Chapter 5

The pain was so blinding that my vision went black. My knees buckled, and I slid down the wall onto the floor.

"Julian... my stomach... it hurts so bad..."

I curled into a ball on the floor, my voice barely a whisper.

Julian squatted down, looking down at me with cold, skeptical eyes.

"What now? You were perfectly fine a second ago. What kind of sick game are you playing, Fiona?"

"I'm not playing... it hurts..."

I felt a sudden, warm gush of liquid between my thighs. I looked down.

The fabric of my pants was rapidly staining bright red.

Blood.

Julian saw it too, and his pupils dilated in sheer shock.

"How... why are you bleeding?"

He finally realized I wasn't acting. He tried to lift me up but panicked, his hands shaking violently.

The pain was causing me to black out. I used the last ounce of my strength to grab his hem.

"Call 911... please..."

As if waking from a nightmare, he fumbled for his phone.

The moment the call connected, he stammered:

"My... my wife has severe abdominal pain. She's bleeding a lot... but she was just arguing with me a second ago..."

Hearing his words, I nearly choked on my own breath.

Even at a moment like this, he was trying to paint me as the hysterical, difficult wife to the dispatcher.

Thankfully, the operator was highly professional. She cut him off and demanded our address immediately.

On the way to the hospital, the agonizing pain kept dragging me in and out of consciousness.

Julian's phone rang again. It was Tiffany.

He answered it, whispering in a low, hushed tone.

"I have an emergency here... don't worry, just find a place to sit down and rest. I'll come over as soon as I'm done here."

I was lying on a gurney, practically dying, while my husband was using his gentlest voice to soothe another woman.

The moment we arrived at the hospital, I was rushed straight into the emergency room.

After a quick examination behind the curtain, the doctor’s face turned incredibly grave.

"It’s an ectopic pregnancy. The fallopian tube has ruptured, causing severe internal bleeding. We need to perform emergency surgery right now!"

Julian stood there, completely dumbfounded.

"Ectopic pregnancy? How... we always use protection..."

Just then, Tiffany actually showed up at the hospital.

She looked pale and fragile, practically trembling.

The moment she saw Julian, her tears began to stream down her face.

"Julian, I'm so scared..."

Then, she noticed me on the gurney and the critical consent form in the doctor’s hand.

She walked over to my bedside, her voice dripping with sweet poison.

"Fiona, how could you be so careless... Did you stress the baby out during your argument with Julian this afternoon?"

"Do you have any idea how much Julian was looking forward to having a baby? If this is because of me..."

Hearing this, Julian suddenly snapped. He rushed over, grabbed my shoulders, and began shaking me violently.

The agonizing pain in my abdomen coupled with his rough shaking made my vision spin into darkness.

"Fiona! What does this have to do with Tiffany? Did you do this on purpose to get rid of the baby?!"

"Do you hate me that much?! To the point of using our own child to punish me?!"

The doctor immediately slammed him back.

"What are you doing?! The patient is in critical condition!"

The doctor shoved the surgical consent form and the critical condition notice into Julian’s shaking hands.

"This is an emergency! We need to remove the ruptured fallopian tube, and we might even have to perform a hysterectomy to save her life! Sign it now!"

Julian held the pen, but his hand was shaking uncontrollably.

Tiffany whispered from behind him, her voice filled with mock concern.

"Julian... a hysterectomy... does that mean... Fiona will never be able to have children again?"

Julian’s hand froze.

He looked at me, and in his eyes, there was not a single shred of pity or love.

I felt my life slowly draining away.

The pain in my abdomen was consuming me entirely.

Looking at this hesitating man—the man who had sworn to love and protect me for the rest of his life, yet hesitated to save me when I was dying—my heart finally died.

With the very last of my strength, I dragged myself up and reached for my bag.

I pulled out a document and a pen I had prepared beforehand.

I signed my own name on the surgical consent form.

Then, I flipped to the last page of the "Divorce Agreement" I had drafted days ago, and signed my name there too, smearing a drop of my own blood onto the paper.

I weakly shoved both documents into his face.

"Sign it, and I'll go into the operating room myself."

Julian stared at the blood-stained divorce papers, completely paralyzed.

His mouth opened, but no sound came out.

The nurse beside us stamped her foot in frustration.

"What are you waiting for?! If we delay any longer, she’s going to die!"

My consciousness was fading fast, and my vision began to double.

Without looking at him again, I turned to the doctor.

"Doctor, I signed it myself. I take full responsibility."

With those final words, I plummeted into absolute darkness.