Chapter 5

When I woke up, I was in the hospital.

The person who saved me was Andrew Collins, a friend who knew about my relationship with Caelan.

After getting me to the hospital, he called both our parents.

John Sullivan, Caelan’s dad, was frantically trying to reach Caelan, but he was not answering.

“That brat! He did this to Nellie and still won’t pick up his phone!

“They are a couple. No matter how much they fight, how could he leave her in the pool? What if something had happened to her?”

Andrew could not stand it anymore and said, “Nellie, he’s trying to kill you! You should call the police!”

When he mentioned the police, Lucy Graham, my stepmother, finally seemed worried. She had been quiet until this point.

She quickly grabbed my hand and said, “Nellie, it’s normal for couples to have small fights. Just talk it out privately. Don’t make it a big deal.

“If you do, your marriage with Caelan will be ruined!”

Her words made me feel cold inside.

I treated Lucy like my own mother, but she was plotting against me.

She did not care about how Caelan treated me. She just wanted me to stay as Caelan’s wife so that I could help her take care of her son.

Even Andrew could not take it anymore. He shook his head and said, “Mrs. Warren, this isn’t just a small fight. If I hadn’t found Nellie in time, she might not have made it!”

Lucy rolled her eyes at him with annoyance and replied, “You’re not married. What do you know?”

Andrew was at a loss for words and went quiet.

I quietly pulled my hand away from Lucy and said, “Mom, you don’t need to try to change my mind. I want a divorce from Caelan.”

Lucy looked shocked and quickly exchanged glances with John across the room. They were both surprised.

Everyone knew how much I liked Caelan, so no one expected me to say I wanted a divorce.

Lucy continued, “Nellie, didn’t you and Caelan have a solid relationship? Why are you suddenly saying you want a divorce?

“I told you when you were going to marry him that he has a childish side. You need to be more understanding.”

“Childish” was just an excuse for a man not taking responsibility.

I snorted, pulled out my phone, and showed them Isabel’s social media post. “Mom, you can’t be saying that being understanding means I should watch my husband get close to another woman, right?”

On my phone was a photo Isabel recently posted.

She and Caelan were hugging closely, and Isabel was puckering her lips to kiss Caelan on the cheek.

Lucy and John went pale when they saw it.

They finally got it. It was not that I was not understanding; it was that Caelan was going too far.

John’s expression darkened. He made a call and said sternly, “Get that brat over here right now!”

The room went quiet for a moment.

Then, Lucy awkwardly said, “Men are like that. These things happen.

“What’s important is that you give him a chance to change. Nobody is perfect. People make mistakes.”

Her absurd comments made the two men in the room feel uncomfortable.

I did not want to argue with her, so I simply said, “Mom, if your son’s wife cheats in the future, would you still tell him to be understanding and give her a chance?”

Lucy opened her mouth but could not say anything in response.

She could only signal to John and hoped he would help her out.

Just then, someone kicked the door open.