Chapter 6

I had just finished cleaning up the house when I heard the door unlock.

I looked up and saw her walk in.

She froze when our eyes met, clearly surprised to see me there. "You're home? You got discharged already?"

So she did know I had been in the hospital. For some reason, I'd assumed she hadn't even noticed.

I picked up a cloth and wiped the table again, pretending to ask casually, "Did you have fun these past few days? With Ethan?"

She looked confused, like she hadn't understood what I meant. "What are you talking about?"

Without a word, I pulled out my phone, opened Ethan's Instagram, and held it out to her.

Vanessa took the phone and scrolled through it for a moment, and I watched as the color drained from her face—red to pale, pale to gray—until finally, in a burst of anger, she slammed the phone onto the table.

And just like that, the biggest fight we'd ever had erupted.

"Are you questioning me?" she shouted. "Yes! I was with Ethan these past few days. And you know what? I was happy—happier than I've been in years. These were the best days I've had in a long time. So what?"

The calm I'd been holding onto shattered, replaced by a sharp, aching pain.

I lifted my head to look at her, my voice quiet, broken. "Didn't you say you wanted to start over with me?"

She avoided my gaze, her voice faltering. "I did say that. But... I only said it because I thought Ethan wasn't coming back."

I tilted my head back to stop the tears burning in my eyes. My voice was thick when I asked, "So that's it? Now that he's back, you're just going to throw me away?"

I pressed on, my words cutting through the silence. "We've been married for years. No matter what I do for you, no matter how good I try to be, I'll never compare to him, will I? Even when I was sick, lying in a hospital bed, you thought picking him up at the airport was more important, didn't you? Even knowing I was there, you still chose to ignore me, didn't you?"

Vanessa stood there, silent.

Her silence was what hurt the most. It was always like this—me chasing, her refusing to turn around.

"Even knowing how worthless he is, you still love him?"

That did it. Her expression sharpened, her voice cold. "Enough. I don't want to hear you talk about him like that. You don't have the right."

That broke me completely.

"Why?" I shouted, my voice cracking. "Why can't you love me the way you love him? Even just a little. A fraction of what you give him."

I must've looked so pitiful—like a dog left out in the rain, crying and begging to be let back inside.

Vanessa's expression shifted. For the first time, I saw hesitation in her eyes. After a long pause, she said, "I just want us to part peacefully, Rowan. You know how I was after Ethan left. I've been miserable for so long. Now that he's back, I don't want to have any more regrets."