Chapter 3
Back home, Lorenzo carefully hung the gown in the closet.
He didn't notice I was already there.
His hands gently caressed my gown.
“Two years from now, I must marry Kingsley.”
When he closed the closet door and turned to find me there, he visibly froze.
With a touch of awkward embarrassment.
I have to admit, this past year, Lorenzo did love me.
But our love this past year has also been fractured.
“What about the pills?”
On the nightstand were the fever reducers I took last night.
Lorenzo lifted me onto the bed, his phone right beside my hand.
The instant the screen lit up, he pushed me down onto the bed.
His phone chimed again, and his kiss fell upon me.
The notification sound of that woman's message seemed to flip a switch in him.
He gently caressed the corner of my mouth, but his mind was clearly elsewhere.
“Be good and wait for me. I'm going to get you some water.”
He didn't leave until the phone had rung for the fifth time.
And he shut the bedroom door tightly behind him.
I was always so obedient.
Never one to doubt him.
And I certainly wouldn't be doing what I was now: following his every move.
Lorenzo knew this all too well.
So he didn't go far at all.
He went into the study, and the moment he answered the phone, he erupted in anger.
“Didn't I tell you I'm with Kingsley! Are you looking for a death wish!”
“Kingsley is sick. I'm not going anywhere.”
“Get played? Even if you get played to death today, I'm not coming.”
I silently retreated to my room.
Not long after, Lorenzo returned.
He was carrying a glass of water and a thermometer.
When did he start getting so antsy?
It must have been in the small hours of the morning.
I was woken by the sound of him getting dressed.
After he left, I got up.
I did a quick mental calculation of the time.
The person he left for was gravely injured.
Critically so.
It was also the trigger that led to the collapse of our relationship.
From then on, he began to resent me.
He blamed me for every single misfortune.
I don't know if it was because I'd been overthinking these past two days, or if my body was failing me after my rebirth.
My fever grew worse.
Lying in bed, I couldn't even turn over.
The slightest movement sent a searing pain through my insides.
As dawn approached, I called Lorenzo.
He didn't answer my first two calls.
I called an ambulance.
By the time I arrived at the hospital, I was being wheeled in on a gurney, an oxygen mask strapped to my face.
Amidst the flurry of activity, I saw Lorenzo in the hospital.
He was holding his phone, and it looked like he was texting me.
“Baby, I just saw my phone. What's wrong? I'm handling a family emergency. I'll be back for you later.”
I gasped for oxygen.
I stared numbly at the ceiling.
I would never love Lorenzo again in this lifetime."