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When they met,when they reunited,how many times they had seen each other—it was irrelevant.
The next morning,I texted Ethan that I wanted a divorce.He arrived at the hospital quickly.
It was ridiculous with irony—the fastest he'd shown up since I got sick.
Because I was letting him go.
After a night of festering,my face was swollen.He faltered when he spoke,but eventually he just handed me the divorce papers.
Even if it would only mean more humiliation,I asked,"Why did you date me in the first place?"
He was silent for a long time."I thought I'd never see Olivia again.And I needed the institute job."
I didn't know if I should thank his honesty.
I had chased him relentlessly,thinking I had won his heart through effort.
But to him,I was just a fallback,a ticket to a job when he thought he couldn't have her.
I thought he felt inferior due to our drastically different backgrounds,so I stayed up nights with him in the lab.
In this latest experiment,radiation levels spiked in the final phase.Even with layers of protective gear,exposure was inevitable.
I had firmly kept Ethan out of the lab.
"At this stage,it's just data monitoring.One person's enough."
"It's only two weeks.Trust me,I won't fail you."
He held my hand,hesitating,then helped me into the protective suit,meticulously listing precautions.
I swore not to unzip a single layer,and he let me go in.
I protected him so firmly without hesitation,thinking he was protecting me too.
But he knew I was pregnant and still let me,clueless,walk into that danger.
And then complained online about the timing?
His tearful regret,his anguished apologies—were they all an act?
I had felt unwell several times.Why didn't I pay attention?Even a quick online search might've helped.
Maybe I would have known about the baby.Maybe he could've lived to see the world.
When I first heard that I had lost the baby,I hated myself.
Ethan,an orphan,craved a family,yearning for blood ties.
But it was all my delusion.
He wanted a family,a child—but not with me.I was just a ‘colleague’.
I signed the divorce papers and threw them at him.
"I never want to see you again!"
But soon after,he returned to the ward.
With my father.
"What are you throwing a tantrum about?"
My father tore the divorce papers to shreds.A nurse peeked inside at the noise,she hesitated and opened her mouth but eventually said nothing,she just left,closing the door behind her.
Growing up,my father only cared about my grades,nothing else.
Before Ethan,I dated a wealthy but average student.My father forced me to end it.
When he learned I liked Ethan,he checked his academic record and let it be.
For the first time,I faced my father's anger head-on.Maybe because I was dying,I refused to stay silent.
"He doesn't love me.He cheated.Why am I the one making a fuss?"
My father looked at me like what I said was absurd."Men make mistakes.It's just one affair.Make him dump her and swear never contact her again.Marriage isn't a game you can just start and end whenever you want."
"Dad!"I couldn't believe a father would say this to his daughter."He proposed to her!And I...I don't have long left."
"Even with you dead,he's still my son-in-law!Your report’s already handed in, if you two divorce now..."
He stopped abruptly."As long as I'm alive,you're not divorcing him!"
"But Dad,can't you see my face is swollen?Don't you care how I got hurt?"
He looked away,stiffly."I told you to take care of yourself.Did you listen?"
Then he glared at Ethan."Don't let me hear you're still in touch with that girl.Stay here and take care of Stella."
I realized his unfinished sentence was his true priority.
In his eyes,the experiment and prestige trumped everything else.
If his daughter was useless,at least his son-in-law was loyal to the institute.
