Chapter 5

In the emergency room at Metro General Hospital, I managed to get a consultation with a senior specialist.

After hearing my symptoms, the elderly doctor’s face instantly turned grave.

Without saying much, he immediately ordered a scan.

"Get an abdominal CT scan with contrast right away. We'll talk when the results are out."

The wait was agonizing.

I sat on the cold metal bench in the hallway, watching patients and their families walk by, feeling completely numb.

If my suspicion was true...

I didn't dare to finish the thought.

An hour later, I was handed the CT report. I couldn't understand the medical jargon, but the final diagnosis at the bottom felt like a physical blow to my eyes.

*\[IMAGING FINDINGS: A high-density mass with ill-defined borders is detected in the left pelvic cavity. Findings are highly suggestive of a retained foreign body, likely a medical sponge/gauze.\]*

A medical sponge.

Those words echoed in my head like a thunderclap.

My blood turned to ice, and my hands shook so violently I could barely breathe.

My terrifying suspicion was real.

Derek, my childhood friend, and Julian, my husband, had teamed up to leave a ticking time bomb inside my body.

I clutched the paper, my knuckles turning white.

The specialist looked at the scan, his brows knitted closely together.

He adjusted his glasses, looking at me with a mixture of sympathy and anger.

"Young lady, this is very serious. The retained sponge has caused a severe infection and tissue adhesions in your abdomen. We need to perform surgery to remove it immediately. If we delay, it could lead to sepsis, which is life-threatening."

"Which hospital did your C-section? Who was the lead surgeon? This is a case of extreme medical malpractice! We can help you contact a lawyer."

I shook my head, my voice raspy.

"Thank you, Doctor. But I'll handle this myself."

When I walked out of the hospital, a cold drizzle was falling.

The cold rain hit my face, but I felt nothing. My heart had already frozen into solid ice.

I took out my phone and dialed Julian’s number.

It rang for a long time before he finally picked up. Loud music and a woman's giggling echoed from his end.

"Hello? Who is this? It's the middle of the night, let me sleep," he groaned, sounding hungover and annoyed.

"Julian," I said calmly, using his full name. "Meet me at the lawyer's office."

He paused, then let out a harsh laugh. "Evelyn, what kind of drama are you pulling now? A lawyer's office in the middle of the night? For a divorce? Fine by me. But you walk away with absolutely nothing, and I keep the baby. Agree to that, and I'll sign."

"Deal," I answered without a second thought.

I didn't care about his money.

And I didn't want this disgusting man in my life for another second.

As for my baby...

If he stayed with me right now, he would only suffer.

The Sterlings were cold-hearted, but they had the resources to give him the best care for now. Once I sorted this mess out, I would fight to get him back.

There was a long silence on the other end of the line.

Perhaps shocked by how quickly I had agreed, Julian didn't know what to say.

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious." I hung up and hailed a cab.

"Take me to the notary's office, please."

Twenty minutes later, I met Julian outside the 24-hour notary office.

He had clearly rushed over from some party; he smelled heavily of alcohol and cheap perfume.

"Evelyn, are you really doing this?" He stared at me, dumbfounded.

I didn't answer. I just pulled out the uncontested divorce papers I had drafted on the way and shoved them into his hands.

"Sign it."

He grabbed the papers and quickly scanned the lines. When his eyes landed on *"The wife waives all marital assets"* and *"Full custody of the child goes to the husband,"* his face lit up with greedy triumph.

"Glad you finally came to your senses," he said, quickly signing his name as if he were afraid I would change my mind.

Watching his desperate eagerness to get rid of me, the last shred of my affection for him evaporated.

The next morning, as soon as the office opened, our paperwork was processed, and our divorce was finalized.

The moment I walked out with the papers in hand, I felt as if a physical weight had been lifted off my chest. I could finally breathe.