“Dom, someone’s following me. Please—”
He’d cut me off with a sigh. “Baby, I’m so sorry. I’m really busy right now. Stay calm, okay? I’ll send some cops to your location.”
The line had gone dead before I could say another word. The stalker had grabbed my wrist and tried to drag me toward the alley. His hand reeked of sweat and cigarettes. I still remember how my throat burned from screaming.
And then by sheer luck a stranger passed by.
Tall, broad-shouldered, built like a wall.
The stalker took one look at him and bolted into the dark.
That night, I walked home alone, shaking. Dominic never called back. Never even asked what happened.
So that’s what his love looked like… wild, selfless, burning. The kind of love I begged for and never got.
A nurse came out, her scrubs stained with blood. “The knife missed his heart by just a millimeter,” she said. “Is Miss Lory here? We need a family member’s signature.”
Loriana’s tears sparkled like pearls under the light. “Oh… I’m not family. His wife is right there.”
The nurse turned to me, startled. “But… the patient kept calling for someone named ‘Lory.’ And when he was conscious earlier, he… he said he wanted to leave all his assets to Miss Loriana. His wife.”
Her words trailed off when she realized what she’d said.
I gave her a small, tired smile. “It’s fine,” I said quietly, taking the clipboard and signing the papers. My hands didn’t even shake.
When I turned to leave, Loriana’s voice followed me, soft and trembling, perfectly rehearsed. “Rosie! How can you walk away like that? Don’t you love him? He’s fighting for his life in there!”
I stopped at the doorway, the smell of antiseptic thick in the air.
“Don’t I love him?” I repeated, my voice calm but cold enough to cut. “You think love means waiting outside an operating room to prove something?”
She blinked, uncertain now. “You’re his wife. You should—”
“Am I?” I interrupted. The words made her flinch.
She tried to recover, dabbing her eyes with trembling fingers. “Of course you are. Legally, yes, but you can’t just—”
I stepped closer, close enough to see her reflection tremble in my eyes.
“Legally?” I echoed with a faint smile. “Then maybe from now on, you can have that title too. Consider it a gift.”
She froze. “What are you saying?”