Lex hoisted Phoebe into his arms, their bodies locked together in a passionate release.
The shimmering diamonds and delicate lace on the wedding gown scraped against the wall with every movement, their brilliance dulled until all that remained was a lifeless shell.
I clenched my palms so hard that my nails dug into my skin, tears streaming numbly down my face only to be dried again and again by the suffocating warmth of the car heater.
Lex wasn’t coming out. He was too entangled in her, his passion relentless, leaving no space for shame or regret. Unable to bear another second, I stumbled out of the car. Snowflakes descended like a merciless storm, pelting me with icy fury. Yet no cold could rival the gaping void of anguish clawing at my chest.
I walked blindly through the snow-covered streets, my feet carrying me with no regard for direction. Hours passed—perhaps minutes; I couldn’t tell. Finally, I found myself standing before the villa Lex had built for me, a home that now felt like a stranger’s estate.
But not for long. Soon, it wouldn’t be mine anymore.
A sudden wave of dizziness swept over me and the ground rose to meet me. Before darkness claimed me entirely, I heard a man’s panicked shout behind me, sharp and desperate.
Then, silence.
Perhaps it was sheer defiance against seeing Lex again, but I fell into a fevered slumber for five days. When consciousness slowly returned, I could hear his voice cutting through the haze, thick with anger.
“What the hell are you doing? You're the best doctors in the city, right? Then why can’t you even wake a girl up? If you’re this useless, I better fire all of you and find someone who actually knows what they’re doing. Someone tell me—why hasn't my fiancée woken up yet?!"
The moment my eyes fluttered open, Lex rushed to my side as though the sight of me had pulled him back from the brink of madness.
“Tara!” he exclaimed, dropping to his knees beside the bed and wrapping his arms around me with the desperation of a man grasping at salvation. “Tara, you’re awake. Oh thank God, I thought I’d lost you. You scared me to death!”
His face was unshaven, his eyes bloodshot and the dark circles under them betrayed his sleepless nights.
As he leaned down to kiss me, I recalled the memory of him in the fitting room and a wave of nausea churned in my stomach. I shifted just enough to avoid him, feigning indifference.