Chapter 18 That’s My Husband
Her body went rigid.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice muffled against her chest. “I’m sorry for everything. I know I ruined our marriage.” His fingers clenched into her clothes. “But don’t walk away again. I really can’t take it anymore.”
Her hands hovered helplessly in the air for a second, torn—then she pressed hard against his shoulders, trying to push him away.
“Let go,” she said, her voice shaking despite herself.
“I’ll do anything,” he rasped, pulling her tighter. “Just don’t leave me.”
Panic flared in her chest.
“I told you—I don’t want anything to do with you!” she snapped, forcing her hands between their bodies, shoving against his arms with all her strength.
He only tightened his grip.
Her breath came fast and shallow as with a sharp burst of strength, she twisted sharply, finally wrenching herself free. She stumbled back a step and glared at him, her chest heaving.
“We are over!” she said fiercely. “Why don’t you understand that?”
Her voice cracked—not weak, but furious.
“You had five years,” she continued. “Five years to make things right. And you didn’t. Because I was never worth it to you.” Her eyes burned. “But now I have my own life. I have a husband. And I’m not going to betray him.”
She took a hard breath.
“We’re divorced. I’m married to another man.”
She turned on her heel and stormed toward the door.
“Mia!”
She didn’t stop.
Behind her, James’s restraint finally snapped.
“I’m not going to leave you alone, Mia,” he growled.
She halted and turned slowly.
James stood there, staring at her like a man unhinged, his jaw tight, anger burning through the grief.
“You’re going to come back to me,” he growled. “I don’t care what it takes. You’re my wife. You will never belong to another man as long as I am alive!”
Mia’s eyes hardened.
“That will never happen,” she replied calmly, irritation cutting through her voice like steel.
Then she turned and walked out of there.
Outside the hospital, the cool air hit her face. She didn’t slow down as she pushed through the doors, her hands trembling slightly as adrenaline drained from her body.
She reached into her bag and pulled out her ringing phone.
Alexander.
His name flashed on the screen.
She hesitated, conflict tightening her chest.
‘Should I pick up? Will he be angry?’
Taking a steady breath, she answered the call.
“Where are you?” Alexander asked immediately, his voice tight with worry. “You left the office early today?”
She closed her eyes briefly.
“Just got into a small car accident,” Mia said quietly. “But I’m fine. I’m on my way home now.”
“An accident?”
Alexander’s voice dropped instantly. In the background, Mia heard the scrape of a chair, the sound echoing sharply—as if he had stood up too fast.
“What kind of accident?” he demanded. “Where are you? I’m coming to pick you up right now. Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” Mia said quickly. Then she lowered her voice, stepping slightly away from the hospital entrance. “James came out of nowhere and saved me. A car almost hit me—that’s why I was at the hospital. But I’m okay. I’m not injured. Don’t worry.”
There was a tense pause on the line.
“You don’t need to come,” she added softly. “I was just leaving the hospital.”
“I’m your husband,” Alexander said, his voice shaking slightly. “It’s my job to worry about you.” His voice grew tighter. “Where are you right now? Tell me. Don’t make me more anxious—I’m already losing my damn mind, Mia.”
A small, involuntary smile tugged at her lips.
“Mr. Graves,” she said gently, “I know you’re my husband. But I’m not a child. I’m really fine. By the time you get here, I’ll already be home. I don’t want to stand outside alone waiting.”
She heard him exhale slowly on the other end.
“Please,” he said. “Just come home fast.”
“I’m already on my way,” she replied—and before he could argue again, she hung up.
The moment the screen went dark—
A voice spoke behind her.
“So affectionate with that new man of yours?”
Mia stiffened.
She turned sharply.
James stood a few steps away.
His arm was still wrapped in bandages, his movements stiff—but his eyes burned as they locked onto her. His gaze flicked to the phone still clenched in her hand.
“I heard everything,” he said darkly, as if she had committed some unforgivable crime. “How can you talk to another man in that voice?”
Mia stared at him, disbelief flashing across her face. “Why are you still following me?”
“I wasn’t stalking you,” he snapped. “I came after you. You were too busy being lovey-dovey with another man to notice anything else around you.”
She straightened her back, her patience thinning. “James, can you stop being weird? Take care of yourself. Don’t get angry at me.”
She turned to leave.
Suddenly, arms wrapped tightly around her from behind.
Mia gasped as his chest pressed against her back. His face buried into the side of her neck, his breath hot and uneven against her skin. His grip tightened around her waist, holding her in place.
“I need to talk to you,” he begged hoarsely. “Just talk to me. That’s all I’m asking. Is that so difficult?”
His voice cracked.
“We lived together for five years. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
Mia’s body went rigid.
Then she grabbed his arms and shoved them away, stumbling forward a step before spinning around to face him.
“Yes,” she snapped. “Exactly.”
Her eyes blazed.
“You had five years to talk to me,” she continued. “And what did you do instead? Don’t you remember?”
Her anger surged as the memories spilled out.
“Every time I called you, you ignored me. Every time I brought you breakfast, you removed the chairs from the table so I wouldn’t sit with you.”
James stiffened.
“You locked yourself in your study,” she continued bitterly. “No matter how many times I knocked, you never opened the door for me. But the maids? You let them in on the very first knock.”
Her chest rose and fell sharply.
“How many times did I try to sit beside you on the couch and have a conversation with you?” she demanded. “And what did you do?” She stepped closer, voice shaking with fury. “You stood up. And you walked away.”
Her voice sharpened, memories cutting deeper with every word.
“On my twentieth birthday, I asked you to cut a cake with me. Just sit with me and celebrate.” A bitter smile touched her lips. “What did you do? You threw the cake into the trash and told me to stop being childish.”
Her hands trembled as she continued.
“When I had a burning fever and could barely stand, I called you and asked you to take me to the hospital. What did you say? You told me to go with a maid and stop bothering you with my problems.”
She swallowed hard.
“Every time I tried to talk to you, you said you were busy. That my matters weren’t worth your time.”
Her breathing grew uneven.
“And when my parents died…” Her voice dropped, hollow. “I called you. You picked up—and within five seconds, you said you were busy and told me to handle it myself.”
She laughed softly, a sound stripped of humor.
“It didn’t even surprise me, James. Do you hear me? That’s what hurts the most. I actually expected it from you.” Her eyes filled, but she refused to look away. “And yet—I still called you.”
Tears slid down her cheeks. She wiped them away quickly, angrily.
“Do you know how much it hurt?” she whispered. “When my entire world collapsed? When every last blood relative I had died, right in front of my eyes—and I had no shoulder to cry on?”
Her gaze hardened.
“You wouldn’t understand,” she whispered. “Because you’ve never loved anyone more than yourself—or your business.”
She drew in a shaky breath and looked at him again. James stood frozen in front of her, his face pale, body rigid—but she didn’t stop.
“For a long time, I dreamed of having a good marriage.” Her voice softened, heavy with loss. “After my parents, you were the only person I wanted to spend my life with. You were my entire world.”
Her voice dropped.
“And you just… didn’t care.”
Guilt flooded James’s face. The pain there was obvious—raw, crushing—but it came far too late. Mia felt nothing when she saw it.
She felt nothing.
Whatever pain showed on his face no longer reached her.
“Mia, can’t you forgive me? Just once,” he asked hoarsely. “It was my first time being a husband.”
Mia looked at him quietly.
“It was my first time being a wife too, James.”
Her soft words landed harder than anything she had said before.
He looked devastated, as if something vital had been torn out of him. In that moment, he finally understood how badly he had failed her, the depth of the damage he had done.
Mia took a shuddering breath.
“I need you to do one thing for me,” she said steadily. “Stay just as indifferent as you were for those five years.”
Her eyes turned cold.
“Don’t try to get me back. Don’t blame me. I will never care for you again.”
She paused, her voice dropping to a whisper.
“I buried those feelings—the hope I had for us.” Her chest tightened. “I buried it all with my parents. Now, there’s nothing left for you.”
She turned away immediately, lifting a hand to brush her hair back, wiping the last trace of tears from her face.
Then she walked out of the hospital—
And this time, she didn’t look back.
James looked like someone had reached into his chest, squeezed his heart mercilessly, and shattered it in their fist.
He turned away slowly, his steps unsteady as he staggered back into the hospital room. The door closed behind him with a dull click. The silence inside felt suffocating.
The moment he sat on the edge of the bed, his strength gave out. His shoulders collapsed inward, his elbows dropped to his knees. For a second, he just stared at the floor—then his shoulders began to tremble.
Tears fell.
He didn’t bother wiping them away.
With shaking hands, he pulled out his phone. The screen blurred. He stared at the name on the screen for a long moment before pressing call.
The line connected a few seconds later.