Chapter 3 Forced to Divorce
978 Words
Jayden stormed out of the hospital room without a backward glance after throwing down those harsh words.
Isabelle instinctively tried to chase after him, desperate to explain, but before she could leave, a nurse came in holding her crying baby.
"The baby's hungry. You should feed him now!" the nurse urged.
With no choice, Isabelle took her baby and lay back down. Once the baby was fed and fast asleep, she hesitated to leave him alone. Picking up her phone, she dialed Jayden's number, only to discover she had been blocked.
Refusing to give up, she called his assistant, Ian Powell, instead. Ian's voice was rushed and clipped. "Mr. Turner is very angry and doesn't want to hear from you. Please don't call again." He hung up before she could respond.
Anxious and helpless, Isabelle debated whether to call Jayden's mother. But before she could decide, the phone rang—it was Lucy Flores, Jayden's mother.
"Isabelle, I've underestimated you. I thought you were just from a poor background, but I didn't expect you to stoop so low!" Lucy accused, her voice dripping with disdain.
"I didn't…" Isabelle began, but Lucy cut her off with a cold scoff.
"Don't even try to deny it. Jayden's too soft-hearted. Even now, he's protecting you by keeping this scandal quiet. But the lawyer is already on the way to the hospital. If you know what's good for you, you'll sign the divorce papers and get lost. Otherwise, I won't hold back!"
"Mother, I swear I've done nothing to betray Jayden!" Isabelle protested.
The line went dead with a sharp click, leaving Isabelle frozen in place. For the first time, she understood what it meant to be utterly defenseless against baseless accusations.
Her mind raced. Jayden had mentioned that Ellie went into surgery before her, which meant Ellie must be in one of the nearby hospital rooms. Determined, Isabelle rang the call button and pleaded with the nurse who came in.
"Can you tell me which room Ellie is in?"
The nurse hesitated but eventually relented.
"Please, watch over my baby for a bit," Isabelle said, clutching the nurse's arm. "I'll be back soon, and I'll make sure to thank you properly."
The nurse nodded. "Go on, don't worry about him."
Isabelle gritted her teeth against the pain from her stitches and made her way toward Ellie's room, taking nearly 15 minutes to get there. But when she finally arrived, the room was empty.
A nurse inside was tidying the bed. "Are you looking for Mrs. Turner? Mr. Turner just transferred her and the baby to another hospital."
Isabelle froze. 'Mrs. Turner?' If Ellie was Mrs. Turner, then what did that make her?
Before she could process the words, a piercing alarm broke through her thoughts.
"Fire! Room 818 is on fire!" someone shouted.
Her heart dropped. Room 818—her room.
"The baby!" Isabelle gasped, rushing back downstairs. Flames engulfed the room by the time she arrived.
"Miss, you can't go in there!" A nurse grabbed her arm. "It's too late. The fire started from an electrical short circuit. The baby… I'm sorry, but the baby didn't make it. You'll only get yourself killed if you go in."
Isabelle collapsed to the floor, darkness swallowing her whole.
*****
When she regained consciousness, the first thing she saw was a small white urn sitting on the bedside table.
The nurse at her side tried to comfort her. "Miss Morgan, please accept our condolences. The hospital will discuss compensation with you once you're feeling better. Right now, the most important thing is to rest. You can always have another child in the future."
Isabelle felt like she'd been struck by lightning. She shot upright. "What did you say? Say it again!"
The nurse flinched, stammering, "Your injuries reopened yesterday, and the doctor just stitched you back up. Please lie down…"
Isabelle grabbed the nurse's wrist, her eyes wild. "Where's my baby? Give me back my baby!"
The nurse burst into tears. "Please, calm down! If your baby sees you like this, his spirit won't be at peace!"
Her vision blurred, Isabelle felt her body give out as she fainted again.
*****
The maternity ward whispered about the woman clutching an urn, staring into the void as though already dead.
Over the next two days, Isabelle pieced together the truth. The fire, sudden and perfectly timed, couldn't be a coincidence. Ellie had to be behind it, and Jayden was complicit.
'He's so blinded by her that he's become her accomplice.'
Isabelle swore she would avenge her child.
*****
Jayden arrived at the hospital two days later, called in by staff concerned for Isabelle's well-being.
He told himself he hated her. But when he saw her pale, lifeless form on the bed, a flicker of guilt and unease crept into his chest.
Yet he quickly buried it under anger. 'This is her fault. She brought this on herself.'
Isabelle's eyes snapped to him, her voice trembling with fury. "Why are you here? I don't want to see you!"
"You think I wanted to come?" Jayden snapped, clenching his fists. "You haven't signed the divorce papers. Legally, I'm still your husband. The hospital called me because—"
"Did you bring the papers?" Isabelle interrupted coldly.
"What?"
"The divorce papers. Do you have them? I'll sign them right now."
Jayden's jaw tightened. "You're in such a rush to run off with your lover?"
"I am," Isabelle said flatly. "So hand them over."
Her indifference stung more than Jayden expected. He lashed out, his voice dripping with venom. "Where is your lover, anyway? Did he abandon you after your bastard child burned to death?"
The word "bastard" cut like a knife.
Without hesitation, Isabelle climbed out of bed, summoned strength from her fury, and slapped him hard across the face.
The sound echoed sharply through the room.
- Writer
