Her Vanishing Act, His Deep Regret

Elle's POV:

The hospital waiting room smelled strongly of harsh disinfectant. For weeks, headaches, dizziness, and blurred vision had been tormenting me. At first, I thought it was just the stress, Kellan's coldness, and the physical reaction to my unspoken secret.

Dr. Chen walked in holding the scan results, her expression grave. Without a hint of a comforting smile, she looked directly at me. "Elle, the results are in."

I subconsciously touched my lower abdomen and took a deep breath. "Is... is something wrong with the baby?" This was the secret I had guarded for weeks, originally intending to surprise Kellan, even foolishly hoping it might repair our marriage.

Dr. Chen slowly shook her head, her gaze resolute. "No, Elle. You have a ruptured aneurysm in your brain. The situation is extremely critical. You need surgery immediately."

A ruptured aneurysm. I felt the entire room start to spin before my eyes.

My mind was a mess. Immediate surgery? Who should I call? My parents? In their eyes, I was merely a stepping stone for Azure's "expensive dreams." After forcing me to drop out of school to pay for my sister's education, we had cut ties. As for my brother, Hamilton, who was also a surgeon, he had long cut contact with me because he mistakenly believed I was an accomplice in our parents' abuse toward him.

There was only Kellan. The husband who had promised to cherish me was now my only family. He would definitely come.

With trembling hands, I dialed his number. After three rings, the call connected, but his voice sounded distant and annoyed.

"Kellan, it's me." Fear made my throat tight. I wanted so badly to break down crying in front of him, to beg him to come hold me, but the words that came out were a trembling cry for help. "I... I'm at the hospital. I need you to come here."

There was silence on the other end, with faint music and laughter in the background—he was at Azure's promotion party. Then, he let out a heavy sigh. "Elle, is it this again? What is it this time? Will you only be satisfied when you've ruined Azure's good day?"

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over my head. "I'm serious, Kellan. I'm in the ER. A ruptured aneurysm. I need surgery right now." Panic made my words tumble out incoherently.

Another stretch of silence. Then, he let out a cold laugh. "An aneurysm? What kind of script are you making up now? Azure said you've been acting weird lately, just to ruin her success and steal her spotlight. To get attention, you'd even make up a terminal illness?"

My breathing stopped. So Azure had been whispering poison in his ear all along.

"You know what? You're just jealous!" he accused mercilessly. "Azure only dared to announce her promotion a few days ago because she was trying to spare your feelings. And you? Is this how you repay her? Trying to destroy her happiness again?"

He would rather believe Azure's lies than believe his wife, who was fighting a battle against death.

My heart shattered completely, the oppression making it impossible to breathe.

"Elle, if you insist on putting on this act," Kellan's voice was as cold as ice, "then don't bother coming home."

The call disconnected.

I stared at the phone as the screen went dark. I tried calling back, but no one answered. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold the phone.

He hung up on me, and he abandoned me.

Dr. Chen walked in, holding a consent form.

"We need your signature, Elle. Do you have a family member who can sign on your behalf?"

I looked at the form. Looking at the blank space for next of kin, Kellan's words echoed in my ears: "Don't bother coming home."

No one. There never was anyone.

"Can I sign it myself?" I asked, my voice hoarse, leaning against the wall to steady myself.

Dr. Chen looked at me, a trace of pity in her eyes.

"We usually recommend having a family member sign, so you feel more at ease. Is there really no one you can contact?"

"No," I said firmly, my voice gaining strength. "No one. I'll sign it."

I took the pen and wrote down my name, every stroke feeling like I was tearing away my past life.

"Don't contact anyone else," I told a nurse who was holding a list of phone numbers. "There is no one to contact."

As they wheeled me into the operating room, my phone buzzed. It was an Instagram update from Azure.

A photo of her and Kellan, smiling brightly, looking incredibly close. "Celebrating my promotion with the best brother-in-law!" the caption read. In the comments, Kellan replied: "So proud of you, little sister!"

A wave of icy despair crashed against my heart. He chose her.

He had promised to love me, cherish me, and build a home with me. Now it seemed it was all a lie.

The anesthesia began to take effect. My eyelids grew heavy.

The last thing I saw was the bright, blinding surgical lights in the operating room.

Then, darkness.