Chapter 3
It wasn't until Maisy sat down, ready to start on her first contract of the day, that she noticed a folded piece of medical record paper sitting right in the center of her desk, held down by her pen.
She frowned, picked it up, and unfolded it.
It was Arthur's handwriting. Just like him, calm, disciplined, every line crisp and tidy. Every letter lined up perfectly, like he'd used a ruler.
[Divorce Agreement. I, Arthur Russell, voluntarily dissolve my marriage to Maisy. I will leave with nothing, no disputes, no demands, no claims. No further requests.]
He'd signed it at the bottom and marked with today's date.
Maisy stared at those words for a few seconds.
Then she set the paper down, grabbed her phone, and called Arthur. The phone rang, but no one answered.
She tried again, still nothing. Frustrated, she tossed her phone back onto the desk and rubbed her temples.
'Here we go again,' she thought.
He'd done this once before, six months ago. That night, she'd worked late, and when she got home, she found Arthur sitting in the living room, no TV, no book, just sitting there on the couch.
She changed her shoes and asked casually, "Why aren't you in bed?"
He was quiet for a long moment before saying, "I'm just really tired. I need a break." His voice was low, like he was holding something back.
She was about to answer a call, swiping the screen as she looked over at him. He sat there, hands resting on his knees, eyes fixed on a spot on the coffee table, not looking at her.
"Take three days off. Get out for a bit," she said quickly, then answered the call.
Three days later, he came back, and he really did seem better.
He went back to work, took on surgeries as usual, and when she came home late, he'd be lying on his side of the bed, still as ever.
She told him, "Don't do that again. If you just disappear from work, it messes up all the surgery schedules at the hospital."
He was quiet for a moment, then said, "Okay."
And sure enough, for the next six months, he didn't bring it up again.
'Here we go again,' Maisy thought.
She knew Arthur couldn't live without her. For the past three years, his entire life revolved around the hospital and their home.
No social life, no work dinners, no networking, his phone barely had any message history besides her and Reece.
He didn't smoke, didn't drink, didn't play games; the only thing that ever counted as entertainment for him was reading those medical journals in the study, the ones she couldn't even make sense of.
'Where could he possibly go?' she wondered.
She finished off half a cup of coffee, flipped through a couple of contracts, and interviewed a new consultant.
The girl had just graduated from medical school, and her voice trembled as she introduced herself.
"Dr. Russell, I really admire you," she said. Maisy nodded and told HR to start her rotation at the front desk.
Later that afternoon, Arthur showed up.
He didn't bother knocking, just pushed open the glass door to her office. Maisy looked up and saw him in that same well-worn white T-shirt, black casual pants, and canvas shoes.
He always seemed to wear the same clothes, and she realized she'd never gone clothes shopping with him, not even once.
His expression was so calm, it actually surprised her for a moment. Whenever she said something harsh in the past, there was always a flicker in his eyes, not anger, but hurt.
Like a dog that got kicked and couldn't figure out what it had done wrong. But now, when he looked at her, his eyes were just empty.
That thought vanished in a flash.
She picked up the agreement from her desk, gave it a quick scan. 'Leaving with nothing. No drama, no fuss. He really didn't beat around the bush,' she thought.
She flipped to the last page and grabbed her pen.
She signed her name.
Then she slid the paper back across the desk to him.
"Arthur, you need to think this through," she said, leaning back in her chair, her tone cool and detached, the kind of authority she'd learned in the business world over the past three years.
"Without me, you're nothing. Your title, your OR, your patients, none of it would exist without me. Have you ever thought about it?
"Once you walk out that door, what hospital would even want you? You don't even have a proper resume."
Arthur didn't say a word.
He picked up the signed agreement, folded it with care, and tucked it into that old canvas bag he always carried, the gray-blue one with worn-out corners, the one his adoptive father left behind.
Then he looked up at her.
Just one look.
Three seconds.
Maisy would replay those three seconds in her mind again and again, picking apart every moment, trying to see if there was any anger, any regret, or if maybe he was waiting for her to say something.
The way he looked at her was odd, not like a man staring at his ex-wife, but more like someone glancing at a house he was about to leave for good.
He knew that she was still there, but he didn't need to talk to her anymore.
Then he turned and walked out. The glass door closed softly behind him, the hinges barely making a sound, like he didn't want to bother a soul.