On Our Fifth Anniversary My Husband Begged Me Not to Leave Chapter 17

On Our Fifth Anniversary My Husband Begged Me Not to Leave Chapter 17

I called the police.

Maren was arrested.

Deliberately inducing a post-operative crisis—combined with the investigation results from my hemorrhage incident—meant she was facing far more than just losing her job.

But I couldn’t focus on her fate.

My mother’s condition was deteriorating fast.

Outside the ICU, the doctors handed me critical condition notices again and again.

I didn’t sleep for two days.

Through the glass, I watched my mother lying there, her body covered in tubes, the monitors flickering.

Every beep was a dull knife dragging across my nerves.

Ethan stayed the whole time.

He slept less than I did, dark bruises carved beneath his eyes.

But looking at him sparked no gratitude in me—only a crawling visceral disgust.

If he hadn’t spent years indulging Maren Walsh, my mother would never have ended up here.

“Stella.” His voice was hoarse.

—

“Let me try. I can contact the best teams in the country. We’ll redesign her treatment plan from scratch. Just let me help.”

I stared at him coldly.

“Help? I don’t want your help. What I want is for you to get as far away from me as possible.”

But he didn’t move.

Instead, he reached out and pulled me against him, his voice steady in a way that made me want to scream.

“Right now, who else do you have?”

I hated him for it.

But he wasn’t wrong.

He was the only one who could save my mother.

I sagged against his shoulder, hollowed out.

And then a clear, bright voice cut through everything.

“Who says she only has you?”

I looked up.

Liam Lucas was striding down the hospital corridor.

Behind him walked several doctors—foreign, sharp-eyed.

The hospital director himself was escorting them, practically tripping over his own feet in deference.

—

Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

“Who are they?”

Liam’s mouth curved into a grin.

“Global Cardiovascular Research Institute. They flew in from Zurich this morning. Here to consult on her case.”

The director rushed to add, “Dr. Hayes, these are world-class experts. Professor Karlsson in particular—ranked among the top three cardiac surgeons worldwide.”

Ethan’s expression flickered.

I stared at Liam, still trying to process what I was seeing.

“Liam… how did you…”

He just smiled at me—that same lazy, unbothered smile.

“Don’t worry. She’s going to be fine.”

Then he turned to Ethan, and the smile cooled.

“Dr. Hayes. We’ve got it from here. You can go get some rest.”

—

Ethan’s jaw tightened. He looked at the team of specialists, then back at me. For a moment, something unreadable crossed his face—something that looked almost like defeat.

Then he straightened his shoulders and said quietly, “I’ll stay. Just in case.”

Liam shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

The specialists swept into the ICU. I watched through the glass as they gathered around my mother’s bed, speaking in low, rapid German, pointing at monitors and charts.

Professor Karlsson turned to me and spoke in accented English. “Ms. Sterling. We have reviewed your mother’s case. The surgery was performed competently. The complication is not surgical—it is physiological. An extreme stress response triggered a cascade. But we can stabilize her. It will take time. But she will recover.”

Tears welled in my eyes. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Liam placed a warm hand on my shoulder. “See? I told you. She’s going to be fine.”

I looked at him, this stranger I’d met on a roadside, who had somehow become my anchor in the storm.

“Why are you doing all this?” I asked quietly.

He tilted his head, that easy grin back in place.

“Because someone has to. And it looks like your ex-husband forgot how.”