The Arranged Wife He Never Wanted - Until She left

Chapter Five: The Divorce

I felt myself falling, my legs completely giving out beneath me. I thought I was about to hit the floor face-first.

But then, strong arms wrapped around my waist, catching me mid-fall. The fresh, clean scent of peppermint filled my senses, momentarily pulling me back from the edge of unconsciousness.

"You're burning up... Do you have a fever?" Adrian's voice came from above me, and there was actually a hint of concern in it.

Something protective seemed to kick in automatically, because suddenly he was holding me closer, steadying me against his chest.

'She's so thin and fragile, like she'd break if I held her too tight.'

"This doesn't concern you!" I hissed through clenched teeth, trying desperately to regain my balance. I pushed against his chest stubbornly, attempting to free myself from his arms.

After the divorce papers were signed, I'd fully intended to walk away elegantly, leaving Adrian standing there in the dust. I wanted to avoid giving him any impression that I was using my illness to manipulate him or gain his sympathy.

However, no matter how hard I tried to act tough, my body was completely exhausted. My fever had gotten worse, and even after finally getting my footing back, I immediately staggered backward, my vision swimming.

Seeing this, Adrian reached out and caught me again, lifting me up bridal style without asking permission. "I'll take you to the hospital."

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" I was visibly upset now and wriggled in his arms with whatever strength I had left. "Do you not remember that we've separated? We're getting divorced!"

"You're still considered my wife during the one-month waiting period," Adrian said firmly, his grip tightening slightly to keep me from falling. "Legally, you're still Mrs. Blake."

Watching them about to leave together, Briar went into an absolute state of panic. This was definitely not what she'd wanted to happen.

She immediately placed one hand on her small baby bump, feigning weakness and distress. "Adrian, wait up! I can't walk that fast when I'm pregnant..."

"Stay here. I'll have Elijah pick you up later," Adrian said in a deep, authoritative voice without even turning back to look at her. "I can't just stand back and watch when she's clearly sick."

Hearing this, I nearly rolled my eyes so hard they'd have fallen out of my head.

'What the hell is he doing?! First, he gets his mistress pregnant and forces his wife into a divorce. Now he's acting like he still cares about me?!'

'Who does he think he is? Is he trying to play some twisted game with me? This jerk... Turns out he really is a perfect match for Briar! They're both manipulative and ridiculous!'

'If that's how you want to play it, don't blame me for what I do next!'

I decided to switch up my strategy completely. I wrapped my arms around Adrian's neck and leaned into him. While batting my eyelashes flirtatiously, I said in the sweetest voice I could manage, "Thank you so much, my dear ex-husband."

Adrian's expression darkened immediately, his jaw clenching tight. He went completely speechless. No one could tell what was running through his mind at that moment.

Meanwhile, the color absolutely drained from Briar's face as she watched us. She was consumed by pure, seething anger and jealousy.

I could feel her glaring daggers into my back as Adrian carried me toward his car, but I didn't care anymore. Let her stew in her own bitterness.

For once, I was going to enjoy watching someone else squirm instead of being the one left behind, heartbroken and humiliated.

Adrian placed me carefully in the passenger seat of his Bugatti and closed the door. As he walked around to the driver's side, I caught a glimpse of Briar standing there on the courthouse steps, her hand still on her belly, her face twisted with fury and disbelief.

Good. Let her feel a fraction of what I'd felt for four years.

As Adrian started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, I leaned my burning forehead against the cool window and closed my eyes, a small, satisfied smile playing on my lips despite how awful I felt physically.

Maybe I was being petty. Maybe I should have just walked away cleanly.

But after everything they'd put me through, I figured I'd earned the right to be a little bit petty.

At the hospital, Adrian stayed by my side throughout the entire process. He even went as far as waiting with me for the blood test results.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for the hospital to get back to us with answers.

"Her temperature is currently 103.3 degrees Fahrenheit. You do realize that she has a viral infection on top of a bacterial infection, right? If she'd gotten here any later, you'd be looking at a cold corpse instead of a fever patient."

After reviewing the report, the doctor adjusted his glasses and proceeded to lecture Adrian sternly. "What kind of husband are you? How could you let your wife go out wearing such thin clothing in this freezing weather, with a high fever no less? How heartless can you be?"

Just as Adrian was about to explain the situation, I started speaking in this sickeningly sweet, pathetic tone, forcing out fake tears. "Doctor, please don't blame him for this. He may have emotionally starved me and shut me out in the cold... He may be very temperamental and takes his anger out on me constantly... He may have cheated on me and is forcing me into a divorce right now, but... I'm willing to endure all of this for him. He's just way too handsome—I couldn't possibly hold a grudge against him!"

Adrian looked absolutely confused. 'What is she saying? Why is she acting so completely different from the woman I remember?'

The doctor seemed very taken aback as well, looking between the two of us with obvious disbelief. "Ah, the younger generation... Always full of... surprises."

"Your condition should stabilize once you've taken the medication I've prescribed. You may rest here until the IV drip is finished," the doctor said before quickly leaving the ward, probably wanting to escape the weird tension.

With that, Adrian and I were left as the only two people in the hospital room, which created this incredibly awkward atmosphere.

Despite being married for four years, we had rarely spent any real time alone together. This felt strange and uncomfortable.

Adrian shoved his hands into his pockets and stood there looming over me, asking bluntly, "Are you done with the games?"

I cleared my throat awkwardly and replied simply, "Yeah."

The truth was, I'd just realized that I could've actually died if I'd kept pushing myself and fooling around any longer. The doctor's words had genuinely scared me.

"Why didn't you reschedule today's meeting when you realized you had such a high fever?" Adrian asked, his voice carrying a hint of something I couldn't quite identify. Concern? Annoyance? I couldn't tell.

My cheeks were flushed bright red from the fever. I lay there on the hospital bed, suddenly feeling small and vulnerable again—that defenseless little version of myself that he was so familiar with. For some strange reason, seeing me like this made his chest ache.

"What's the point of rescheduling? It's inevitable anyway, isn't it?" I replied softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

Though I desperately wished things could be different, I knew I shouldn't let myself drown in fantasies about Adrian ever loving me back. That ship had sailed—or rather, it had never left the harbor in the first place.

"Thank you for bringing me here today. I'm fine now, so you can leave. Your pregnant girlfriend is waiting for you, after all."

My words seemed to snap Adrian back to reality. His expression shifted slightly as he responded, "Alright, I'll be going then."

He turned to leave, and I felt that familiar ache in my chest—the one I'd been carrying for four years. Even now, even after everything, watching him walk away hurts.

Just then, a tall, slender figure appeared in the doorway, nearly colliding with Adrian.

"Boss! How the hell did you end up in the hospital over a divorce?!"

Lucas Kane burst into the room with his characteristic lack of filter, his eyes wide with concern and confusion.

Adrian stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at me, then at Lucas, his expression unreadable.

I could practically see the questions forming in his mind: Who was this man? Why was he calling me "boss"? What exactly was going on?

But before Adrian could ask anything, Lucas rushed to my bedside, completely ignoring him.

"I got your message and came as fast as I could. What happened? Are you okay?" Lucas's voice was filled with genuine worry as he looked me over, taking in my flushed face and the IV in my arm.

The tension in the room suddenly became suffocating. Adrian stood frozen by the door, watching this interaction with an expression that was growing darker by the second.

And me? I was too tired and feverish to care about the drama unfolding. I just wanted to sleep.

"Lucas," I said weakly, "we'll talk about the investigation later. Right now, I just need a rest."

"Of course, of course," Lucas said quickly, pulling up a chair beside my bed. "I'll stay here with you."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Adrian's jaw clench tight before he finally turned and walked out of the room without another word.

Good. Let him wonder. Let him feel even a fraction of the confusion and hurt I'd felt watching him with Briar.

I closed my eyes and let exhaustion finally pull me under.