Twelve Years Of Salvation, Six Months Of Betrayal Chapter 07

Twelve Years Of Salvation, Six Months Of Betrayal Chapter 07

The door closed. James came back to my bedside.

“Emily, I’m sorry. I didn’t know my mom was going to say those things.”

“I won’t let them bother you anymore. We can start over.”

“I’ll do whatever you say. Please, just give me another chance.”

His voice was desperate.

I looked down, not meeting his eyes.

“Sign the divorce papers, James.”

I heard his breath catch behind me.

“I won’t.” His voice trembled.

“I won’t agree to a divorce. What I did to you, about the baby… I’ll spend my whole life making it up

to you.”

“You’re not well. You need someone to take care of you.”

“I don’t need you.”

I found my phone under my pillow and called a nursing agency, hiring a full-time aide.

James stood there watching me the whole time.

When I hung up, he said hoarsely, “Okay. I won’t upset you. I’ll be right outside the door. Call me if you need anything.”

He backed out of the room.

For the entire week I was in the hospital, James didn’t leave the building.

Every day, he went to the hospital kitchen to make me soup and other meals.

But he was too afraid to come in. He gave everything to the nurse to bring to me.

I didn’t touch a single thing. I had the nurse throw it all in the trash.

When the doctors made their rounds, James would follow behind them.

()…

The doctor looked at my chart and sighed.

“She has a history of poor health. This time, she suffered severe hemorrhaging and prolonged exposure to extremely cold water, resulting in significant uterine damage.”

“Conceiving again may be very difficult.”

The room was very quiet.

I just nodded when the doctor finished.

“Okay. Thank you, doctor.”

Maybe my heart was already hollow. I couldn’t remember when exactly I’d stopped having any

expectations of James.

After the doctor left, I heard a heavy thud from the hallway.

The carer hesitated, then whispered, “Miss Carter, your husband is crying in the hallway. It’s pretty pitiful.”

“He hasn’t eaten in days and looks terrible. Can’t married couples work things out?”

I looked out the window at the falling leaves.

“If it were just a rough patch, maybe. But once feelings are gone, even small setbacks can ruin

everything.”

The carer didn’t say anything else.

The day I was discharged, it was cloudy.

I didn’t tell anyone. I had the carer help me pack a small bag and took a taxi to a hotel.

After I settled in, I contacted my lawyer and sent over the newly drafted divorce papers.

James didn’t sign. He started looking for me everywhere.

I blocked his number, so he called from other people’s phones,

His texts went from frantic to desperate,

[Emily, I sold the house. I transferred all the money to your account.]

[I cut my mother off. I’m done with her.]

[Please, just see me once. Just once.]

I read the messages and just felt tired.

Where was this energy before?

All this making up for things now, what did it prove except what a terrible husband he’d been?

I found a small one-bedroom apartment near my office.

The day I moved in, I stopped short at the entrance to my building.

James was leaning against the wall by the door.

In just two weeks, he’d wasted away.

His back was hunched. His jaw was covered in dark stubble. His eyes were bloodshot.

Cigarette butts littered the ground at his feet.

When he saw me, his eyes lit up.

“Emily… I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”