
Too Late for a Second Choice
Chapter 5
Cyrus was hospitalized for a week. Almost every day of that week, I would hear from doctors and nurses in the hospital about how loving and reminiscent of a model couple Niall and Chelsea were.
I would also hear about how obedient and sensible their daughter was.
Day by day, my determination to file for a divorce increased.
"Why have you come to my workplace again, Shayla?" Niall questioned harshly. "Are you thinking about causing trouble? Well, I suggest you save it!"
I was carrying the chicken soup I had made for my son in hand. His attending doctor mentioned that drinking more soup could aid in the recovery of his wound.
Niall looked at the thermos flask I was holding in disgust. "Even a dog wouldn't drink anything you make!"
"No, that's not it—"
Before I could properly explain that this was a nutritious meal I had made for Cyrus, he ruthlessly knocked over the soup I had spent an hour meticulously preparing to the floor.
Hot soup splashed upward. The back of my hand quickly became red and swollen.
"Putting on a pity act?" asked Niall, glancing disdainfully at me. "Save your little tricks!"
"Niall Luther! This is a nutritious meal for our son! It's been so long since he got into a car accident, but you've shown zero interest in his well-being. Now you've even deliberately spilled the soup that I made for him!
"You asked me what I wanted, didn't you? Well, that's my line!"
His expression froze before he asked calmly, "Haven't you had enough of your whole car accident act? Now you're moving on to delivering soup?"
"How could I not know that my son's in the hospital?" I cried out.
"Stop making excuses, Shayla. Just get out!" he shouted.
Just then, Chelsea approached us from the end of the corridor. "How could you speak like that, Niall? Ms. Jennings is doing this out of concern for you, even if she's going about it the wrong way."
Niall gently embraced her even as he stated coldly, "She's asking for it."
Cyrus heard the commotion outside his hospital room. Poking his head out of a gap in the door, he happened to hear those words.
He immediately rushed over and placed his small frame in front of me in an attempt to shield me.
When he caught sight of the swelling on the back of my hand, he gently blew on it for me. He then turned to look at Niall, yelling, "From today onward, you're no longer my daddy! I don't want you anymore!"
Niall turned around in shock, his eyes landing straight on Cyrus. When he saw the hideous wound on Cyrus' forehead, he panicked.
"How can he actually be injured? Did you get someone to put on special effects makeup for him, Shayla? Say something!"
As I gazed at the man in front of me, I felt like he was more than a stranger. The facts were right in front of him, yet he claimed that I was lying to him.
"Let's get a divorce, Niall Luther!" I shouted.
Chelsea saw that Niall was shaken by Cyrus' injury, so she immediately started sowing discord again.
"If not for the fact that you used many different tricks to get Niall's attention before, why would he subconsciously assume that you're lying, Ms. Jennings?
"It's easy to call for divorce but difficult to actually go through with it. If Niall really were to agree to it, it might give him a bad name.
"Furthermore, even if we were to hold someone accountable for this incident, I'm afraid most of the responsibility lies with you, Ms. Jennings."
Niall's eyes immediately lit up at her words. "Chelsea's right. If not for the fact that you've deceived me on multiple occasions, why would I subconsciously distrust you? Our son suffered such a serious injury, but all you did was call me!
"How irresponsible can you be, as a mother, to allow our son to get into a car accident in the middle of the night?"
My jaw almost slammed to the floor when I heard his shameless words.
So, according to them, I was actually the perpetrator?
How ridiculous.
"Niall Luther!" I yelled. "If it wasn't for our son rushing to celebrate your birthday with you, would we have left the house in the middle of the night?
"But what did I see when we got here? Lulu White only suffered a minor scratch, and the wound had already closed up, but you still treated her with utmost gentleness and even helped her disinfect it!
"Look at the condition our son is in right now! Don't you feel guilty?"
I turned to address Chelsea. "Others might not know about it, but are you telling me that you're unaware of Niall and I being married to each other, Chelsea Blanc? Do you think addressing me as Ms. Jennings is going to change that fact?
"Look at you, so eager to become a mistress! How cheap can you get?"
Niall attempted to say something, but when he looked into Cyrus' teary eyes, he decided against it.
"We'll treat this incident as my fault," he said eventually. "I'll upgrade our son to a premium ward and provide him due compensation! However, as his mother, you're not completely blameless! You don't have the right to point fingers at me!
"Don't blame Chelsea for it, either! This matter has nothing to do with her!"
I no longer wished to continue exchanging words with him.
Responsibility? As a mother, when my child was injured, all I could feel was pain and distress. How could I have been in the mood to think about anything else?
"Enough, Niall!" I shouted. "Let's file for divorce!"