. Suddenly, a loud crash shattered the peace.
With a bang, the door flew open.
Sean stormed in, his face twisted with rage. I raised my eyebrows and watched him marching toward me, each step heavy with anger.
"How long are you going to keep this up?" he spat, swatting the wine glass from my hand.
It shattered on the floor with a sharp crack, and the red wine spilled across the carpet.
I gestured for Mila to leave.
Once Mila was gone, I said, "Sean, calm down, okay?"
"Calm down? You want me to calm down? Victor refused to treat my mother, and you did it, didn't you?"
I took a sigh, already knowing this confrontation was coming.
"I never interfere with Victor's decision," I protested.
"Bullshit! Without you meddling, why the hell would he refuse?"
His voice grew louder, but I only felt myself getting calmer.
"Are you questioning Victor's professional ethics now?"
"Cut the act! You're just using this to blackmail me, trying to stop me from marrying Aliya!"
I let out a cold laugh, the irony hitting me hard.
"Do you have any proof to back up your accusations?" I asked him.
"Proof? Someone saw you go to Victor's place, and now you're denying it?" he retorted with a glare.
I did go to Victor's place, but it was to plead on his mother's behalf. Victor had refused to make house calls, but Irene was dying, and only he could treat her. I felt pity when I saw her lying on the bed, but looking back, my kindness had been wasted.
"You're despicable. Even if I don't marry Aliya, I'll never give you any bit of care again. Aliya is better in all aspects than you. She'd never stoop to such dirty tricks!"
I stood quietly, letting him blow off his steam.
"Do you know Aliya stayed up all night by my mother's bedside yesterday? She's so kind and caring. But look at you, you're still in the mood to drink wine! You make me sick!"
I almost laughed at how naive he was.
"Yeah, I'm despicable, and I played all those dirty tricks. Since you hate me so much and Aliya's such an angel, let's just get divorced," I said in a cold tone.
His face froze, like someone had doused him with a bucket of cold water.
"What?" Sean asked.
"You heard me. You've been wanting to be with Aliya, huh? I'll make it easy for you."
Sean was quiet for a moment, but his anger quickly returned.
"Not a chance! You think I'm going to fall for your trap?"
"Trap? What trap?"
"You're trying to use divorce to manipulate me! Listen, it's not going to work!"
I looked at him, feeling a deeper sense of disappointment.
I asked, "You think I'm threatening you?"
"What else is it? You're not willing to walk away from everything this marriage gives you, right?"
His words chilled me to the bone. So, in his mind, our marriage was just about the benefits?
"Sean Buren, you've really let me down."
"Spare me the act! I'm pretty clear what game you're playing!"
I shook my head and said nothing. Seeing my reaction, Sean got even more furious.
"Listen, I'm not divorcing you, and I'm not giving up Aliya either! Without me, you're nothing!" he roared with all his might.
With that, he stormed out and slammed the door shut.
I grabbed a new glass, poured myself more wine, and downed it in one go.
The one who couldn't let go of this marriage wasn't me—it was Sean. He wouldn't dare divorce me because he was afraid of being called ungrateful. A leader who couldn't stay loyal would never earn his followers' respect.
- Writer
