Chapter Six

Daniel's POV

As I left the house with my signature on the divorce papers, I felt a strange weight lift off my shoulders. This was it the clean break I'd been waiting for. The chance to be with Venessa, the woman I’d always wanted. Thoughts of her filled my mind as I drove toward the hospital, the memory of our time together before she left for London replaying in my head. I couldn’t deny that I’d always loved her. Tasha, well, she was introduced into my life by my father. Our marriage had been more about business and less about love.

I parked the car and headed straight to Venessa’s hospital room. This was my chance to rebuild what we had lost. But as I approached her door, I noticed it was slightly ajar. I paused, and that’s when I heard voices.

“Don’t be so greedy,” Venessa replied, her tone sharp and not at all like someone who had been bedridden. “Now that your plan has worked.” a voice said. I recognize it as the doctor's."

Before I could hear anything else my phone buzzed in my pocket, it was Stanley my best man.

“Hey, Stanley,” I answered, trying to keep my voice calm, though my mind was racing.

“How’s Tasha feeling now?” Stanley asked, his voice filled with concern.

“Feeling?” I echoed, confusion washing over me. “What do you mean?”

Stanley’s tone shifted, more direct. “Or I guess you don’t know. After all, you haven’t been giving her much attention, have you?”

My grip tightened on the steering wheel. “What don’t I know, Stanley?”

“Tasha’s not feeling too well, Dan. I picked her up from the hospital earlier. She didn’t look good. You should check on her.”

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. I remembered Tasha telling me she wasn’t feeling well and that she couldn’t donate blood today. But I hadn’t listened. I forced her to donate for Venessa.

As I stood outside Venessa’s hospital room, my heart pounded in my chest. Her sharp words echoed in my mind, and the doctor's voice... what were they talking about? I wanted to burst in, demand answers, but Stanley’s call had thrown me completely off balance.

Tasha.

I had pushed her aside, focused on Venessa, my first love. But now, hearing that Tasha had been in the hospital and that I hadn't even known made a cold dread settle over me.

“Stanley,” I said, my voice tight, “where is she now?”

“At home,” he replied, his tone softer now. “But Daniel, she looked bad. Worse than I’ve ever seen her.”

Guilt crept up my spine. I forced her to give blood for Venessa, not even considering her condition. What had I done?

“I’ll go check on her,” I muttered, though every instinct told me to stay and confront Venessa. But Stanley’s words haunted me, and I knew I couldn’t ignore them.

I ended the call, standing there in the quiet hallway,

I turned away from Venessa’s door, the sound of her and the doctor still whispering behind me, but I couldn't stay.

I rushed back to the house, my heart pounding in my chest, hoping to find her there. As I opened the door, the eerie silence of the place hit me like a wave. I stepped inside, my eyes scanning the empty hallway.

"Tasha?" I called out, but there was no response.

I headed straight for the bedroom, my mind racing. When I entered, everything was still in place. Her clothes were still hanging neatly in the closet, her shoes arranged perfectly by the door. Her perfume lingered faintly in the air, as if she had just been here moments ago. But she wasn’t. The bed was made, untouched.

I stood there, frozen, staring at the room that once felt so full of life, but now felt abandoned. She had left. But not in the way I had expected. I thought I’d find her here, maybe crying or angry, but this? This felt different. It felt final.

A sinking feeling settled in my stomach as I turned and made my way to the sitting room. That’s when I saw it. The divorce papers. They were right where I had left them, only this time her signature was there, boldly staring back at me.

She had signed them. Without hesitation.

Next to the papers were the two cards I had left for her. One was for her petty self, a cruel token I’d given her. The other was for donating blood, blood I had forced her to give for Venessa. Both cards, left untouched, like they meant nothing. Like I meant nothing.

She didn’t want anything to do with me. Not my cards. Not my apologies. Not my excuses.

I sank into the chair, staring at the divorce papers, her name neatly written beneath mine. It felt like a punch to the gut. This was real. This was happening. I had been so sure that Tasha would fight back, that she’d protest, that she’d try to cling to what little we had left. But she hadn’t.

Instead, she had walked away. She had chosen to leave it all behind me, the house, everything.

My mind drifted back to Stanley's words. Tasha’s not feeling too well, Dan. He was right. I hadn’t given her any attention, hadn’t noticed the signs. I’d been so consumed with Venessa, wrapped up in my feelings for her, that I hadn’t realized how disconnected I’d become from Tasha. But now, staring at those signed divorce papers, I couldn’t bring myself to feel much guilt. After all, Venessa was my first love. She was the woman I had always wanted, the one I had dreamed of being with before everything else got in the way.

I still loved her. That hadn’t changed. Tasha… well, she was never supposed to be part of my life, not like Venessa. She had been introduced to me by my father, a marriage of convenience, not of love. And now that the papers were signed, maybe it was for the best. Maybe we could all move on.

As I sat there, I thought back to what I had overheard in Venessa’s hospital room. The sharp tone in her voice as she spoke to the doctor had rattled me at first. The words "plan" and "greedy" had gnawed at me, but maybe I had misunderstood. Maybe it was nothing. Venessa had always been a strong, independent woman, and I knew she could come off as harsh when she was frustrated.

I shook off the doubt creeping into my mind. I couldn’t allow myself to second-guess everything, not now. Venessa was the woman I had loved for years, the one I had been willing to sacrifice for. I’d forced Tasha to donate blood for her, hadn’t I? That wasn’t something you did for someone you didn’t care about.

No, I couldn’t be wrong about this. I had done what needed to be done to make things right with Venessa, and now, with Tasha out of the picture, we could finally have the life we were meant to have.

I stood up, straightening my jacket, trying to shake off the unease lingering in the air. I needed to go back to the hospital, to see Venessa, to confirm that everything was going according to plan. I would talk to her, clarify what I had overheard, and we would move forward, just as we always intended.

Whatever happened with Tasha, I’d deal with that later. Right now, Venessa was the priority.