Chapter 4
Emma gave a tired smile. "I thought I could adapt as long as you remembered to come home and acknowledged my existence. But I was wrong.
"When Mom was dying and I couldn't reach you, and when I was signing my own consent for surgery, I realized I didn't want a part-time partner.
"Alex, you're an excellent boss and a great fighter, but you aren't a husband I can actually rely on."
"I can change, I promise," Alex said desperately, his panic rising. He never imagined the word 'divorce' would ever cross Emma's lips.
He had always viewed their twelve-year marriage as his solid base, his fortress while he fought for success in Rheinsville. How could it crumble so fast?
"How will you change?" Emma asked calmly. "Sell your shares? Ignore the next funding round? Stay home waiting for me every day? Can you do that?
"Even if you did it on impulse, you'd eventually feel resentful. You'd think the family was holding you back. It wouldn't mean anything to us."
"So you want a divorce just because of that?" Alex felt ridiculous and angry.
"Emma, I admit I neglected you, but you're throwing away twelve years over this? You stayed through the hardest times. Now the company is better, you leave?
"During those hardest years, we survived because we only had each other. Our hearts were together then," Emma said, her eyes reddening.
She blinked back the tears. "Now that you have everything, there's simply no room left in your heart to put me anymore.
"Alex, I don't care about your money or your fame. I just want a husband who is reachable and present when I need him. Is that too much?"
Alex opened his mouth, speechless. It wasn't too much to ask, yet he'd failed repeatedly. The cost was now too high to ever repay.
"I won't agree," he said dryly. "Emma, you're still recovering. Let's talk when you're discharged and calm. I'm sorry about your mom. Give me a chance to fix it."
"Fix it?" Emma whispered, shaking her head. "Some things can't be fixed. Mom isn't coming back, and something inside of me has changed forever."
She turned away and moved back to her bed. "I'm tired. I want to sleep. Go home and change. You have work to do at the office."
It was another dismissal, softer than Ryan's but far more final. Alex stood in the center of the room, watching her thin shoulders through her gown.
He realized any further words were useless. A wave of cold helplessness washed over him. He was truly losing her.
It wasn't because of one mistake, but because his entire way of life over these years had lost all meaning to her.
He packed his things and walked down the long corridor. Sunlight hit the floor in patches, but he felt cold from head to toe.
His phone vibrated. Ethan messaged, [Mr. Sterling, the CEO of Dawn Capital has questions about the payment milestones. He wants a call immediately.]
[Also, the CTO has issues with next quarter's budget. Regarding tonight's dinner with the Deputy Mayor, should I confirm your absence?]
These lines represented his world, his source of achievement. Now they felt like noisy distractions. He shoved the phone away and headed for the parking lot.
Inside the car, he didn't start the engine. The cabin was silent except for his own ragged, uneven breathing.
He leaned his head against the steering wheel. The past few days felt like a sudden hurricane that had derailed his high-speed life.
He'd tried to fix everything, but realized he was the core problem. Ethan's excuses, Emma's coldness, and Ryan's contempt formed a tightening net.
He looked up at the hospital. Emma was right there behind a window, but despite the short distance, he felt an invisible ocean between them.
Finally, he turned the key and drove away. The white building shrank in his rearview mirror until the heavy traffic swallowed it whole.
Alex knew his life had been rewritten since that doctor's call. He had no idea how to face this sudden turn in his life's path.
His "big projects" now felt like they were covered in a gray mist. His hands were steady, but his heart felt hollowed out.