After 7 Years in Jail, I Left Them

Chapter 4

Theo spun around so fast his jacket flared, his blazing anger barely masking the flicker of guilt beneath the surface.

"Can you stop being so dramatic for five minutes?"

I let out a soft, hollow laugh. "When feelings change, splitting up is only natural. Besides, I've wanted a divorce since seven years ago anyway."

It seemed to hit him like a freight train. He froze stock-still, the veins at his temple throbbing into sharp, angry ridges under his skin.

He marched over, grabbed both armrests of my wheelchair so hard his knuckles whitened, his gaze boring into mine with an intensity that felt like it was trying to drill straight through my skull.

"Don't ever say that again. And don't make your brother and Fiona worry, okay? Promise me."

Dead silence settled over the room, so heavy you could practically taste it.

After a long beat, I gave a small, slow nod.

Harry came back not long after, and the three of us blew out the candles and cut the cake in a weird, suffocating silence that hung heavier than lead.

I said I was tired, so Theo wheeled me back to my room and lifted me gently onto the bed.

Then Harry slammed the door open so hard the walls shook, his face twisted with rage. He shoved his phone screen so close to my face the blue light burned my eyes.

"Riana, did you post this thread? Do you hate her that much? Do you think ruining her will make your legs grow back?"

Turns out, Fiona's name was sitting at the very top of the trending search list.

The anonymous post laid out all her dirty laundry: she'd hit someone and fled the scene of the accident, let her own younger sister take the blame and go to jail, then stole her sister's husband, knowingly stepping in as a homewrecker. A completely rotten moral character, plain and simple.

I shook my head. "It wasn't me."

But neither of them believed a word I said. They just wrote it off as a lame excuse.

"Record a clarification video right now!" Harry snapped the order, his tone sharp and uncompromising.

Just then, Theo's phone buzzed to life with a sharp ringtone.

Fiona's weak, pained voice crackled through the speaker. "Theo... the paparazzi were chasing me, my car flipped over. I think it's catching fire... I saw the trending searches. Don't blame Riana, everything she said is true. I'm getting what I deserve..."

The call cut out abruptly with a sharp static crackle.

Harry and Theo both went deathly pale. The looks they shot me were laced with pure, burning hatred, and then they bolted out the door without a second thought.

Two hours later, Theo came back. He didn't say a single word as he took me straight to the hospital.

Fiona had been pulled out of the wreck alive, but her only functioning kidney had ruptured completely. They wanted me to give her one of mine.

"You posted that thread, that's why the paparazzi were chasing her! You did this to Fiona!"

I let out a cold, mocking laugh, didn't say a single word back, and signed my name on the organ donation consent form.

A flicker of reluctance and guilt crossed Theo's eyes.

I just closed my eyes. The anesthetic flooded my veins, and I slipped into unconsciousness in seconds.

End of Riana's POV

Fiona's surgery was a complete success. They stuck to her side like glue, waiting on her hand and foot. It wasn't until she woke up that they finally remembered there was still Riana to check on.

"Where's my wife? How is she?" Theo grabbed a nurse who was hurrying past.

The nurse's face was grim. "Family of Riana Phillips, the patient has developed a severe post-surgical infection. Please sign this critical condition notice."

Theo's heart dropped like a stone. His hand trembled so violently he could barely hold the pen.

Thirty minutes later, the nurse stepped out again. This time, the paper in her hand was a death notification.

"What?" Theo lifted his head in a daze, convinced he'd misheard because he was so strung out. He stared at the nurse, eyes wide with disbelief.

Just then, a delivery worker walked out of the elevator, calling out loudly, "Which one of you is Mr. Theo Phillips?" He handed Theo a large cardboard box.

Theo stared blankly at the sender's field, where Riana's name was printed. An icy cold dread coiled in the pit of his stomach.

His hand seemed to move on its own, shaking as it tore open the seal.

Inside the box, a pure white wedding dress was folded neatly. On top of it lay a signed divorce agreement, resting quietly.

His breath hitched entirely. Tears spilled down his cheeks before he even realized it.

The moment he realized what it meant, Theo jerked his head up. He roared and charged at the closed ICU doors as two orderlies tried to hold him back.

"Let go of me! I need to see my wife! She's not dead!"