Till Death Do Us Part

04. Ulterior Motive.

(Larry's POV)

I still couldn't believe that Vanessa filed for a divorce, and the most confusing part was that she refused to accept any alimony. She was a poor girl with no family, so how did she plan on getting by if she didn't accept any money?

As I parked in front of the jewelry store, I decided to push the thought aside. It didn't matter what she wanted, my decision was final. After what her family did to me, she thought she could just leave whenever she wanted, well in her dreams!

I walked into the store and a petite lady bumped into me, I looked down and was surprised to find Vanessa crouched on the floor. She seemed to be reaching for something and when I saw what it was, I got even angrier.

Intentionally acting like I didn't see it, I stepped on the little ring and walked over to Sandra. "Sorry I'm late, the meeting lasted longer than I expected."

Sandra smiled and linked her arm with mine, obviously to spite Vanessa. "It's fine. I just got here not quite long and Vanessa and I have been negotiating on a price for her ring." She said, smiling at Vanessa who had already gotten to her feet.

"Negotiating?" So she wanted to sell her wedding ring. When I gave it to her, she said she would never take it off, and she actually did it. Except for when she was in the shower and when she went to bed, the ring was always on her finger. Seeing her trying to sell it off left a bitter taste in my mouth. "You're selling your ring?"

"Yes. Would you like to buy it, Mr Thompson?" She answered almost immediately, and it pissed me off.

"What happened to treasuring it forever?"

"The same thing that happened to our wedding vows. In all sincerity, it was my intention of treasure it for a lifetime, just like I was willing to do with you. But judging by the way you stepped on the it just now, it's clear to me that not only do you not care about the ring itself, but every word, every memory and every promise meant nothing to you. So I see no reason why I have to hold on to a worthless piece of metal."

I wanted to say something back, something mean or at least cool, but nothing came to mind. All I could do was watch Vanessa intently, there was something different about her, and I just couldn't place my finger on it.

She turned to leave when she suddenly staggered, almost falling. Instinctively, my body moved forward and in a split second, I was holding her in my arms.

It wasn't obvious before due to the oversized sweater she was putting on, but as I held her in my arms, the realization that she was smaller started to dawn on me.

She removed herself from my hold and frowned, but it looked to me like she was trying to mask what she was truly feeling. She was looking more pale and beads of sweat were on her forehead, even though it was a bit chilly. Her breathing had grown faster than before, and it looked like she was trembling.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked, accessing her body to see if she was hurt.

"None of your business, Mr Thompson."

Her voice had lost the icy edge it held just a minute ago, and instead she sounded weak. She turned and slowly walked out of the store without so much as a second glance.

I did nothing to stop her but I couldn't help the pained feeling that was in my heart. It was obvious that she was not okay, but it would look bad if I were to leave Sandra to go after her.

I couldn't concentrate on the shopping because an image of the tired looking Vanessa would randomly pop up in my head. After paying for the things Sandra bought, I immediately drove back home, but when I got there, she was nowhere to be found.

I went into her room but she wasn't there either, instead her suitcases were next to the bed, and the entire room had been cleaned out.

I dialed her number but there was no response.

"Where the hell did you go?!"

***

(Vanessa's POV)

Once again, I was in a hospital ward.

After I left the jewelry store, my heart wouldn't stop pounding hard. At a point, it felt like I was about to die. I already said I wasn't going to visit him but I had no choice.

I went back to doctor Wook's hospital and he took me in before I even said a word.

"I'm not exactly surprised that you're here today again. " He said with folded arms while watching me. "You were in such a hurry to leave the other day that you didn't let me get any word in."

I lowered my head but gave no reply and he sighed and walked closer to me. "Miss Vanessa, I don't know what's going on in your life right now, and I don't know the reason behind your decision to forgo the treatment, but what I know is this. You have heart failure, and the slightest things can be a trigger to you." He paused and took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes for a while, then put them back on. "I can't believe I'm saying this but, at least try to stay away from things that can make you sad or worried.

If your blood pressure were to spike with your condition, it could lead to a heart attack. And on the other hand, you can't use too much of boood pressure medicine because it might make your condition worse.

Other than medication, the only way to avoid high blood pressure is by keeping yourself happy at all times. Don't think about anything negative, and avoid any form of strain. Physical, mentally and emotionally. It can't make your condition any better, but at least it'll keep it from getting worse quickly.

Then, allow me to prescribe some drugs for you. They're not expensive but they are effective. They'll help you fight against sudden attacks like the one you had today."

The doctor was clearly trying to save my life but I was flat broke. I didn't have a dime to my name, heck I didn't even have an account! How on earth was I supposed to say something like that?

But it turned out that I didn't even need to say it.

"Would you be willing to work?" Doctor Wook asked, and I looked up at him. "I'll consider your condition so you won't have to do anything too demanding."

I hesitated for a second before I finally decided to ask. "Why are you helping me?"

He sighed and stared at me for a few seconds before he said, "In all sincerity, I'm doing this because I have an ulterior motive." He replied, then gently he moved closer and sat next to me on the bed. "Vanessa, do you know who I am?" He asked, his voice coming out softly.

I didn't think so so I shook my head.

"You're sure?" He asked and I nodded. "Well I know you. The first time I saw you, you were a freshman in college. You attended Primeview university if I'm correct?"

He was right so I nodded.

"I did too, but I wasn't a student when you were. I was working at their teaching hospital then. I only saw you for about three weeks before I left Brimesville, but in those three weeks, I fell helplessly in love with you.

Believe it or not, I haven't been with anyone ever since then. Part of it is because I'm much too focused on my job but I'm also still not over you.

The other day when I saw you, I was so scared because I didn't know what happened to you. I had the intention of telling you, but with what happened that day, the mood didn't feel right."

I listened wordlessly as doctor Wook explained how he felt and how hard he tried to connect with me when he got back into town.

Immediately my heart felt tinted with regret. For six years, I was much too focused on worshipping Larry that I didn't think there was a world outside our relationship.

Doctor Wook was a very good looking man, even more than Larry, he was obviously older too. And he looked wealthy. I was sure that if I was with him, my life would have turned out better than it did. Maybe I wouldn't have ended up with the illness I had. But it was too overwhelming.

Between my fight for freedom with Larry, and coming to terms with my illness, I didn't think I could handle being with another man at the monent.

"I'm sorry, I -I should go." I got up and ran out of the ward, and doctor Wook made no attempts to stop me.

I staggered back home, my mind was a blurred mess and I didn't know what to do.

Larry was seated at the dining when I went in. I decided to ignore him and just go up to my room but his voice stopped me.

"Where did you go again?" He demanded. "It seems you've been going out more often these days. You have no job, no friends and all your family are dead. So where the hell is a married woman going to all the time?!"

I ignored his question and continued to walk away. I wasn't prepared for his touch when he grabbed my wrist so I tripped on my own foot and fell to the ground. This time he made no attempt to catch me and instead just stared at me as I laid on the floor.

"What exactly do you want from me?!" I cried out. "Why can't you just leave me alone?!" I was tired, I was more than tired.

"Leave you alone? Don't be silly. When I said I own you, did you think that was a joke? Do you actually expect me to let you go just like that? What about my sister?! What's going to happen to my sister if I just let you go?!

Not on your life!

Vanessa Taylor, I am never going to divorce you. Ever!"