Revenge of the Discarded Ex-Wife

Lysandra Rain had been falling since we entered Pearl Metropolis. I watched it run down the SUV window, blurring the shops and buildings outside. The city looked much the same as I remembered. It had been Six years now and I hadn’t expected to feel anything coming back here. I’d spent years telling myself Pearl Metropolis was just another city, nothing more than a place I’d once lived. It seems that, I’d been lying to myself. “Boss, we’re almost there,” Darius said from the front seat. “The hospital is expecting you.” I nodded and looked away from the window. “Any problems?” “None so far. The security team arrived ahead of us, and everything’s ready.” “Good. And remember, I’m here as a doctor. Nothing else.” He met my eyes in the rearview mirror. “Understood.” I glanced down at the white coat beside me and pulled it onto my lap. I’d have to wear it when we arrived, though I wasn’t particularly fond of hospital ceremonies. Too many handshakes, too many people pretending they weren’t nervous around me. Still, the hospital had one of the best research facilities in the country. That was why I’d agreed to come. It had nothing to do with the glass tower three blocks away. At least, that’s what I told myself. Vance Global rose above the surrounding buildings, its silver walls disappearing into the rainy sky. I knew the man who owned it. I knew which floor his office occupied, which restaurant he preferred for business dinners, and how he liked his coffee. I also knew exactly what his signature looked like. I’d stared at it long enough on our divorce papers. Valerius Vance. My ex-husband. I bit my lips and turned away from the window. Six years ago, I’d thought losing him would destroy me. I’d been twenty-something, hopelessly in love, and stupid enough to believe that if I loved a man well enough, he’d eventually love me back. Valerius had never promised me that. I just hadn’t wanted to see it. He married me after a fight with Callista Thorne, the woman he’d loved long before I entered his life. I knew their relationship was complicated, but I’d convinced myself that his decision to marry me meant something. For six months, I tried to make our marriage work. I cooked his favorite meals, even when I knew he wouldn’t come home in time to eat them. I learned to recognize his footsteps in the hallway. I waited for him to ask about my day, to notice when I was sick, or to look at me as though I was more than a temporary inconvenience. Most nights, I went to bed disappointed. Then Callista came back. I still remembered the living room that evening. The expensive furniture. The untouched glass of wine on the table. Callista sitting beside Valerius as if she’d never left, wearing the same innocent expression she’d used since we were children. She was my cousin. My own blood. And he’d made sure Valerius believed every lie she’d told him about me. I could have argued. I could have shown him the messages I’d found and demanded that he listen to my side. Instead, I looked at the man I’d spent six months trying to please and realized he had already made his choice. He didn’t ask me to stay. He didn’t even pretend to regret what he was doing. He put the divorce papers in front of me and waited for me to sign. So I did. I left his house with one bag and no money from his family. It was raining that night, too. A small movement beside me brought me back to the present. “Mommy?” I turned. Evander had stopped looking at his tablet. His blue eyes were fixed on me, and his little forehead was creased in concern. “What’s wrong, baby?” “You’ve been staring outside for a long time.” He leaned closer. “Are you thinking about work?” I smiled and brushed a curl away from his forehead. “Something like that.” He studied me for another second before apparently deciding I wasn’t going to tell him more. “Look at that building!” He scrambled toward the window, nearly dropping his tablet in the process. “Careful,” I said, catching it before it slid off his lap. “Sorry, Mommy. But look at it! Is that our hospital?” “Yes. That’s where I’ll be working.” “It’s huge.” He pressed his nose close to the glass. “Do they have a computer room?” “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask when we get there.” “Because their security cameras are terrible.” I raised an eyebrow. “You’ve already checked?” “Just the outside ones.” He grinned. “It took me less than thirty seconds.” “Evander.” “What? I didn’t break anything.” Darius laughed from the front seat. “Little master, can we at least get you through your first day of school before you start hacking into buildings?” “I wasn’t hacking. I was checking.” “Of course,” I said, trying not to laugh. “And if anyone asks, you were doing your homework.” “But Mommy, I don’t have homework yet.” “Then you have nothing to worry about.” He giggled and returned to his tablet. I watched him for a moment. There were days when looking at Evander still caught me off guard. He had Valerius’s blue eyes and the same stubborn set to his jaw. When he frowned at something on his screen, I sometimes saw my ex-husband so clearly that it unsettled me. But Evander was his own person. Curious, affectionate, and always asking questions I wasn’t prepared to answer. He was also the reason I’d survived those first few years. Two weeks after leaving Valerius, I’d discovered I was pregnant. I remembered sitting alone in a small bathroom, staring at the test in my hand. I’d cried so hard that morning I could barely breathe. I was broke, homeless by most people’s standards, and carrying a child whose father had made it clear he wanted nothing to do with me, I had no idea what to do. Then Evander moved inside me for the first time. I decided that whatever happened to me, my child would never have to wonder whether he was wanted. That decision changed my life. I worked. I studied. I took every opportunity I could find, even when it meant sleeping only a few hours a night. I trained under surgeons whose names appeared in medical journals around the world. I made mistakes, learned from them, and kept going until I became good enough that people began seeking me out. Medicine gave me a future. My grandfather’s legacy gave me something else. After his death, I inherited more than money. He had spent decades building connections in places respectable people pretended didn’t exist. With time, I learned how his organization worked and what it would take to keep it from tearing itself apart. I made changes. I removed people who couldn’t be trusted and brought in those who could. I was careful about whom I allowed near me, the organization became mine. In the underworld, they called me Queen Cobra. In hospitals and medical circles, they knew me as Dr. Lysandra, the surgeon people contacted when everyone else had run out of options. The two worlds had never needed to meet. And I intended to keep it that way. “Boss, we’re here.” The SUV slowed beside the hospital’s private entrance. I straightened my coat and checked my appearance in the small mirror. No loose hair, no lipstick on my teeth, nothing out of place. Evander tugged at my sleeve. “Can I come inside with you?” “Of course. But you have to behave.” “I always behave.” Darius made a suspicious sound. Evander shot him a look. “Uncle Darius!” I laughed and opened the door. Two security guards were waiting outside with umbrellas. One held mine over my head while the other helped Evander out of the vehicle. The hospital director stood just inside the entrance, surrounded by several senior staff members. The moment he spotted me, he hurried forward. “Dr. Lysandra! Welcome to Pearl Metropolis. We’re honored to have you here.” “Thank you.” “We’ve prepared the research laboratory and operating suite according to your specifications. If there’s anything else you need, please let us know.” “I’ll inspect everything myself.” “Certainly. Of course.” His smile tightened, but he nodded. I wasn’t trying to intimidate him. I simply preferred to see things for myself rather than rely on promises. We crossed the marble lobby and headed toward the private elevators. A few doctors greeted me along the way, and I returned their greetings before stepping inside. “Your schedule has been sent to your assistant,” the director said. “We’ve also arranged a meeting with the research team this afternoon.” “I’ll review it when I have a moment.” The doors began to close. My phone vibrated. I glanced at the screen. The message came from my private intelligence network, not the hospital. I opened it. The first few lines were enough to make me stop moving. VANCE GLOBAL FACING INTERNAL CRISIS. I read on. Valerius Vance had been searching for a specialist known only as Doctor L. His fiancée, Callista Thorne, was seriously ill, and the doctors treating her had been unable to find an effective treatment. He’d contacted hospitals, private clinics, and medical institutions across the country. He’d even offered an enormous reward for anyone who could locate Doctor L. I read the report twice. Then I leaned back against the elevator wall. Callista was sick. Valerius was desperate. And neither of them knew that the doctor he was searching for had just returned to Pearl Metropolis. I looked at the message again, paying particular attention to the date of his latest inquiry. He was running out of options. For a moment, I thought about the girl I’d been six years ago. The one who’d stood in his living room with trembling hands, waiting for him to change his mind. I wondered what she would say if she could see me now. Probably nothing. She’d be too busy crying. I locked my phone and slipped it into my pocket. “Mommy?” Evander asked. “Why are you smiling?” I looked down at him. “Am I?” “Yes. It’s a little scary.” That made me laugh. “Then I suppose I’d better stop.” The elevator doors opened onto the private floor. I stepped out with my son beside me, my white coat folded over one arm. Valerius had spent six years living his life without me. Now he needed something only I could give him. I wasn’t sure what I would do when he finally came looking. But I knew one thing. This time, I wouldn’t be the one waiting for him to make a decision.