Chapter 2

Nina woke up at five in the morning, aching all over.

Severe abdominal pain jolted Nina awake at five in the early morning. Sharp throbs racked her lower belly, and her lower back grew unbearably heavy. A touch to her forehead revealed a raging fever, triggered by cold exposure on top of menstrual discomfort.

Painkillers sat on her nightstand, but no water waited nearby.

Weak legs nearly buckled as she stumbled out of bed and leaned against walls toward the kitchen. Warm creamy oatmeal simmered gently on the stove, yet Jayden and Claire were nowhere to be found.

Housekeeper Sarah Blake wiped the dining table, shocked at Nina's deathly pale complexion. "You look extremely unwell, Mrs. Landon."

"I am fine. Where is Jayden?" Nina said, drinking water to swallow her pills.

Sarah explained, "He left at dawn to drive Ms. Summers to a hospital. She complained of terrible stomach pain, and he rushed off in such a panic behind the wheel."

Nina turned back to her bedroom without another word.

She curled tight under thick blankets, trembling violently from cold chills as her fever spiked higher. A short message arrived soon from Jayden: [I will not return home at noon.]

Nina stared at the text for a long moment before replying simply: [Understood.]

What she really wanted to say was: [I have a fever. Can you come home?]

However, she held back. Years prior, Jayden had only sent expired medicine via his assistant while overseas for work when she fell ill, leaving her vomiting nonstop until she called an ambulance alone.

She learned then that the title Mrs. Landon brought wealth and status, yet never care or hope.

Feverish dreams swirled around memories of Jayden across the years.

At eighteen, he extinguished his cigarette for her in the Evans Residence's garden. At twenty-two, he tripled auction bids to buy her late mother's heirloom necklace and tossed it towards her casually as a toy. On their wedding day, he abandoned her mid-reception after Claire called for help.

Every memory whispered one truth plainly: Jayden had never loved her.

Nina woke tearful at two in the afternoon, her fever far worse than before.

A dozen missed calls filled her phone log, all from Sophie. As soon as she answered, Sophie burst into angry frustration. "Nina! Jayden spoils Claire rotten in a luxury private clinic VIP suite with flowers and fine fruits, all because of a mild stomach ache. Meanwhile, you burn with fever after slaving over oatmeal for him!"

"Sophie..." Nina's voice turned teary and fragile. "I feel absolutely awful."

Sophie softened instantly with worry. "Tell me your address right now, I am coming straight over."

Nina whispered weakly, "Do not come. I will break down crying the second you arrive."

"Damn it..." Sophie swore, her voice breaking. "Hang on, I'm calling an ambulance."

"No, I'll just take my meds..." Nina muttered.

Sophie snapped firmly, "Nina! Have you forgotten how you got that wrist scar? You risked everything saving his life once, and now he only dotes on another woman getting basic stomach checks!"

The call ended abruptly.

Overwhelming weariness washed over Nina as she stared blankly upward.

She typed and deleted messages to Jayden repeatedly, finally sending a quiet plea: [I have a high fever. Could you come home?]

Instant regret followed. She never showed such weakness normally, and Jayden never replied at all.

After an hour of worsening fever fogging her mind, Nina dialed emergency services herself.

Sarah cried anxiously as paramedics carried Nina out on a stretcher. Glancing up at the mansion's crystal chandeliers, she recalled Jayden welcoming her three years prior, claiming the grand estate would always be her home.

Home, was it?

Tears slid down her temples as her eyes fell shut.

At City General Hospital's emergency ward, tests read her temperature at 103.6°F, confirming acute pelvic inflammation requiring immediate hospitalization.

Sophie rushed over to find Nina unconscious in bed, her skin pale as paper.

"Where is Jayden?" Sophie asked the nurse sharply.

"No one from her family's here yet. Just the housekeeper," the nurse answered.

Furious, Sophie snapped a photo of Nina's frail form, sending it directly to Jayden: [Your wife is dying in emergency care, while you still fawn over that other woman.]

In the picture, Nina's hand lay outside the blanket, the scar on her wrist clearly visible.

Ten minutes later, Jayden called back in urgent tones, Claire's whimpers audible in the background. "How is she doing?"

"Still breathing, Mr. Landon. Feel free to tend to your precious Claire without worry," Sophie retorted coldly.

"Sophie..." Jayden's voice faltered, then he said, "Send me the address."

"No need. Jayden, do you know why Nina always smiles? Because she doesn't dare to cry. If she cries, she loses, and when she loses, she loses everything," Sophie said, her heart twisting as she looked at Nina passed out on the bed.

Sophie's voice shook with rage. "But damn it! You won't even let her cry."

The line cut off.

Jayden stood rigid in the clinic corridor, his knuckles white around his phone grip.

Claire peeked out from her room, feigning terror. "Jayden, doctors say I might have gastric ulcers, and I am terrified..."

"Your brother is on his way to look after you," Jayden replied without turning around.

"What about you?" Claire asked.

Jayden grabbed his coat and made for the elevator, his frame rigid and closed off, like a door slammed shut against the world.

Pure rage twisted Claire's face instantly, and she typed a quick order into her phone: [Proceed as planned.]

*****

Nina woke at eight that evening in quiet ward stillness.

The only one in the room was Sophie, dozing off with her head resting on the edge of the bed. Nina moved slightly and felt a warm hand holding hers. The touch made her freeze.

It wasn't Sophie's hand. This one was bigger, rougher, with calluses on the fingertips, and right now, it was gently tracing the scar on her wrist.

Nina turned fast to lock eyes with Jayden.

His suit looked crumpled, his tie askew, and heavy dark circles shadowed his eyes. It was a rare sight of exhaustion she had never witnessed before.

"You..." Her throat felt dry and hoarse.

Jayden poured water quickly and helped her sit up, clumsy in gentle care as half the glass spilled over her hospital gown.

"Is the water too hot?" he asked.

Nina shook her head and drank slowly from his hold.

The closeness felt awkward, yet he stopped her from taking the glass alone. "Stay still; your IV line is connected."

She noticed his tight grip around her hand instantly and tried pulling free, only for him to hold firmer still.

"How did you get this scar?" Jayden asked in a low voice.

Nina's heart skipped a beat.

She wondered if he noticed or knew the truth.

"Just a careless cut," she answered quietly, avoiding his intense gaze.

Two years ago, on that stormy night, she'd nearly died saving him from the kidnappers. But when Jayden finally woke up, the only person he saw at his bedside was Claire. The Landons had quietly sent Nina away, telling her, "Mr. Landon needs to recover. Anyone not family shouldn't be here."

Later, when Nina returned to the hospital, she caught Jayden in the hallway, saying softly, "Claire, thank you."

Claire was crying, saying, "I'm just glad you're alright." Meanwhile, Nina stood outside the door, staring at her wrist with seven stitches, feeling like the whole thing was a cruel joke.

After that, she never brought it up.

Nina pulled her wrist free, tone icy and distant. "Mr. Landon, is Ms. Summers alright?"

Jayden was caught off guard for a moment before replying, "She is fine, just mild gastritis, already discharged."

"I am glad to hear it." Nina lay back against her pillows. "I am exhausted. You may leave now, Mr. Landon."

Long silence stretched across the ward.

The silence lasted so long that Nina thought Jayden had already left, until his voice suddenly broke it. "Nina, are you angry?"

She didn't answer.

"Is it because of Claire?" Jayden sounded puzzled. "She's always been frail since she was little, and I—"

"Jayden Landon," Nina said, opening her eyes. It was the first time she'd ever called him by his full name. "I had a fever of 103.6°F and had to call an ambulance all alone. Meanwhile, you were with Claire, getting her a full check-up because she complained of a stomachache."

She looked at him, eyes burning but holding the tears back with fierce resolve. "I'm not angry. I finally see it clearly. Mrs. Landon was never a title I was meant to hold."

Jayden stood abruptly, leaning over her bed with overwhelming pressure in his posture. "What do you mean?"

"Literally. Let's get a divorce," Nina replied, refusing to back down.

Thick tension filled the air. Anger, confusion, and rare panic swirled in Jayden's eyes.

"Divorce?" He let out a cold laugh. "Nina, can you really bring yourself to do it?"

Nina felt as if her heart had been stabbed.

Yeah, she couldn't bear to give it all up: the house, the money that landed in her account every month, and most of all, the man she'd loved for seven years.

But loving herself mattered more in the end.

"I'm tired. Jayden, I'm just so tired," she said.

Jayden stared at her for so long that Nina thought he might actually agree. But in the end, he just said, "Your fever clouds your judgment. I will ignore every reckless thing you just said."

He turned and left, his steps almost frantic, like he couldn't get out fast enough.

The ward door closed, and Nina's suppressed tears finally fell freely.

Sophie was jolted awake, still half-asleep. "Did that jerk leave?"

"Yeah," Nina said.

"So, did you settle the divorce?" Sophie asked.

"No. He refused," Nina muttered, her face buried in the pillow, her voice muffled.

Sophie paused, then suddenly chuckled. "Interesting. Nina, maybe Jayden does have feelings for you after all."

"He just hates losing. It's like when a kid gets their toy taken away, they'll make a scene, but that's not the same as love," Nina replied.

Sophie was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Why never tell him the truth behind your scar?"

"Tell him what? That I saved his life? And then what? So he can feel grateful? So he can throw me some love out of obligation?" Nina shook her head. "Sophie, that's not what I want."

All Nina ever craved was equal love, respect, and warmth in his eyes when he looked at her.

Instead, even her near-death fever struggle gets brushed off as meaningless fever talk.