Return Of The Abandoned Wife

Two

I stood at the top of the staircase, frozen, unable to process what had just happened. My heart was pounding so loudly that I could barely hear Vivian’s pained cries or Jaxon’s panicked shouting below me. The sight of her lying in a crumpled heap on the cold marble floor sent shivers down my spine. Blood trickled from her temple, staining the pristine white tiles, and I felt as if the world had shifted beneath my feet.

Instinctively, I rushed down the stairs, my hands trembling as I reached out to help her. But before I could touch her, Jaxon’s hand collided with my shoulder, pushing me away with more force than I thought him capable of.

“Don’t you dare touch her!” he spat, his voice venomous.

I recoiled, my body and heart jolting from the impact of his words. My hands hovered in the air, desperate to help, but his glare rooted me to the spot.

“She pushed me!” Vivian cried, her voice weak but laced with accusation. Tears streamed down her face, mingling with the blood on her cheek.

“No, I didn’t!” I said, my voice cracking. “I didn’t push you, Vivian! You have to believe me. You—”

“You did push me!” she screamed, her hand clutching her protruding belly. “Why would you do this? My baby!”

“I didn’t!” I pleaded, looking desperately at Jaxon. “You know me. You know I would never hurt her. Please, Jaxon, believe me!”

But his eyes held none of the warmth I had hoped to see. Instead, they were filled with pure, unfiltered hatred.

“I saw you,” he said, his voice shaking with rage. “I saw you push her. How could you? After everything, Mary Jane, how could you do this?”

I opened my mouth to protest, but his words sliced through me before I could even speak.

“Jaxon, I—”

But before she could explain, Vivian’s voice cut through the air.

“She pushed me! She tried to kill my baby and me”

I froze, my blood running cold.

“No, I didn’t!” I grabbed my hand, and then she—she let go! Jaxon, you have to believe me!”

But Jaxon wasn’t listening. He was kneeling beside Vivian, cradling her head as she clutched her belly and whimpered blood pooling around where she lay..

“I’m so sorry, my love,” he said, his voice breaking. “To think I wanted to end things with you. I’ll fix this. I’ll make it right.”

I felt my heart shatter as I watched the man I loved pour all his affection into another woman.

“Jaxon last night you….”

“Last night was a mistake,” he said coldly, his tone devoid of the tenderness he had shown me just hours before. “A drunken, meaningless mistake. Don’t you dare think it meant anything.”

I stared at him, stunned into silence. The man who had whispered sweet promises to me just last night now stood before me, unraveling my world with every word.

“But you said you loved me,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “You said you’d break things off with her, that we could start over—”

“I was drunk,” he snapped, his words like shards of glass cutting into me. “I don’t love you, Mary Jane. I love her.”

My vision blurred with tears, and I shook my head, refusing to believe what I was hearing. This wasn’t the man I had fallen in love with. This wasn’t the man I had fought so hard to win over.

“Jaxon, please,” I begged. “Listen to me. I didn’t push her. I swear to you, she—she grabbed my hand and—”

“Why would she grab your hand?” he interrupted, his voice dripping with disdain. “Why would she willingly fall down the stairs while carrying my child? Stop lying, Mary Jane. Just stop.”

Vivian whimpered from the floor, and Jaxon turned back to her, his anger replaced with concern.

“I’m so sorry, my love,” he said softly, cradling her head in his hands. “I’ll fix this. I’ll make it right. Please, forgive me. Someone call the goddamn ambulance!”

I wanted to scream, to tear him away from her and force him to look at me, to really look at me. But the words caught in my throat, and all I could do was watch as he poured all his love and devotion into the woman who had just accused me of something so vile, so unthinkable.

The ambulance arrived within minutes, but it felt like an eternity. Paramedics rushed into the house, their voices brisk and professional as they assessed Vivian’s condition.

“She’s pregnant,” Jaxon told them urgently. “You have to save her. Save my baby.”

His words were a knife to my chest, twisting and turning with every syllable.

As they loaded her onto the stretcher, I stepped forward. “I’ll come with you,” I said, my voice barely audible.

But Jaxon spun around, his eyes blazing. “Don’t,” he snapped. “You’ve done enough.”

The weight of his words pressed down on me, crushing what little hope I had left. I watched as the ambulance doors closed, taking Jaxon and Vivian away, leaving me standing in the silence of our empty home.

I sank to the floor, my knees giving out beneath me. The marble was cold against my skin, but I barely felt it. My mind was racing, replaying the events on the staircase over and over again.

I didn’t push her. I didn’t.

But Jaxon didn’t believe me. His words echoed in my mind, each one a painful reminder of the love I had lost.

“Madam, you mustn’t sit here like this,” Mrs. Johnson, the housekeeper, said gently as she approached me. She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, her eyes filled with pity.

“I didn’t push her,” I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

“I know, dear,” Mrs. Johnson said, helping me to my feet. “Come now. Let’s get you upstairs.”

I leaned on her as we made our way up the staircase, my legs feeling as though they were made of lead. Each step was a struggle, every movement a reminder of the man who had stood at the bottom of these very stairs, glaring at me with hatred.

Lying in bed, I stared at the ceiling, my mind replaying the past three years of my life. I had given everything to Jaxon, my love but all of it was for nothing. The look of hatred in his eyes haunted me, playing over and over again in my mind searing itself into my memory.

Hours passed as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The house was eerily quiet, the usual hum of activity replaced by an oppressive silence.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. Vivian’s fall replayed in my mind over and over again. The look on her face, the way she had grabbed my hand, the panic in her eyes, it didn’t make sense.

She had asked for my help, and I had given it willingly. But halfway down the stairs, something had shifted. Her grip had tightened, and then she had let go.

Had she done it on purpose? The thought sent a shiver down my spine.

I pushed the thought away, unwilling to believe that someone could be so cruel as to harm their own child. But the doubt lingered, gnawing at the edges of my mind.

By the time night fell, I couldn’t stay in bed any longer. I needed answers. I needed to see Jaxon, to make him understand that I hadn’t hurt Vivian.

I got dressed and made my way downstairs, my steps hesitant. The house was dark, the only light coming from the faint glow of the moon outside.

I reached the bottom of the stairs and stopped, staring at the spot where Vivian had fallen. The marble was clean now, but I could still see the faint outline of blood in my mind’s eye.

For years, I had fought for Jaxon’s love, sacrificing everything in the process. But now, I was beginning to wonder if it had all been in vain.