Chapter 2

My consciousness drifted in the dark, like I was floating up and down in a bottomless sea.

Sometimes, I could feel pain ripping through my body; other times, there was nothing but numb, empty hollowness.

Every now and then, muffled voices and the beeping of machines would reach my ears, only to fade away again.

I felt like I was trapped in a string of strange, surreal dreams.

I dreamed of the day we got our marriage certificate—Ethan's cold, distant profile.

I dreamed of all those nights I spent alone in our empty house, watching the sky outside go from bright to dark, and then back to bright again.

I dreamed of his phone ringing—no matter how late, if it was the hospital or one of those red-marked contacts, he'd answer right away, his voice strict or gentle, a side of him I never got to see.

But when I called? Most of the time, he didn't even pick up. And if he did, it was always the same three words: "Busy," "Not coming," or "Don't call unless it's important."

'Chloe, you're an adult now. Try to act like it.' That was Ethan, always so rational.

'I'm busy. I don't have time to play house with you.' He never sugarcoated it.

"A neighbor? Dr. Rivers, who's this?" I remember a young nurse once asked, curious.

And how did he answer? He didn't even pause, just said in that flat, uncaring tone, "No one important. Don't bother about her."

'Unimportant'—that word was like a thousand poisoned needles, stabbing straight into my heart.

Yeah, to him, I was just that—unimportant. Not even as important as those colleagues on his emergency contact list, always on call.

The darkness swept over me again, bringing a cold that cut right through my bones.

*****

I had no idea how long I'd been out, but a stubborn will to live—or maybe just that deep, bone-deep resentment—dragged me out of the haze.

I managed to pry my heavy eyelids open, but the blinding white light made me squeeze them shut again.

It took a while for my eyes to adjust, and when they finally did, all I saw was white everywhere. The sharp smell of disinfectant filled my nose, tubes were attached to me all over, and the machines beside me beeped steadily.

ICU.

I was still alive.

But that realization didn't bring any joy—just a heavy, crushing exhaustion.

'So what now? I'm alive, but for what?' I thought, feeling empty inside.

'Am I just going to keep being Ethan's "unimportant" neighbor? Keep holding onto the ruins of a marriage only I care about?' The thought made my heart sink even lower.

"You're awake?" A nurse exclaimed, sounding genuinely surprised. "That's amazing! You were out for five days—seriously, it's a miracle you survived. That pileup was brutal"

She rambled on as she checked my vitals with practiced hands. "Don't move, okay? You got pretty banged up—multiple fractures, internal injuries. Honestly, it's a miracle you're still here"

I tried to say something, but my throat was so dry, not a single sound came out.

The nurse gently dabbed my lips with a wet cotton swab. "Slow down, don't rush. Your family must be worried sick. By the way, Dr. Rivers stopped by to check on you yesterday."

'Dr. Rivers?' My heart skipped a beat.

The sudden hope made my heart clench, tugging at my wounds and sending a wave of pain through me.

'He came to see me?' I wondered, hope and pain mixing inside me.

The nurse didn't notice anything off about me and kept chatting, her voice practically dripping with admiration. "Dr. Rivers is so responsible. Not only is he an amazing doctor, he's good to everyone."

"You were out for days, but he still made time to check on you every single day. Last night, though, he got called away for something urgent. I heard Nurse Summers hurt her finger, and Dr. Rivers had to stitch it up himself. He even dropped a surgery he'd already scheduled"

I couldn't make out anything else she said after that.

My ears buzzed, and that one sentence just kept replaying in my head.

"because Nurse Summers hurt her finger, Dr. Rivers had to stitch it up himself. He even dropped a surgery he'd already scheduled"

For a tiny cut on Nina's finger, he dropped everything—even a surgery.

And me? His wife, stuck in the ICU, barely alive, and all he could manage was squeezing in a quick visit. Even that was interrupted by someone else's little cut.

What a glaring contrast.

What a brutal irony.

So it wasn't that he didn't know how to be gentle, or that he couldn't make exceptions. It was just that I was never the one he'd do it for.

Cold tears slipped from the corners of my eyes, seeping into my temples.

The nurse finally noticed something was off and looked startled. "Oh, why are you crying? Does something hurt? Please don't cry, you need to stay calm right now"

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

It wasn't pain.

It was my heart dying inside.

That last, pathetic shred of hope I'd been clinging to was finally extinguished.

The nurse wiped away my tears and tried to comfort me. "Just rest, you'll feel better soon. Once you're stable, you can move to a regular room."

Rest?

No.

I can't just lie here anymore.

Every second I stay in this bed makes me feel like a complete joke.

I wiggled my fingers, feeling a flicker of strength slowly gathering inside me.

Hatred is a force stronger than love.

Ethan.

Nina.

All the pain and humiliation you put me through—I'll pay you back for every bit of it, with interest.

Think I'm unimportant?

Think I can't survive without you?

Just wait and see.

I'll show you how this "ordinary neighbor" you tossed aside like an old shoe can turn your so-called perfect world upside down.

I took a deep breath, and when I opened my eyes again, there was nothing left but cold, icy calm.

"Nurse," I croaked, my voice rough, "where's my phone?"