Mated For Revenge

CHAPTER THREE: No More

The sterile hospital room buzzes with an uneasy silence, punctuated only by the soft beeping of machines and hushed murmurs.

"I think it's best if everyone gives us a moment. Catherine and I need to talk, please," Elijah says, his voice trembling slightly.

With only a glare shot at my direction, Ruth and Albert head out of the room first. Soon after, Layla leaves too.

"Catherine," Elijah begins as he holds my hand, his voice thick with emotion. "What you said earlier about... about divorce. I need to understand."

I meet his gaze, my lips forming a small, bitter smirk.

"Do you really, Elijah?" I ask, my voice low and tinged with a hint of sadness. When my smirk fades, it’s replaced by a mask of resignation. "Stop pretending that you’re innocent. I know about you and Layla."

Elijah’s eyes widen, his lips parting, his hands loosening around mine. I wait for him to say something, an explanation that may change my mind about divorcing him, but he remains speechless.

I shake my head in disappointment, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "The two of you should go to hell. Oh, and bring your parents with you. You’ll be a happy family there.”

Elijah tightens his grip around my hand.

"Catherine, I..." he begins, his words faltering as he struggles to find anything to say.

I cut him off with a wave of my hand.

Earlier, I wanted to hear his reason, but considering whatever kind of reason he’ll give, the fact remains that he’s cheating on me with my fake best friend!

"Save your excuses, Elijah," I say, my voice cold and distant. "I don’t care whatever you’ll say anymore.”

"Please, Catherine," he begs, his voice breaking with emotion. "Don't do this. I promise, I'll end things with Layla. Just... Please, don't leave me."

I love Elijah. I love him so much. But that isn’t enough to overshadow my fury towards him, his mistress and his parents. Because of them, I lost my child!

My baby…

It's like a storm that came and went without warning, leaving nothing but broken dreams in its wake. One moment, there was hope, there was anticipation, there was life growing inside me, a tiny beacon of joy. And then, in the blink of an eye, it was all ripped away. I keep replaying every moment, every decision, wondering if there was something I could have done differently. The pain is relentless, a constant ache that no amount of comforting words or apologies can soothe. How do you mourn someone you never got to hold, someone whose laughter you never got to hear?

“Leave,” I say, veering my glare away from Elijah. “I need to rest.”

Elijah hesitates at first, but sensing the gravity of my disgust, he lets go of my hand and steps back. "Alright, I’ll leave. But please,... think about what you're doing. Don’t forget about our plans and dreams for our future together. I can make things right if you give me a chance."

Chance? It sounds nice that he’s asking for it, but whenever the memory of his n.aked body on top of Layla’s while pounding her hard flash in my head, the chance he’s asking, is impossible to be granted.

As Elijah leaves the room, a slight relief washes over me. With trembling hands, I reach up and remove the IV drips from my arm, wincing as the needles prick my skin. Then I reach for the clothes folded neatly atop the bedside table. With urgent movements, I slip out of the hospital gown and into my own clothes.

My eyes linger on the door for a moment before making my next move. With a quiet resolve, I push myself out of bed and onto unsteady feet, ignoring the protests of my weakened body. I peer through the small glass window of the door and when I don’t see anyone outside, I slip through the door.

I pass through corridors and descend through staircases. The rain falls in sheets, pounding against the pavement with relentless force as I stumble out of the hospital’s glass doors. I have no destination in mind, no plan beyond the desperate need to escape the suffocating confines of the life I have endured for far too long. All I know is that I can’t stay there, trapped in a world that has crumbled around me.

As I step out onto the slick pavement, the world around me blurs into a haze of gray. The rain soaks through my clothes, chilling me to the bone, but I hardly notice. My mind is still consumed with thoughts of Elijah's infidelity, Layla's betrayal, and the crushing weight of my baby's death.

For a moment, I entertain the thought of ending it all, of escaping the pain once and for all. What if dying is the best thing that could happen to me? I no longer know what my purpose is anymore anyway.

The rain continues to pour, and without realizing it, I find myself on the sidewalk of a wide, dark road, the sound of passing cars a distant echo in my ears.

In a daze, I step off the curb and onto the asphalt, my movements guided by some unseen force. The roar of an approaching truck fills my ears, drowning out the sound of my own thoughts as it barrels towards me with terrifying speed. I stand, frozen in place, resigned to whatever fate awaits me.

But just as the truck is mere meters away, a pair of strong arms wraps around my waist, pulling me back from the brink of disaster. I stumble backwards, my heart pounding in my chest as I look up to see who has deprived me of my freedom.

The face that greets me is unfamiliar, a mask of impassiveness. I try to pull away, to retreat into the safety of my own solitude, but the arms around me hold me fast, their warmth seeping into my bones like a lifeline.

"Are you out of your mind?" the man asks, his voice devoid of emotion. “Don’t give the truck driver a hellish guilt and responsibility if you wanna die. It’s not fair to him.”

I open my mouth to speak, but no words come. I feel as though I’m drowning, the weight of my grief pulling me under, but the warmth of the man's embrace keeps me afloat.

Tears well in my eyes, different unwanted emotions warring within me.

"I... I don't know," I say, my voice barely audible above the din of the rain. "I just... I didn't know what else to do."

I sink myself into the man’s chest, my world spins and blurs again, my vision narrowing to a pinprick of light before fading into darkness. I feel myself slipping away, consciousness slipping through my fingers like grains of sand. Until I finally surrender to the oblivion of unconsciousness.