[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-26032200D266-475":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},475,8,"Chapter 8: The Divorce Papers And The Final Request","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Armando Sullivan hauled me from the river and didn’t stop until we reached the ER. My lungs burned, searing with every ragged breath. With my health failing and my treatments long since abandoned, I knew I was inches from death.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I’m not going to make it,\" I rasped. \"Why don't you just...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He didn’t let me finish. Armando sprinted through the hospital hallway, his breathing coming in sharp, desperate hitches.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"No!\" he roared. \"The surgical team is prepping you. Just hold on!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Hours later, the infection in my lungs finally receded. When I blinked my eyes open, I didn't expect to see him—the man I’d worked for years ago, not the one I’d given my heart to.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Thank you,\" I whispered.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Armando paced the room, his hands trembling as he raked them through his hair. He looked haunted. On his phone screen, a replay of my humiliating livestream looped over and over.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He stopped, his jaw tight. \"Why didn't you tell me? You shouldn't have gone to him for help.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">My mother had warned me, too, before she passed. But I hadn't listened. Diego Cox was the man I’d loved my entire life. I truly believed he loved me back—that I could *feel* it.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But I’d been wrong. Terribly wrong. Diego hadn't changed; he’d finally just shown me his true colors.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I let out a hollow, self-deprecating laugh.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I know. I was a fool.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I’m done hoping,\" I added.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When Armando learned about the leukemia, he looked like he’d been gut-punched. He immediately started coordinating with specialists to hunt for a donor, but I pulled him back, my heart sinking.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"My blood type is too rare, Armando. I’ll never find a match.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I’d toyed with the idea of telling Diego the truth. Maybe if he knew I was dying, he’d feel enough guilt to convince Aliza Cook to donate her bone marrow. But in his eyes, I saw it—an unmistakable, deep-seated devotion to her that left no room for me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">So, I gave up. I’d been the desperate, demanding woman for too long. For once, I wanted to take the high road.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">My hair continued to fall out. The nosebleeds became constant. Armando stayed by my side, though he’d look away whenever he saw how much I’d wasted away, his jaw clenching as he fought back his frustration.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I asked him for one final favor. \"Bury me with my mother.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He choked back a sob, unable to answer. I took his silence as a promise.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">One day, I took my wheelchair out for some fresh air. Turning a corner, I nearly collided with Diego. He looked completely defeated. He went pale, clearly shocked by how gaunt I had become, and struggled to find his voice.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As I tried to wheel past him, he grabbed my armrest.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Kya, you...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I took a deep breath and flashed a bright, sunny smile.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You don't need to pity me,\" I said. \"But I do have one final request. I want to spend my last days in peace. Can you please just... not show up again?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His grip faltered. He lowered himself to one knee, his posture heavy with raw regret.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Kya, everything... it’s my fault. I was so blind.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Why didn't you tell me sooner? Even if it cost every cent I had, I would have gotten you the best treatment in the world.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maybe he would have. But I wasn't sure. Besides, leaving my life in someone else's hands wasn't my style. I stayed silent for a beat, then laughed.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Rest assured, I don't have the energy to fight Aliza Cook anymore. I won’t force her to donate her bone marrow.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I've already prepared the divorce papers. Once you sign them, you can marry her properly, and you won't have a woman like me standing in your way anymore.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The next second, Diego gripped my shoulders, his voice hard with intensity.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I don't want anyone but you.\"\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272929171]