Chapter 11
Sebastian barely registered the gasps around him as he swung his legs over the side of the hospital bed, his bare feet touching the cold floor. The movement sent a jolt of unbearable pain through his right leg and ribs, remnants of the car accident he had narrowly survived. He crumpled back onto the bed, his eyes bloodshot and filled with determination. Despite the pain, he tried to rise again, only to be gently restrained by the doctor who had just entered the room. The doctor examined him thoroughly, reconnected the IV, and then scolded him with a mixture of exasperation and concern.
“You barely survived that crash, and here you are trying to pull out your IV and run off. Do you have any idea how serious your injuries are? Haven’t you heard the saying ‘it takes a hundred days to heal bones and tendons?‘ And you all,” the doctor turned to address the others in the room, “you should know better than to agitate a patient with a weak heart.”
After delivering his lecture, the doctor left, instructing the nursing staff to keep a close watch on Sebastian’s room. Inside, Sebastian’s breath came in sharp, angry bursts. He couldn’t believe Vivian had the nerve to block him. The thought of divorce was equally absurd to him.
Vivian was crazy about him; she couldn’t possibly want a divorce. The thought calmed him slightly, and he reached out to Quinn, who handed him the divorce papers. Sebastian barely glanced at Vanessa, who stood to the side, feeling utterly ignored. Just yesterday, he had risked everything to protect her, and now he didn’t even care about her offer to be with him.
Vanessa’s jealousy burned fiercely. If it weren’t for Vivian causing a scene about divorce, Sebastian’s attention wouldn’t have strayed from her. She bit her lip, seething with resentment toward Vivian.
“Sebastian… Vanessa’s voice quivered with hurt. “What’s so special about a silly divorce paper? If she wants to leave, let her. I’ll stay by your side.”
In the past, such words from Vanessa would have delighted Sebastian, prompting him to break things off with Vivian and run into Vanessa’s arms. But now, he felt nothing but frustration. The divorce papers in his hands seemed to mock him.
“Sure, it looks convincing,” he muttered, “but I never signed any divorce agreement, nor did I step foot in a courthouse. So how could this be real?”
Ignoring Vanessa’s attempts at comfort, he scoffed, “Let’s see if she’s really got the guts to stay away. If she’s so determined, let her prove it.”
Though he lowered his voice, everyone in the room heard him clearly. They quickly tried to defuse the tension with light–hearted banter.
“Exactly, Vivian loves him too much to really leave,” one of them chimed in. “I bet she’ll be back in less than two weeks!”
“Two weeks? You’re too cautious,” another retorted. “I say one week!”
“I’ll give it three days!”
Their chatter dispelled some of Sebastian’s unease. He tossed the divorce papers aside, convinced Vivian was merely acting out of jealousy over his rescue of Vanessa. Surely, it was all a bluff. He resolved to teach Vivian a lesson about crossing lines.
With a determined frown, he picked up his phone and dialed a number. “I need you to investigate where Vivian got those divorce papers.”
Once he had the evidence, he thought, she would have a hard time denying the truth.
