Chapter 1: DIVORCE
GABRIELLA
My eyes fluttered open.
Everywhere was a binding, blurry white, but after a second my vision began to adjust bit by bit, and within a minute, everything became clear.
My brows furrowed in confusion, as my eyes blinked hard, trying to grasp the whole context. I tried to gulp, but a raw, painful rasp was the only sound I could make.
My gaze moved from the all white wall, to the blue plain curtains, down to the tangled wires that sneaked into my arms connected to the humming machine and wires all over.
I tried to speak, at least to force out a word past my dried throat. That one word that felt trapped in my heart, and was so desperate to scream out.
“Jenson!” My voice came out barely a whisper.
Undoubtedly the sound was strange to my ears, low and weak, but it was mine. My first sound in one year felt so surreal. My hand flew to my mouth, my eyes widening. I felt like a child calling out “Mama” for the first time.
Suddenly, the door swung open, breaking through my thoughts.
I turned to see Nurse Amara frozen on her track. Her eyes sparkled with excitement mixed with shock. I still remembered her face when my husband had brought me here for countless check ups.
Speaking of him….where is my husband? My gaze briefly wandered around.
I averted my gaze back to her to see a warm smile spreading across her face, and she hurried to my bedside.
I flinched at the sudden movement. I wasn’t expecting that though.
“You are awake,” Amara breathed, her voice thick with emotions, and tears were ready pooling in her eyes. “Oh, my goodness, you’re finally awake!”
“How long have I slept?” I asked.
You have been in a coma the whole year, ma’am.” She responded.
A whole year?
My eyes widened in shock. ‘C0ma? Were there any complications after the surgery?’ My mind was buzzing with so many unanswered questions. Instantly my hands shot, my weak fingers clutching at Amara’s waist.
“Jenson,” I rasped desperately. “My husband. Where is he?” My voice cracked.
He was supposed to be by my side till the very end. He promised me that regardless of the outcome, he would hold my hand and never let me go. How desperate I was to find him sitting beside me.
My heart sank as I stared up at Amara, tears began pooling in my eyes.
Her smile instantly disappear, replaced with a nervous grimace. She gulped and used the pen in her hand to nervously scratch the back of her head, looking away.
Amara let out a heavy breath and placed a calming hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Ms Edward, he…he isn’t here.” She responded.
I shook my head in disbelief, holding onto his promise like my life depended on it. “He might be outside! Go call him for me!”
She sat gently on the edge of my bed. “Immediately after you gave your kidney for his transplant…the only one you had left…unfortunately, got infected.” She began, folding her sweating hands.
“My kidney got infected?” My brows furrowed in confusion. I knew I was perfectly fine, because Jenson had always brought me to the hospital for an internal check up and the doctors confirmed it too.
Amara nodded, “Luckily, the doctor found a match for your transplant, but… the surgery was life threatening. After the doctor explained your 70/30 chance of survival...Your husband left.”
I stared at her, a cold knot tightening in my chest. But one thing cut through my confusion. “I don't understand?”
“It means you had a 30% chance to live. And a 70% chance…you wouldn't survive the surgery.” She explained.
The shocking revelations sank deep into my brain. My chest began to rise and fell in rapid breath, ““But I survived,” My voice trembled. He took my kidney and left me here to die?”
Realization finally dawned on me that I have been a fool all these while.
This pain and betrayal hit so hard because I thought he was finally defining our relationship. He was giving it a meaning. I thought the old spark was back. I never thought he was using me.
I barely saw Nurse Amara standing up and walking out of the room, leaving me utterly alone. What I truly needed.
I clutched my chest, a sob tore from my throat and for a second I forgot how to breathe, my heart was shattering into tiny pieces.
After everything I did for him, all the suffering I had to endure, I still couldn't make him stay. I couldn't make him choose me.
I and Jenson were college sweethearts, and we married immediately after graduation. Suddenly, everything changed. He treated me like trash, like I was at his disposal.
Then after two years into our marriage, the doctor diagnosed him with kidney failure. It wasn’t fatal at first, but I advised him countless times to take his health seriously. But because he hated me so much, he hated the fact I exist in his life, he refused to listen and do it his way.
Two years later, his Kidney failure became fatal, incurable, except a transplant could save his life. Jenson, who had been a thorn to my flesh, became a sweet and lovable husband. Made countless promises to me and I believed him.
I thought my sacrifice would count; that he would finally see me in a different light, after I gave him my kidney.
Sometime later, Nurse Amara re-entered the room, but this time she was holding a single, stark envelope. She walked towards me and stretched it out to me.
I raised my tears-filled gaze and gently collected the envelope. Strangely, a violent thudding began in my chest, beating hard against my ribs.
Amara’s shoulder dropped, “Mr Edward cleared all your bills…and he left this with us. He requested we should give it to you.” She disclosed, her voice low and solemn, “only if you survived.”
A sharp, searing pain lanced through my heart. My fingers clutched tightly on the edges of the envelope. The agony that was burning my heart, threatening to burst.
He had actually bet on my death!
I tried to muffle in the painful groan on my throat, as I aggressively tore open the envelope and brought out three white sheets of paper.
DIVORCE
The word was stamped in bold, black letters at the top of the paper .
I gulped, nodding my head, fighting back a fresh wave of tears.
Right before my eyes, everything I had once held dear, everything I had been so stubborn to hold onto, began to dissolve.
Jenson's image, which had clung to my mind for a year, began to blur and fade.
For the first time in my life, I regretted my actions. I hated herself for enduring everything. If I had known divorce would be my final destination with Jenson, I would’ve fought her my way out of that marriage long ago.
But love happened.
Stupid, blind love happened to me.
“Look,” Nurse Amara said, her voice sharp with recognition as she pointed at the TV on the wall. “Is that not Mr Jenson, your husband?”
My eyes slowly tore away from the divorce sheet to the TV I barely noticed in the room, following Nurse Amara’s pointed finger.
There he was, Jenson Edward. Standing all tall and gracious, his smile was bright, however I saw through him to see it was all fake to deceive the public yet again.
He stood at the podium, a golden “MCM” logo shimmering on the wall behind him.
My eyes lower down to the headline, at the buttons of the screen.
“THE DASHING CEO OF MARVIN INVESTMENT, AFTER MIRACULOUS RECOVERY FROM KIDNEY DISEASES, ANNOUNCES COLLABORATION WITH PHOENIX FUND ”
The tears I fought so hard to hold back, finally escaped. Immediately a painful amused chuckle escaped my lips.
“Miraculous recovery, huh!” My voice dripped with sarcasm, and I let out another round of laughter. “Phoenix fund, huh!” I added, as those words sounded unbelievable to my ears.
Those words seared into my head, burning away every trace of grief, love and hope.
The hot tears that streamed down from my cheeks, turned cold. The trembling of my finger stilled into a terrifying steadiness. My gaze looked from the glittering “MARVIN” logo on the screen down to the “DIVORCE” in my hand.
I sat still, my eyelashes not batting one bit. My lips curved into a determined smirk. I refused to accept defeat.
Not after everything I had gone through. I refused to believe this would be my end.
Suddenly, the door bursted open and the male doctor walked in. A relieved, satisfied smile spread on his face as he approached me.
“Mrs. Gebrella… I’m—-“ He began.
“I want to be discharged now!” I cut him off sharply. My fingers found my IV needle taped on my hand, ignoring the sharp, protesting pain, I pulled it out.
