The Divorce Papers on My Deathbed

The day I got the diagnosisbone cancer, terminalChristian served me the divorce papers before I could even get the words out.

I signed them that night.

He spent the entire night in the living room, chain-smoking until the air turned gray. I don't get it. Why does he look like his world is ending?

I am the one who is dying.

Chapter 1

"Your husband didn't come with you?"

I gripped the exam sheet until my knuckles turned white. I shook my head. He is probably at the airport right now. Picking up her. Brittany.

"Doctor, how bad is it?"

"Bone cancer. Stage IV."

Boom.

My ears started ringing. High-pitched. Deafening. The rest of the world just muted. I pressed my back against the freezing hospital wall, needing something solid to hold me up. I dialed the number saved as Hubby.

Just as it was about to hit voicemail, he picked up.

"I am busy. I will call you back."

Click.

He did not even let me speak.

I slid down the wall, collapsing right there in the hallway. I did not care who was watching. I heard it. Just for a second. Her voice.

Brittany is back.

And just like that, I am back to being the backup plan. The consolation prize. It felt like a thousand fire ants were eating me alive from the inside out.

I sat on the couch in the dark. Waiting.

Midnight. The lock clicked.

Christian walked in, spotting me. A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes. "Sorry. Dinner with friends ran late."

Friends. Right. Brittany.

I clutched the medical report in my hand, desperate for just five minutes of his time. Two months. That is all I had left.

"Christian, I need to tell you"

"Since you are up," he cut in, pulling a folder from his briefcase. "Let's get this signed."

He slid the divorce papers across the coffee table. The words died in my throat. A sudden, metallic tang flooded my mouth.

I scrambled off the couch, sprinting for the bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet before my body violently purged.

It was not food.

It was blood.

Bright red splatters painted the pristine white porcelain and the tiled floor. I scrubbed the floor on my hands and knees, tears mixing with the bleach. It took thirty minutes to make myself look human again.

I walked out, signed the papers without reading a word, and grabbed my suitcase.

Christian frowned. "You are leaving now?"

I did not answer.

He glanced at my bag. "It is late, Tessa. Go tomorrow."

I opened my mouth to argue, but a sharp, jagged pain shot through my bones. My legs almost buckled.

"Fine," I whispered, fighting the tremor in my voice. "I will sleep in the guest room."

I reached for the door handle.

"Do you love him?" Christian asked. His voice was low.

"Yes," I said. "More than anything."

"Good." He paused. "Glad you did not waste your time. Can you tell me who he is?"

I looked back at him, confused. Then I realized. He thinks I am cheating.

"It doesn't matter," I said softly. "He is just like you. He doesn't love me either."

For a split second, Christian froze. Like he thoughtjust maybeI was talking about him.

But that is impossible.

In the guest room, I dry-swallowed a handful of painkillers. Tears were the only water I had. The agony finally faded into a dull throb around 4 AM.

I did not sleep.

At dawn, I dragged my suitcase out. The hallway floor was littered with cigarette butts. Christian was sitting there, eyes bloodshot. He had not slept either.

My heart skipped a beat. A tiny, stupid spark of hope flared in my chest. Did he care?

Christian crushed his cigarette into an overflowing ashtray. "I will drive you."

The spark vanished. He just wanted to make sure I was actually gone. I let out a dry, self-deprecating laugh.

"Okay."

Chapter 2

The car ride was dead silent.

Then Christians phone buzzed. It sounded like a gunshot in the quiet space. He listened to the person on the other end, a frown deepening the lines on his forehead.

"I'll be there soon."

"Brittany?" I asked. My voice felt thin.

"Yeah."

"Just drop me at the next corner. Don't make her wait."

He ignored me. He drove straight to the apartment building.

"I had the cleaners come early," he said, his eyes fixed on the road. "My lawyer will contact you about the property transfer and the assets."

"Okay."

He left without looking back.

I curled up on the couch, making myself small. The exhaustion pulled me under before I could even cry.

My phone jolted me awake.

Caller ID: Phoenix.

"Where the hell have you been?" His voice was loud, frantic. "If you don't post something soon, your fans are going to burn the internet down."

Phoenix. My boss. The owner of the agency. Hes the one who funded my dream of traveling the world. Since I married Christian, my posts had trickled to a stop. It had been six months.

My throat felt like I had swallowed broken glass. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. I stood up to get water.

Bad idea.

The room spun violently. The floor rushed up to meet my face. My body slammed into the coffee table.

Crash.

"Tessa? Tessa, what happened?" Phoenix yelled through the speaker. "Say something!"

"Damn it!"

---

Bright white light burned my retinas. I blinked, trying to focus on the ceiling.

Phoenix was leaning over me. His eyes were red, swollen.

I forced a weak smile. "So, you know?"

"Fuck, Tessa." His voice cracked. "If I hadn't tracked your phone How long were you going to hide this? You are not allowed to die. Do you hear me?"

Phoenix is younger than me. Inherited wealth. Private jets. But right now, he looked like a scared kid. Tears were streaming down his face.

"Don't worry," I whispered. "Doctor said I have two months."

"Where is Christian?" He wiped his face aggressively. "Why isn't he here? Is he with that trash, Brittany?"

"We're divorced."

Phoenix froze. Then he let out a harsh breath. "Good."

He tried to fly in specialists from Europe. I stopped him. I didn't want more chemo. I didn't want to rot in a hospital bed.

"I promised my followers I'd show them Yellowstone," I said, staring out the window. "Can you take me?"

Phoenix didn't argue. He arranged the private jet. A full medical team came with us.

The air was crisp. The sky was a piercing, impossible blue. Bison grazed in the distance. I layered on thick foundation to hide the grey undertones of my skin. I smiled at the camera, just like the old days.

"Hey guys, it's Tessa. Today, I'm finally taking you to Yellowstone"

I finished the outro.

Cold sweat drenched my back. The world tilted sideways. The last thing I saw was Phoenixs terrified face rushing toward me.

---

I woke up back in a hospital bed. The nurse told me Phoenix was in the next room, arguing with the doctors about experimental treatments.

My phone rang.

Christian.

"Hello." I steadied my voice, fighting the nausea.

"Where are you?" He sounded impatient. "I'm at your apartment."

Before I could answer, he spoke again. "Forget it. Go to Oakwood Care Center. Now. Your grandmother collapsed."

I ripped the IV out of my arm.

"Hey! What are you doing?" The nurse ran in, blocking my path. "You can't leave. Your body is shutting down!"

Phoenix heard the commotion and rushed in. "Tessa?"

"Grandma," I choked out. "She collapsed."

Grandma raised me. She is my only family. Phoenix knew that. He didn't ask questions. He just grabbed my arm to steady me.

"Let's go."

---

We made it to the care center in record time.

The doctor walked out, shaking his head. "She's old, Tessa. Multiple organ failure. She needs to be hospitalized immediately. She can't stay here."

My knees gave out.

I would have hit the floor if Phoenix hadn't caught me. He pulled me into his chest, holding me up.

Christian turned around. He saw us. His eyes went pitch black, locking onto Phoenix's arm around my waist.

"You've been with him this whole time?"

His voice was ice.

"Is he the one? The guy you love?"

Chapter 3

Phoenix set us up in the same hospital but in different wings. A separate building stood between me and Agnes.

She could not know I was dying.

Once everything was settled, Christian was still there. Standing behind me. Waiting for an answer. I laughed bitterly in my head.

Yeah. It is the guy I have loved for ten years. You. You idiot.

I looked up. Christian's brows were slashed deep with tension.

"Tessa"

"Oh, what a coincidence. Christian, you are here too?"

Brittany.

She appeared out of nowhere, looping her arm through his. She smiled. That sweet, innocent, girl-next-door smile that fooled everyone.

Nauseating.

"Christian," she purred. "You left your shirt at my place last night. Want to come by and get it later?"

Christian's face darkened.

I felt a hand tighten on my waist. Phoenix.

"Wow, Christian," Phoenix drawled, his voice loud. "You really will pick up anything from the street. Aren't you afraid of catching a disease?"

Phoenix has a mouth like a razor blade. If he hates you, you bleed.

Brittany's eyes instantly filled with tears. "Christian"

She looked at him, begging him to defend her. I couldn't watch this. I turned around and walked into Agnes's room.

---

Outside the hospital entrance.

Christian pulled his arm away. His eyes were cold. Empty.

"You were drunk last night," he said. His voice could freeze water. "Next time, have the waiter call your family. Do not call me."

Brittany looked at him, lip trembling. "Christian, are you falling for Tessa?"

He didn't answer.

"Throw the shirt away," he said, turning his back on her. "I don't wear things that have been touched by other women."

He walked back toward the hospital. Leaving Brittany standing alone on the sidewalk, tears streaming down her face.

---

In the hospital room, I was watching Tom and Jerry with Agnes. Phoenix had gone to grab food.

The door opened. Christian walked in.

Agnes's face lit up. She waved a frail hand. "Little Christian is here. Come, sit by Grandma."

She didn't know we were divorced.

She grabbed his hand, her grip weak. "Grandma is old. I don't have much time left. When I am gone, you have to take good care of Tessa. This child she is stubborn. She buries her pain. She swallows every grievance and never complains."

"Rest assured, Grandma," Christian said, his voice steady. "I will take care of Tessa for the rest of my life."

My heart, which I thought was dead, slammed against my ribs.

Agnes smiled, satisfied. A few minutes later, her breathing evened out. She was asleep.

Christian and I walked out to the hallway. We sat on the hallway chairs.

"Grandma is weak," he said. "Let's keep the divorce from her for now."

"Okay," I whispered.

He looked at me. Really looked at me. "It has been a few days. Why are you so thin? Is this how he takes care of you?"

The thing about bone cancer is that it doesn't knock. It just breaks down the door.

Pain exploded in my marrow. Sharp. Relentless. Like my bones were being ground into dust. I dug my fingernails into my palms until the skin broke, trying to ground myself.

"You should go," I gasped. "Phoenix will be back soon."

Right on cue, Phoenix walked around the corner, carrying takeout bags. I shot him a look. Help me. He understood instantly.

"Mr. Fu," Phoenix said, stepping between us. "You saw Grandma. We won't keep you for lunch."

The pain was blinding now. My legs turned to water. I leaned my entire weight against Phoenix just to stay upright. Christian watched us. His jaw tightened. There was something in his eyes. Something dark. Repressed.

For a split second, I actually thought it was love.

Chapter 4

The machine next to my head shrieked.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

A rhythmic, electronic torture. I tried to pry my eyes open, but my eyelids felt like lead. I drifted back into the fog. Memories played like a corrupted movie file.

Christian.

Always cold. Always sharp edges and icy glares. He wore his authority like armor. To him, our home was just another boardroom. A place to be efficient.

But when he talked about her

When he said Brittanys name, the armor cracked. His lips would curve up. A reflex he couldn't control.

The doctor signed my death warrant.

Phoenix stood by my bed. I was delirious, mumbling Christian's name like a prayer I didn't believe in anymore.

Phoenixs jaw tightened. He pulled out his phone and dialed.

"Hello," Phoenix said, his voice tight. "This is Phoenix."

The voice on the other end wasn't Christian.

"Christian is in the shower," a female voice cooed. "You can tell me. I will pass the message along."

Brittany.

Phoenixs face twisted in disgust. "Who do you think you are? You don't deserve to breathe the same air as her."

He hung up. "Fuck!"

---

I woke up.

The doctors called it a miracle. I called it a cruel extension.

The cancer had spread. It was everywhere now. The two-month timeline had dissolved. Now, it was days. Maybe hours.

They pumped me full of experimental drugs. The side effects were brutal, but they numbed the agony in my bones.

I stood at the door of my hospital room. Inside, a nurse was chatting with Agnes.

"Phoenix," I whispered, leaning against the doorframe. "When I'm gone tell Grandma I went traveling. Tell her I'm filming content. Don't let her know."

Phoenix looked at me. His eyes were glassy. "Okay," he choked out. "Where do you want to go? I'm taking you. Today. We are doing everything."

I gave him a list. And he made it happen.

We did it all.

For my last stop, I chose a club.

Since the day we married, Christian practically lived in places like this. If he wasn't at the office, he was holding a tumbler of scotch in a VIP booth. I wanted to see it. I wanted to see what was so captivating that he preferred it to coming home to me.

Phoenix is a VIP. The bouncer whisked us straight to the second floor.

The bass thumped in my chest. The air smelled of expensive cologne and spilled champagne. Then I felt it.

A gaze. Heavy. Burning.

I looked up.

Christian was standing outside the velvet ropes of the VIP section. His black dress shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled up to reveal his forearms. He looked dangerous.

He wasn't looking at my face. He was staring murderously at Phoenixs hand resting on my waist.

"Christian?" A voice chirped. "Everyone is waiting. Why aren't you coming in?"

Brittany. Again.

Of course. He loved her for years. Now that she is back, he probably hasn't left her side.

"Okay," Christian said. His voice was flat.

Brittany beamed. She had been nervous since their fight, but now she saw an opening. She looped her arm through his, claiming him.

Then she saw me.

"Tessa is here too?" She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Want to come in for a drink? The guys threw this party to welcome me back. I told them not to, but Christian insisted."

A bitter laugh bubbled in my throat.

Brittany comes back, and he abandons his company to party. For three years, I begged him to come home for dinner. Just one meal.

I have a meeting. It's social. Business.

Always an excuse. Compared to her, I wasn't just losing. I was pathetic.

Christians eyes flicked back to my waist. Phoenix noticed. He deliberately tightened his grip, pulling me flush against his side. A silent challenge.

The air between the two men crackled with voltage.

I didn't feel the spark. I was too busy looking at Christian's hand.

He reached out.

Right in front of me, he interlaced his fingers with Brittany's.

"Since you invited them," Christian said, his eyes locking with mine, "let's go