After My Golden Died, I Divorced Him

Chapter 2 The Final Straw

I stood up and slid the medical bill across the desk. "Just doing my job, Mr. Hayes. You can settle the stomach pumping and hospitalization fees at the front desk."

My voice was so deadpan that it actually scared me.

Julian's Adam's apple bobbed heavily. He gently peeled Chloe off his chest.

"Chloe, go check on Lucky. I'll go pay the bill," he said.

Chloe nodded obediently and trotted off toward the observation ward.

The lobby emptied out, leaving just the two of us.

Julian immediately closed the distance between us. He grabbed my wrist, lowering his voice into an urgent hiss. "Nina, listen to me. I can explain."

I violently yanked my arm back, grabbing a sterile wipe from the desk to scrub my wrist. "Aren't you supposed to be piecing together a dismembered body, Dr. Hayes? Did the body parts scatter all the way to a veterinary clinic?"

The color drained from Julian's face, but he quickly masked it with that familiar, self-righteous indignation. "Nina, Chloe is Mr. Davis's only daughter. Mr. Davis took a stab for me years ago. He literally died saving my life, and his dying wish was for me to look after his daughter. Chloe suffers from severe clinical depression and a congenital heart defect. She can't handle any stress. I'm her only emotional support. She only calls me her husband when she's having a psychotic episode, and I just have to indulge her. Just be the bigger person, okay? Are you seriously going to pick a fight over a sick patient?"

Staring at the face I knew so well, I suddenly felt like I was looking at a total stranger.

"Be the bigger person"? For seven years, I had been the ultimate "considerate" wife.

I was considerate tolerating his endless overtime. I was considerate managing our entire household alone. I was considerate enough to never snoop through his phone.

And what did I get in return? He indulged another woman's psychotic episodes, and in doing so, reduced me to a complete joke.

"Indulge her?" I let out a sneer. "Is that why you got her an engagement present? Is that why you took those lovey-dovey pictures for her lock screen? Julian, are you trying to make a fool out of me, or are you just making a fool out of yourself?"

Julian ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "She pointed at the dog in the window, and I just swiped my card! The photo was her idea. She literally dragged me into it. She has a bad heart, Nina! What the hell was I supposed to do? I only went over to drop off her medication, and the dog happened to get sick. Was I supposed to just let her have a heart attack from the panic? Do you really have to be this hysterical right now?"

"Hysterical"?

I closed my eyes and took a long, trembling breath.

So, in his eyes, defending the basic dignity of my own marriage made me hysterical.

"Julian, have you paid the bill yet? Lucky seems really scared," Chloe said. Her voice drifted out of the ward.

Julian whipped his head around, his tone instantly melting into pure honey. "Coming, sweetie."

He turned back to me, his eyes flashing with a sharp warning. "Nina, we'll talk about this at home. Just don't set her off right now."

Without waiting for a response, he turned his back on me and strode toward the front desk.

Watching him walk away, I felt a wave of profound nausea wash over me.

I sat back down and woke up my phone screen.

There was an unread message from my former college professor, Ryan Evans.

Ryan: Nina, the board just approved your offer for the chief fellowship at the Loston Institute. It's a three-year closed training program. Once you're in, you can't just quit. I need your final answer by next Friday. Have you thought it over?

It was a highly coveted spot Ryan had helped me secure a month ago. Only two doctors in the country were selected.

At the time, the thought of being away from Julian made me hesitate.

Now, I stared at the message and typed out a definitive reply without a second of hesitation.

Nina: I'm in.

After hitting "Send", I started gathering my things to leave.

Julian walked back from the front desk and frowned deeply when he saw me out of my scrubs.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

I didn't even bother looking at him. "Clocking out."

Julian stepped in front of me, blocking the exit. "No, you're not. Lucky isn't stabilized yet. Chloe is terrified. You're the attending vet, so you need to stay overnight and monitor him."

I actually laughed out loud. "Julian, it's 2 a.m. The night-shift doctor has already taken over. I am under absolutely no obligation to pull an all-nighter for your dog. Besides, did you completely forget what day it is today?"

Julian froze, a flicker of genuine confusion crossing his face.

He forgot.

Today was our seventh wedding anniversary.

Just yesterday, he had sworn up and down that he would be off work early to take me out for a romantic candlelight dinner.

Looking at his blank stare, I lost whatever lingering desire I had to remind him.

"Move," I said coldly.

Julian's face darkened. He leaned in, lowering his voice into an angry hiss. "Nina! Chloe is on the verge of a breakdown. Can you show an ounce of empathy? What happened to all that compassion you have for the stray cats and dogs you rescue?"

I looked him dead in the eye and enunciated every single word. "My compassion is for innocent animals, not for manipulative bitches."

Without another word, I shoved him aside and stepped out, letting the endless night swallow me whole.