The Billionaire's Betrayal

Chapter 3

I stumbled into my bedroom, tears blurring my vision. My chest heaved as I shut the door behind me, the weight of everything pressing down on me.

I rushed toward the nightstand, throwing my purse away, and my eyes caught the sight of papers placed neatly there. I held them and spotted the heading divorce papers.

My heart skipped a beat. Of course… Adrian would have been here. He would have come personally to leave them, so desperate to get free. The sight of them made the anger inside me flare, mingling with the ache. I flipped them once and his signatures were already there.

I threw them aside and hurriedly opened the drawer with shaking hands and pulled out the stack of papers, the marriage documents I had signed years ago, the ones I had hardly looked at since.

My fingers fumbled over the pages, so desperate to find the clause I heard them talking about in the cafeteria, until I found the section. Curiosity and dread clawed at me as I read the heading.

Clause.

I skimmed through the words, my eyes scanning quickly, until one line made my breath catch:

“The husband reserves the right to request divorce at any time once the child reaches six to seven years of age, or as specified in mutual agreement.”

My eyes widened, disbelief rooting me in place. That was it. That was the clause he had brought up in the hospital, the one I had never noticed, never even thought could exist. I covered my face with my hand and tears started to run down my cheeks before I could hold them back anymore.

I silently placed the divorce papers in front of me before taking out the pen from the drawer, and my hands started to shake when I held it. Tears blurred my eyes, and I closed them tightly before a sudden buzz from my phone brought me back to my senses.

My phone buzzed violently in my purse, and I nearly dropped it when I saw the hospital number flashing. I answered with trembling fingers.

“Miss Bella?” The doctor’s voice was sharp, clipped, no time for pleasantries.

“Yes… hello, doctor. Is everything…?” My voice faltered.

“There’s been a sudden change in Aina’s condition,” he said, breathless, almost running through the words. “Her vitals are unstable. We need to start emergency chemotherapy immediately. If she doesn’t receive treatment in the next hour, there could be serious consequences.”

I froze, gripping the mattress tightly.

“I… I’ll be there,” I whispered, my chest tightening.

“You must hurry,” he said, his voice almost pleading. “We can’t wait.”

I ended the call, my hands shaking violently as I hurriedly signed the papers and stuffed them into my purse, throwing it over my shoulder.

I ran out of the apartment, ignoring the noise of the city outside, my heels pounding against the pavement. Every second stretched unbearably, every breath felt like fire. The thought of her, small and fragile on that bed, kept me moving faster than I thought possible.

I ran down the hospital corridor, my breath uneven, my heart pounding so loudly it drowned everything else. The white lights blurred above me as I rushed toward Aina’s room, one thought repeating in my head.

I’m here. I’m here. Hold on, baby…

I turned the corner too fast and slammed straight into someone. Strong hands caught my arms before I could fall. “Watch…”

I didn’t even look up. “Move,” I snapped, trying to push past. But something made me stop. I looked up. Adrian.

I didn’t wait for a response. I rushed straight to Aina’s room, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.

The door was half open.

“Aina?” I pushed it open fully, my breath catching.

The room was empty. The bed… empty.

The monitors were still, the sheets disturbed, as if she had been taken in a hurry.

“No… no…” My head spun as panic surged through me. I turned and ran back out into the corridor.

That’s when I saw him again. Adrian.

For a second, everything inside me froze, then twisted into something sharp and unbearable. He was just standing there, like he had been waiting.

I didn’t care.

“Where is my daughter, Mr. Adrian?” My voice came out breathless, frantic. “Where is Aina?”

He didn’t answer immediately. His ocean-blue eyes locked onto mine, studying me in that same unreadable way.

The last thread of my patience snapped.

“Don’t you hear me?” I shouted, my voice echoing down the corridor. “I said, where is my daughter!”

His jaw tightened slightly before he spoke.

“They’ve taken her to the operating room.”

For a second, the world went silent. Operating room. My chest constricted so painfully I could barely breathe.

Without another word, I pulled the signed divorce papers out of my purse with shaking hands and slammed the papers down on the counter, the sound sharp in the empty space.

“There,” I said, my voice breaking. “I signed them.”

My fingers trembled as I pushed them forward, like that alone could buy her life.

A second later, I heard a soft thud beside them.

Adrian placed the check on the counter.

I turned to him slowly, my vision blurred with tears, anger burning through the fear.

“This is what you wanted, right?” I said, my voice unsteady but cutting. “You got your signature.”

He didn’t react the way I expected. No smirk. No cold dismissal. Just that same controlled expression, though something flickered beneath it.

“You should go to her,” he said quietly.

I let out a hollow laugh, shaking my head. “Now you remember she exists?”

His gaze hardened slightly. “This isn’t the time, Bella.”

“No,” I shot back, my voice cracking. “This was never the time. But you made it one.”

The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating.

Then I turned away from him. Nothing mattered.

Not him. Not the papers. Not the past. Only Aina.

I ran toward the operating room, my heart in my throat, praying I wasn’t already too late. I knew they would not let me go in, but I sat there outside the surgical ward.

Two hours had passed, each second dragging like a lifetime, when the doors to the surgical ward finally opened.

I shot to my feet and ran toward the doctor. He looked exhausted, his shoulders slightly slumped as he pulled his mask down and stopped in front of me.

My voice was trembling with desperate hope when I spoke. “Thank you, doctor… you finally started the treatment. How is my daughter?”

The doctor released a deep sigh, then gave a small nod. “Her condition was critical when she was brought in, so we had to stabilize her first. She’s been sedated for now. The chemotherapy has started successfully, and she will regain consciousness once she’s stable.”

A tear slipped down my cheek, and I sniffled, relief crashing into me all at once.

“I have arranged the payment tonight,” I said quickly, my words unsteady. “Please don’t stop the treatment.”

The doctor frowned slightly. “Payment?

Your bills have already been cleared, Miss Bella,” he said. “The full amount. Her treatment will continue without interruption.”

My breath caught. “Who… who paid for it?” My voice dropped to a whisper. “Did Adrian…?”

He shook his head. “No. It wasn’t him.”

My fingers curled tightly at my sides. “Then who?”

The doctor paused for a moment. “The payment was made under the name Mr. Daniel Carter.”

I froze, trying to recall. The name meant nothing to me. No face, no memory, nothing I could connect to my life.

“I don’t know anyone by that name,” I said slowly, more to myself than to him.

“I’m afraid that’s all I have,” the doctor replied. “I didn’t meet him personally. The reception handled everything.”

I stepped closer, my voice tightening. “Do you remember anything else? What did he look like?”

The doctor shook his head apologetically. “Only that he was well-dressed and calm, from what I was told.”

Silence settled between us, heavy and unsettling.

“We can focus on that later,” he said gently. “Right now, your daughter is stable. You should be with her when she wakes up.”

I nodded faintly, but my mind wasn’t there anymore. It was stuck on that name. Daniel Carter.

And the unsettling question that followed.

Why would a stranger pay for my daughter’s life?