His Betrayal, Her Broken Heart

he white ceiling of the hospital room swimming into focus. Then memory came rushing back

st the thick bandage. It was real. He had actually done it.

of the anesthesia. My heart, which had been shattering for hours, ju

om was empty. Of course it was. Ethan was probably by Ch

, along with a glass of water. I picked up the ph

had to leave. Not just leave the hospital, bu

contacts and found the

want to file for divorce. And I need a visa. An

t's going on?" my lawyer a

quidate whatever assets you can. I don't

this. I could survive this. I would go somewhere new, somewhere he could ne

er' s number. A small, weak smile touched my lips. I needed to hear

trying to keep the

oman' s voice, choked with sobs. It

broken. "You need to come home! It's y

" I asked, my heart starting to p

t. "All the things they said... your father saw it this morning. He...

"Maria, what happened to

him... and she... she took all her pills! The ambulance is here, bu

r. The world tilted on its axis. Gone? No. It couldn't b

swung my legs out of bed. A searing pain shot through my side, and I gasped, nearly

ad to see them. This was

them. I found the elevators and rode one down to the lobby, a ghost in a hospital g

flashing lights from police cars and an ambulance. I pushed my way th

om. They were lying on the fl

ed to stop me. "Ma'a

ast him. I

my father. His face was pale, his eyes closed. There was a terrible

y mother. She looked like she was sleeping, her face peace

sound raw and torn from

l pain was a distant echo. A gut-wrenching sob tore through me, and then another, a

ut, the words tasting like

ll of apologies and promises, his eyes filled with that old love. He had begged me to stay. And like a fool, I had believed him. I had stayed. My weak

uffocating. The world began to spin, d

he wasn't alone. He had his arm around Chloe, holding her steady, guiding her into the house. He was loo

me, kneeling on the flo

rderer of my parents, carefully helping the woman he did it all f