Chapter 5
Calliope’s POV
“Thaddeus-” I began, only to be interrupted by Zephyrine’s piercing sobs.
“Thad, don’t hold Calliope accountable. I just came to wake her, like you asked, and then she got furious and shoved me,” Zephyrine claimed deceitfully.
My eyes widened in shock from across the room, debilitated by pain. “That’s not true, Thaddeus!” I protested, voice quivering. “She pushed me!”
Thaddeus scoffed as Zephyrine continued her tearful charade. “Do you really expect me to believe a pregnant woman pushed you? Why are you being so cruel to Zephyrine and
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playing these malicious games?”
“It hurts, Thad, Zephyrine whimpered, “Please don’t blame Calliope. She’s probably just upset about being in this room. I’d feel the same in her position.”
“How heartless can you be, Calliope!” Thaddeus snapped at me.
Tears rolled down my cheeks, the pain intensifying in my stomach. “I swear I didn’t touch her. She pushed me, Thaddeus. I’m bleeding. Why won’t you believe me? I’m your wife!”
“Thad, it hurts!” Zephyrine cried out again.
Thaddeus bent to lift her up. “You want the room, Calliope? Fine, take the whole house. I’m finding a new place for Zephyrine, and I’ll ensure she’s safe until she delivers. Pray
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nothing happens to her.”
“No, Thaddeus, please help me!” I cried as blood trickled down my legs.
“Handle it yourself!” Thaddeus barked, ignoring my plea as he carried Zephyrine out, leaving me with her triumphant smirk as she mouthed, “He’s mine.”
I lay there, bleeding and sobbing, realizing Thaddeus wasn’t coming back. Three years of marriage, and it took the reappearance of his first love for his affection for me to
vanish.
The stabbing pain slowly subsided, allowing me to drag myself off the floor and frantically dial Thaddeus’s number.
He rejected my calls, and after seven attempts, I gave up, dialing 911 instead. By
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the time the ambulance arrived, darkness was closing in on my vision, and as I was lifted into the ambulance, everything faded to black.
“How do you feel, Mrs. Frost?”
The room swam into focus, and I found myself staring at the doctor. The steady beep of the EKG filled the air as the ringing in my ears subsided.
“Doctor, what happened?” I croaked.
“We were hoping you could tell us, Mrs. Frost,” the doctor replied, a frown creasing his forehead.
“What do you mean?” I asked, trying to sit up only to be halted by a sharp, searing pain that tore a scream from my lips.
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“Take it easy, you’ve just come out of surgery,” the doctor urged.
“Surgery? What happened?” I questioned.
“You arrived here with severe damage to your womb and uncontrollable bleeding,” the doctor explained. “You’d lost a tremendous amount of blood and required emergency surgery. We contacted your husband, and his response was to do whatever we needed.”
I swallowed the bile rising in my throat at Thaddeus’s cold indifference.
“Following surgery, you lapsed into a coma. Despite our multiple calls, he instructed us not to disturb him, claiming you were feigning illness. It’s been a week, Mrs. Frost, and he hasn’t visited you.”
I forced a bitter smile. “Am I okay now?”
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“We still need to monitor you, Mrs. Frost, and discuss something important,” the doctor replied, his expression grave.
I nodded, suppressing the heartache imprisoning my heart. Lying in a pool of my own blood, I’d resigned myself to the idea that Thaddeus might just leave me to die.
But hearing the doctor recount his neglect sharpened the pain lingering from his betrayal.
“Mrs. Frost, are you in some kind of distress? Is your husband mistreating you?” the doctor inquired. “Do you need help?”
“Just a lawyer, please,” I smiled weakly.
He nodded. “We can arrange that. However, during your surgery, we had to remove your
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fallopian tubes to stop the bleeding. Without intervention, you would’ve died.”
Fear gripped my heart. “What does that mean for me, Doctor?”
A shadow of regret clouded the doctor’s eyes. “Had you arrived sooner, we might not have had to perform such an extreme procedure. The removal significantly diminishes your chances of conceiving. Unfortunately, you may never be able to get pregnant again.”
The world teetered around me as a bitter laugh escaped my lips. “First my pregnancy… now my fertility.”
“You aren’t barren, Mrs. Frost-”
“Calliope,” I cut him off sharply. “My name is Calliope, and I need that lawyer!”
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During my hospital stay, I distracted myself from the doctor’s words by focusing solely on my recovery.
Thaddeus didn’t call or visit until the day of my discharge, standing at my bedside was the lawyer provided by the hospital, her eyes brimming with sympathy.
“So once I leave, you’ll ensure these documents reach his office, correct?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yes, and make sure he signs them.”
“Are you sure about this, Mrs… Calliope?” she asked, catching herself.
“To divorce the bastard who cost me my baby and my chance for children?
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Absolutely!” I replied fiercely.
The lawyer nodded. “What will you do now?”
I shrugged. “What I should have done three years ago.”
“Take care, Calliope,” she said and departed.
The doctor soon followed. “Have you wrapped up your discussions with the lawyer?”
I nodded, “Thank you, Doctor. Your kindness won’t be forgotten.”
He studied me briefly before offering a smile. “Don’t lose hope, Calliope. It’s not impossible.”
“Thank you. Please arrange a cab to the airport,” I smiled back.
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He nodded, leaving as my phone rang with an unknown number. I answered, nodding to myself.
“Yes, I’ve been discharged. I’m heading home today.”
Hanging up, I surveyed the hospital room, reflecting on three weeks of relentless suffering as I accepted that Thaddeus had chosen Zephyrine over me.
I rose, feeling liberated for the first time in three years, ready to board the cab to the airport, to finally distance myself from Thaddeus and his venomous first love, Zephyrine.
They had transformed me and imparted a harsh lesson. Now, it was my turn to make them pay for everything I endured.
