“What?” For a moment, Soren thought he must have misheard.
Evangeline calmly repeated herself. Soren still couldn’t believe it. “Evangeline, what kind of game are you playing now?”
“I’m serious.”
“Soren, I’m letting you and Poppy have what you want. I’ve already contacted the lawyer. I’m upstairs in the hospital room right now. If you have time, come up and we can discuss the divorce-”
Before she could finish, something seemed to click for Soren.
He let out a cold laugh, cutting her off. “I don’t have time for this.”
With that, Soren hung up.
He was almost amused–furious, but amused.
So her strange behavior lately really was just another ploy to get his attention. After all that talk, getting him to come see her must have been her real goal. Using divorce as bait.
Pathetic. He’d almost fallen for it.
Over the years, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t tried to force her into a divorce. He’d promised her half his assets, promised her whatever she wanted–she never took it. Eventually, he tried to provoke her into asking for the divorce herself: openly flirting with other women in front of her, shutting her out at family gatherings, ignoring her at parties with friends.
Any reasonable woman would have left him long ago. But Evangeline refused.
At first, Soren thought she was just greedy, always wanting more. It wasn’t until much later that he realized, after all these years, the only thing she’d ever truly
wanted was him.
Soren scoffed at the thought.
He could give her anything–except himself. That was never going to happen.
[I don’t want to see you, and neither does Poppy. Don’t be silly.]
He fired off the message, then ignored any further calls and headed upstairs.
He hoped Evangeline would have the sense to leave quietly this time. If not, he had
21:02
no problem throwing her out of the hospital in front of everyone.
When Evangeline received Soren’s text, she stared at the cold, almost threatening words and let out a bitter laugh.
She’d known this was coming, had tried to brace herself, but still, the finality of it chilled her to the core.
So this was it. Five years of marriage, and this was all that was left–distrust, and nothing more.
But what surprised her most was that she didn’t feel the heartbreak or devastation she once might have. Instead, she felt strangely calm.
Maybe this had finally woken her up for good.
Within minutes, she accepted that Soren wanted nothing to do with her. She decided to rest and take care of herself; it was time to stop living for someone
else.
But by late afternoon, a nurse came to her room with a gentle, apologetic look, carefully choosing her words. “Dr. Leigh says you need a quieter place to recover. He’s already arranged for you to transfer to another hospital. And if you have any concerns, Dr. Leigh said you’re welcome to speak to him directly.”
Hearing Liam’s name, Evangeline instantly understood what was really going on.
The hospital director was Liam’s father. Even though Liam was just a resident, in this place, no one would dare challenge his orders.
He was making it perfectly clear: she had to go.
Evangeline didn’t want to make things difficult for the nurses. She nodded.
Cradling the tiny box the doctor had given her–the remains of her unborn child–she slowly eased herself off the bed.
One of the nurses watched her struggle and hesitated, sympathy in her eyes. “Your know, if a patient objects, a doctor can’t just transfer you out like this. There’s a complaint line for-”
“It’s fine,” Evangeline interrupted, forcing a weak smile.
She knew the nurse meant well. But she also knew the truth: Liam might have delivered the message, but without Soren’s approval, he never would have dared.
Filing a complaint was pointless. If Soren wanted her gone, he’d find a hundred ways to make it happen.
21:12
She thanked the nurses, then quietly gathered her things.
With her body still aching, she limped out of the hospital, alone.
Chapter?
Chapter 7
