Chapter 2

When Justin opened the door, Martin was at the entrance, yelling while taking Lisa's hand, with Kaylee standing behind them.

"What's all the noise about, you jerk?" Justin snapped.

Justin never held back with his words.

"Who are you calling a jerk? You slut, so you've been sneaking around with some guy, huh?" Martin spat.

With that, Martin tried to barge into the house, about to come at me.

Justin grabbed his wrist in one swift move, gave it a quick flick, and Martin's arm went limp.

I got out of bed and gave them a cold stare. "Cut it out, Martin."

Martin got even angrier when he saw me.

"So you've found yourself a protector, huh? Since when were you such a slut?" he sneered.

I cut him off before he could finish. "You never chose me."

"What?" Martin blurted out, his face full of disbelief.

"You've always picked Kaylee over me. Just because I never complained doesn't mean I was okay with it. If your heart's with someone else, let's get a divorce," I said.

I was too exhausted to say anything more, so I just kept it short and to the point.

Justin leaned against the doorframe, watching me like he was enjoying a show.

"Divorce? Are you out of your mind?" Martin shouted, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Martin was glaring, but Lisa was practically bouncing with excitement.

"Divorce sounds great. Dad and I both like Kaylee anyway," Lisa blurted out.

Martin clamped a hand over Lisa's mouth, but the damage was already done.

Kaylee wore a triumphant grin.

I stood next to Justin, staring at the two outside the door. They used to mean everything to me, but now they felt like strangers.

That stabbing ache in my chest returned, not from any wound, but from somewhere much deeper inside.

Martin's face shifted from anger to a flicker of panic, but he quickly masked it with forced bravado.

He snapped, "You bitch, what nonsense are you spouting? Chose her? It was an emergency! Kaylee's not as strong as you.

"You're always acting like you're all about self-sacrifice, so what's wrong with waiting a bit? And look at you. You're perfectly fine now, aren't you?"

His eyes swept over Justin, disgust and jealousy nearly spilling out. "So now you've run away from home and crash at another guy's place? You really outdid yourself."

Lisa wriggled free from Martin's grip, pouting and shooting me a look full of resentment. "Yeah. Mom, you're making a big deal out of nothing. Kaylee was freaked out. What's wrong with Dad caring about her?

"You're always either teaching or grading papers, and even at home, you're always so serious. You're nothing like Kaylee. She's so much nicer.

"What's wrong with us liking Kaylee? If you really divorce Dad over this, then... then I'll live with Dad and Kaylee."

Kaylee took a step forward, her face wearing that perfectly practiced look of apology and concern. "Monica, please don't get the wrong idea. Today was just an accident.

"If it weren't for you reacting so quickly and pushing Martin and Lisa out of the way, I might've been hurt a lot worse. I just got a little scrape. It's nothing serious.

"Martin was just worried about me. Lisa's still a kid. She doesn't always know what she's saying, so please don't take it to heart."

Her voice was gentle, but her eyes were like poisoned needles, slipping in with practiced ease. "This really isn't the best place to talk.

"Why don't you come home with us? Whatever's going on, we can sort it out as a family, just the four of us."

Justin let out a mocking laugh, arms crossed as he leaned against the doorframe, watching the whole scene like it was some absurd play.

"Family? Discussing things?" Justin drawled, his voice thick with sarcasm. "So what, you all gonna sit around and decide who gets killed next time?

"Ms. Jackson, right? You patched up your little scrape and have plenty of energy, chasing all the way here just to put on your act of being so caring and devoted.

"What kind of 'family' are you supposed to be, huh? Afraid Monica didn't suffer enough, so you came back to twist the knife a little more?"

"You!" Kaylee's expression froze.

"Yeah, what about it?" Justin retorted, refusing to back down.

He added, "This is my clinic, and you three are out here yelling and harassing my patient. Should I call the police and report you for trespassing and attempted assault?"

He turned to Martin, his eyes cold and sharp. "And you, I dragged your wife back from the edge of death. She had two fractured ribs, a collapsed lung on the left, a bruised spleen, multiple soft tissue injuries, and was nearly in hemorrhagic shock.

"And you think she could just wait a little longer? Your ignorance nearly killed your own wife. Do you get that?

"Just because she's a teacher, her life doesn't count? Is she only here to make your precious Kaylee look more delicate?"

Martin was stunned by Justin's flood of medical terms and harsh words, his face going red then pale. "You... stop making it sound so dramatic. She's walking, standing, and even hooking up with you now, isn't she?"