Episode 6
1731 Words
Part 1
Jealousy He Refused to Name
Morning settled softly over the hospital.
Pale sunlight slipped through white curtains, washing everything in a calm that felt almost unreal.
Amika woke with warmth still clinging to her skin.
The blanket hadn’t been moved.
A fresh cup of coffee waited on the side table.
And Nicholas—
was still there.
Sitting in the same chair.
Exactly where he had been all night.
“You didn’t sleep at all, did you?” she asked quietly.
He looked up.
His eyes were deep, alert—
not as tired as they should have been.
“I’m used to it,” he said.
Short. Flat.
Amika watched him longer than necessary.
Her chest tightened.
Something was shifting.
Slowly. Irreversibly.
The doctor came in to check her father and explained that his condition was improving. With luck, he’d be out of the ICU in a few days.
Relief flooded her face.
That was when another man entered the room.
White coat. Calm presence. Polite smile.
“You’re Amika, right?” he asked gently.
“I’m Dr. Kant. I’m in charge of your father’s case.”
She nodded and bowed instinctively.
“Thank you so much.”
Their conversation was easy.
Clear. Professional. Warm.
Dr. Kant explained the treatment carefully, patiently.
Nicholas stood a few steps away.
Silent.
Watching everything.
When Dr. Kant laughed softly at something Amika said—
Nicholas’s jaw tightened without his permission.
“If you need anything else,” the doctor said,
“you can contact me directly.”
He handed her his card.
Amika reached out—
Another hand took it first.
Nicholas.
“Thank you,” he said.
Polite.
Cold.
“I’ll be the one to contact you.”
Dr. Kant paused.
Then smiled, faint and uneasy.
“Understood.”
When the doctor left, silence returned.
Amika turned to Nicholas, her brow slightly furrowed.
“Why did you do that?”
He glanced at the card, then slid it into his pocket.
“There’s no need for another man to contact you directly.”
It sounded like logic.
But emotion leaked through the cracks.
“He’s a doctor,” she replied calmly.
“And he’s helping my father.”
“I know,” Nicholas said.
Too quickly.
She stared at him, understanding forming.
“Or are you jealous?” she asked.
Not teasing.
Not provoking.
Just asking for the truth.
Nicholas went still.
For a single heartbeat.
“I just don’t want you confused,” he said at last.
Not a denial.
Not an admission.
Amika let out a quiet laugh and shook her head.
“Maybe,” she said softly,
“you’re the confused one.”
He didn’t answer.
But his gaze darkened—
deep and intense—
as if he were wrestling something inside himself.
That afternoon, a rumor began to circulate quietly.
CEO King’s wife seen growing close to a mysterious young doctor.
Not a headline yet.
Not public.
Just messages.
Shared images.
Taken from far away.
In the photo, Amika stood close to Dr. Kant.
Talking. Smiling.
Too close—
in the eyes of those who wanted a story.
Nicholas’s phone vibrated.
He looked at the screen.
And his expression changed.
Cold.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
He lifted his gaze to Amika.
She was gently wiping her father’s hands, unaware of anything else.
The jealousy he had never allowed himself to admit—
was turning into something far more volatile.
And if he didn’t stop himself in time—
this misunderstanding
could become a new wound,
deeper
than all the ones before.
Part 2
A Wound Born from Jealousy
The news didn’t hit the front page.
No bold headlines.
No public explosion.
But it moved fast.
Quiet.
Precise.
CEO King’s wife seen getting close to a young doctor at the hospital.
More than a doctor–family relationship?
Amika saw it on a nurse’s phone—
left open by accident.
The photo was slightly blurred.
Taken from far away.
Clear enough to twist the truth.
Her hands trembled.
Her chest went cold.
“What is this…?” she whispered.
Before she could steady herself—
The door opened.
Nicholas walked in.
His face was calm.
Too calm.
But his eyes were icy.
Dangerous.
“Come outside,” he said.
Not a question.
Amika stood, glanced at her father sleeping peacefully, then followed him without a word.
The balcony was quiet.
Only wind.
Distant traffic.
Nicholas thrust his phone toward her.
The same article glared back.
“Explain.”
Short.
Hard.
Amika looked at the screen, her heart shaking.
“I don’t know how this got out,” she said, forcing her voice steady.
“You laughed with him,” Nicholas replied, voice low.
“You stood too close.”
“He’s a doctor!” she shot back, her voice trembling.
“And he’s helping my father!”
“I don’t care who he is,” Nicholas snapped.
“I care about how you make people see you.”
That stopped her.
“Are you afraid I’ll damage your reputation—” she asked slowly, clearly,
“—or are you afraid of something else?”
Nicholas didn’t answer at once.
His jaw tightened.
“Have you forgotten your position?” he said finally, cold.
“You are my wife.”
Her heart cracked.
“A contract wife,” she corrected softly.
Sharp enough to cut.
“And that contract doesn’t give you the right
to make me feel guilty
for simply breathing.”
He stepped closer.
Pressure filled the air.
“I’m protecting you,” he said—
as if convincing himself.
Amika laughed quietly, tears gathering.
“You’re not protecting me,” she said, her voice shaking.
“You’re punishing me
because you can’t control yourself.”
The words made him freeze.
“You never once asked me,” she continued, tears falling freely now,
“how I feel.
You see a picture
and judge me like I don’t have a heart.”
Heavy silence.
“I don’t like anyone touching what’s mine,” Nicholas said at last.
Low.
Too honest.
The word mine drained the color from her face.
“That’s the problem,” she replied, painfully calm.
“I’m not anyone’s possession.”
She turned to leave.
But his voice followed her.
“If you do this again,” Nicholas warned, hard,
“I’ll handle it more decisively.”
Amika stopped.
Turned back.
Her eyes were dry now—
filled only with disappointment.
“You can control everything,” she said slowly.
“Except your own heart.”
She walked away.
Leaving him alone on the balcony—
with the news in his hand,
and guilt beginning to eat him from the inside out.
For the first time, Nicholas understood—
His jealousy wasn’t keeping her close.
It was pushing her away.
One step at a time.
Part 3
A Decision He Shouldn’t Have Made
The article disappeared within hours.
No headline.
No trace of her name.
As if Amika had never existed.
But in her world—
everything had already collapsed.
She sat beside her father’s bed, fingers clasped tight, forcing herself not to think about the photos.
Not the words.
Not the cold look in Nicholas’s eyes.
Footsteps sounded behind her.
Nicholas.
She didn’t turn.
“I’ve taken care of everything,” he said.
His tone was calm again.
Professional.
Like business.
Amika smiled faintly.
Not bitter.
Not relieved.
Just empty.
“I know,” she replied.
“My name is gone from everywhere.”
He paused.
“It was necessary,” he said.
“I had to cut the problem at the source.”
She turned to him—slowly.
Her gaze was steady in a way it had never been before.
“And what exactly is the problem?” she asked.
Nicholas didn’t answer right away.
“Dr. Kant,” he said at last.
Cold.
“I asked the hospital to change the attending physician.”
Amika’s world stopped.
“You did what?”
“He wasn’t appropriate,” Nicholas replied quickly—
too quickly.
As if the answer had been prepared.
“I won’t allow another misunderstanding.”
Amika stood up.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
Her hands shook.
“He was the best doctor on this case!” she cried.
“And you have no right to interfere with my father’s treatment!”
Nicholas frowned.
Didn’t step back.
“I have every right,” he said.
“I’m the one covering all the expenses.”
The words drained the color from her face.
“And because of that,” he continued,
“I need to make sure nothing risks our reputation.”
Amika laughed.
Her voice trembled—
like something breaking.
“You’re not afraid of reputation,” she said slowly, clearly.
“You’re afraid of losing control.”
Silence crashed between them.
“You used my father’s treatment,” she went on, tears falling freely now,
“as a tool in your game.”
Her voice shook.
“Do you know how cruel that is?”
Nicholas opened his mouth—
then stopped.
For the first time, he wasn’t certain of what he’d done.
“If you truly believe money gives you the right
to control everything,” Amika said, her voice trembling but firm,
“then you’re no different from the man I ran from.”
The words hit him like a hammer.
“I’m transferring my father to another hospital,” she said, decisive.
“And I’ll handle the costs myself—
no matter what it takes.”
Nicholas stepped toward her fast.
“Don’t be foolish,” he warned.
Low.
Tense.
Amika stepped back.
Her eyes weren’t afraid.
They were resolved.
“The most foolish thing I ever did,” she said,
“was believing you wouldn’t use my father
as a weapon against me.”
That stopped him.
She turned back to her father, her hands shaking—
but her resolve unbroken.
“From this moment on,” she said without looking back,
“don’t hide behind contracts.
Don’t hide behind money.
Don’t tell me you’re doing this for me.”
She walked out of the room.
Leaving Nicholas alone—
with his decision.
For the first time, he truly didn’t know—
whether what he’d done was protection,
or destruction—
of the one woman
who had begun to mean far too much to him.
- Writer
