I ran my tongue over the tender flesh inside my mouth. Tasted copper. "Jade, have you forgotten?" My voice came out flat. "I'm an orphan too. I don't have a single relative in this city either."
I stepped closer. "As my wife, you publicly humiliate me for him, again and again. How am I supposed to survive?"
Guilt flickered across her face for a split second before she hardened her heart. "How can you compare yourself to him? You've been street-smart since you were a kid—you've even been in juvenile detention. Max is sensitive. It's not the same."
She convinced herself she was righteous. With cruel resolve, she pulled her phone from her bag. "Don't blame me, Andrew. I have to give Max justice."
My stomach dropped.
*What did she do?*
My phone buzzed violently in my pocket. I pulled it out.
Jade had uploaded a photo of me from years ago. Right after I got out of detention—filthy, fighting stray dogs for scraps of food in an alley.
The comments poured in instantly.
*"Is this the CEO's husband? A beggar?"*
*"Disgusting."*
Mockery. Disgust. Memes.
The malice washed over me. I looked up at Jade's smug face.
Something inside me died.
"Jade." My voice sounded hollow, even to my own ears. "I want a divorce."
"What did you say?" She frowned.
Before she could argue, her phone rang. Max's voice drifted from the speaker, weak and trembling.
"Jade... thank you for everything these past few months."
"But I can't go on like this." Max sobbed on the other end of the line. "Let me say goodbye properly."
"No, Max! Don't do anything stupid! Wait for me, I'm coming right now!"
Panic seized Jade. She grabbed her coat and rushed out the door without a backward glance.
I opened my mouth to call out to her.
A sudden, searing pain ripped through my stomach.
I doubled over, clutching my abdomen.
*Retch.*
A massive mouthful of blood splattered onto the floor.
The smell of disinfectant stung my nose. Antiseptic white ceiling. Rhythmic beep of monitors.
Simon Chavez, my assistant, stood by the bed. His eyes were rimmed with red, and he looked like he was holding back tears.
I tried to smile. Probably looked more like a grimace. "Say it."
Simon exploded. "Andrew, it's not right! We all see it. You've bled for the Henson Group for years!"