The Blue Rejection That Ended My Marriage Chapter 04

The Blue Rejection That Ended My Marriage Chapter 04

I headed straight to the hospital.

By the time I finished checking in, I was lying in a hospital bed, cold sweat still beading across my forehead.

Early the next morning, I got a message from my attorney.

Attorney: [We have the evidence organized. We’re ready to file.]

I had barely relaxed when my phone rang. It was Nathan.

“Elliot, Sloane’s at your mom’s studio. I can’t get anything out.”

I nearly lost my balance and caught myself against the wall as numbness spread through my legs.

At that moment, Miles walked into my room carrying a document.

“Elliot, don’t bother waiting. Sloane’s been paying the rent on your mom’s studio all along. Of course she can let herself in.”

His smile widened.

“All your designs are in there, along with your mom’s work, right?”

He held out the document.

“Just sign this first.”

I opened it to the first page, and a chill swept through me.

[All rights in Project Deep Blue are hereby assigned by Elliot Hale to Sloane Mercer without compensation.]

[Elliot Hale shall have no claim or control over any future derivative designs or revisions.]

Then came the final clause.

[In the event of divorce, Elliot Hale voluntarily waives all claims to marital property.]

My hand started to shake.

“You’re threatening me?”

“Not me.”

Miles gave a small dismissive gesture and held out his phone.

Sloane’s calm voice came through the speaker.

“This isn’t a threat. It’s a deal.”

“Sign it, and you’ll get every single piece of your mother’s work back.”

The pain in my lower back kept getting worse, and my legs had started trembling.

“Sloane, when I quit my job, the only thing I asked was that you protect that studio. You promised me!”

She was silent for barely a second before answering in the same even voice.

“Elliot, I love you.”

“You’re the one who’s become more and more ungrateful.”

Ungrateful—that was how she saw me.

After two years of giving in to her, I was still the ungrateful one in her eyes.

Then I heard Nathan shouting in the background.

“Sloane, tell them to stop! Those originals can’t be folded!”

My legs finally gave out, and I dropped to one knee.

A pen was immediately pressed into my hand.

Miles leaned closer.

“Just sign it, Elliot. Then you can have your surgery in peace and stop worrying about everything else. Wouldn’t that be easier?”

A violent wave of pain ripped through me, soaking my clothes with cold sweat.

I gritted my teeth and forced out the words with what little strength I had left.

“Sloane… my surgery is today.”

She paused, then irritation crept into her voice.

“Stop using the surgery to pressure me. Miles showed me your medical records. It’s nowhere near as serious as you keep claiming.”

In the background, Nathan sounded increasingly frantic.

Despair swallowed me whole.

My hand trembling, I signed my name.

The moment the pen left the paper, every last bit of strength drained out of me.

A nurse came into the room and immediately raised her voice.

“Why didn’t anyone call for help? His condition is urgent. We need him in the OR now!”

“Whoever’s with him, go handle the billing.”

Sloane sounded confused over the phone.

“The OR?”

Miles quickly took the phone back.

“It’s not that serious, Sloane.”

“You know Elliot. He always makes everything sound worse than it is.”

He picked up the agreement and started toward the door.

I called after him, barely able to get the words out.

“I signed it. Please… take care of the bill.”

Miles stopped.

A smug smile crossed his face.

“Sure. But rules are rules. Submit a request first, and I’ll approve it.”

Then he tapped speakerphone again.

Sloane’s unhurried voice filled the room.

“Do what Miles says. There’s no rush.”

Everything went silent.

All I could hear was those three words.

There’s no rush.

The pain kept coming in waves.

I had no idea how much time passed before hurried footsteps broke through the haze.

“Elliot!”

Nathan sounded tense.

The surgical lights glared above me as another bolt of pain tore through my body.

When the surgery was over, I lost consciousness.

When I woke again, the room was quiet.

Nathan was sitting beside the bed, with my attorney nearby.

The moment he saw my eyes open, he leaned forward.

“Elliot, the surgery went well. We got all your mom’s work back too.”

“I gave your attorney the recording you sent me.”

“It’s more than enough to show you signed that agreement under duress. We can ask the court to set it aside.”

My attorney adjusted his glasses.

“The divorce filing, the copyright infringement claim, and the rest of the civil claims arising from what happened during the marriage are all ready.”

“Mr. Hale, say the word and we’ll file.”

My throat was raw when I answered.

“Now.”