Chapter-2

Kara’s POV

There were mocking whispers all around me when I left the Ballroom.

I wrapped my wound up by ripping up my own dress, which sucked, but I couldn’t bleed all over the hotel. Everyone glared at me as I left, probably thinking what a bad person I was.

Everyone thought I was just another girl who was trying to seduce Derrick to have a go at his money. A gold digger. Derrick’s behavior did nothing to refute that, despite being married to me, even in secret.

It took a toll, having so many people hating me, and having them think I was the worst person alive.

I tried to be bold and stand up to myself, because I knew the truth. But with the marriage being a secret, there wasn’t much I could do.

I got a taxi and went to the hospital, still wearing drenched clothes. The nurses at the hospital were kind enough to give me a spare pair of scrubs to wear home and dress my wound. These days, strangers treat me with more kindness than my so-called friends and family did.

As I got my wound stitched and treated, Derrick was blowing my phone up with calls, and I finally put my phone into airplane mode because I just couldn't deal with him, not then when I was in such pain. 

“Friends worried about you?” asked the sweet nurse who was wheeling me down the corridor in a wheelchair. 

“Something like that,” I muttered, tired from getting wounded plus the panic attack I went through due to the water. It had been so long since that incident, when I tried to save a little boy from drowning but ended up almost drowning myself. The water still scared me so much.

But I didn’t tell anyone about this. Not even Derrick.  

“Maybe you should answer them, hon, you're going to need some help getting around anyway on that leg, at least for a day,” the nurse cajoled, but I shook my head. 

“No, they're not that kind of acquaintance, I'm afraid,” I wanted to change the subject then, because talking about Derrick was too messy to even bother. 

But of course, because the universe hated me, Derrick and his 'best friend' Jade came walking down the very same corridor.  Derrick was supporting Jade, who was all but cuddling his side as she whimpered and clutched her 'injured' hand to herself.

I wanted to roll my eyes so hard that they would fall off. 

As soon as Derrick saw me, his expression grew stormy. 

“Kara!” he called out, angry. “Why haven't you been taking any of my calls?!”

“Oh!” the nurse said, surprised. “Your friend came looking for you.”

“Friend? No, not friends at all,” I snapped back, eager to get out. “Can we get out of here, please? I don't really want to talk to him. I don't even know him.” 

Which was not wrong. I thought I knew him once. But not anymore. 

But instead of taking the out I gave him and going on his way to dote on Jade like he wants to, Derrick's expression grows mutinous, and he starts to make his way towards me. 

“What do you mean, you don't know me? I'm your husband, so tell me what's going on with her!”

“Derrick!” I snarled, panicking insane. Even Jade looked shocked because of that. “Stop saying things like that! You’re not my husband, what’s wrong with you? Stop lying!”

Was he insane?! We’re not supposed to tell anyone about the marriage, much less announcing it in the middle of the hospital! Even Derrick looked guilty for blurting it out like that.

The poor nurse looked flabbergasted and stuttered. 

“I... the doctor doesn't think she should walk on her bad foot and resting it would help in healing-”

“Fine!” Derrick barked, and did something that made me freeze in shock. 

Derrick bent down, pushed his hands under my ass and then freakin picked me up from the wheelchair, cradling me to his chest.

“What the hell, Derrick?!” I screeched, pushing at his chest. His grip was surprisingly strong, and I was much smaller than him in stature, so it didn't do much. 

“Derrick, put her down, what are you doing?!” Even Jade yelled, looking truly mad. Only a blind person missed the flash of jealousy that made her sneer at us.

Derrick disregarded both of us and pushed his face close to mine, his mouth next to my ear, and spat through gritted teeth. 

“I know what you're doing!” he accused. “Playing it up to get everyone's sympathy. It's disgusting how well you play the victim…” 

“What the hell?!” I repeated, genuinely wondering if Derrick was okay because this was some next-level delusional behavior. “I literally came out of the doctor's office with my leg wrapped and a bunch of medicine in my hand!” 

“Yeah, try to sell me something else,” Derrick replied. “You get a pass here because we're in public, but I swear to god if you try to humiliate me like this again...”

“Put me down, you ass,” I hissed at him, angry beyond words. “Don't you dare turn this into something it's not. I'm hurt and my leg hurts and I don't have time for this crap!” 

“Are you guys alright?” The nurse decided to intervene then, looking truly concerned. “Sir, can you put her down, please? You can use the wheelchair to get her to your car, it's what the chair is for-”

“We're fine,” Derrick snapped at her before turning his attention back to me. “You will not be telling my grandmother any of this, got it? I'll make your life hell if you do.”

Oh, God, that was enough. I was just about ready to do whatever it took for him to let me go, because I did not deserve this from him. Who was he to tell me what not to tell his grandmother or not? Legally, she was my family too. 

But thankfully, Jade chose that exact moment to whimper loudly, and just like that, Derrick's attention was back to her. He tossed me, carelessly, back on the chair, and the pain in my leg flared on impact with the ground, making me cry out. 

“What the...hey, mister, you can't do that!” The nurse cried out, but Derrick and Jade were already walking away from us, as if they hadn't just caused a scene right there for the whole hospital to see. “What a jerk! Are you certain he's your husband, miss? Because that's disturbing behavior!” 

I couldn't help it. I laughed, bitter and fake, baffled by the weirdness of it all. 

“He’s not my husband, we aren’t married. I have no idea why he even said that. He doesn’t even like me much,” I replied, well, lied. Except for that last bit. “Can you do me a favor and call a taxi for me, please? I’d really like to get home right now.”

Thankfully, the nurse didn't say anything else but looked supremely uncomfortable and on alert. But Derrick and Jade didn't make a reappearance again and I got into a taxi to go home.

I took my phone out of airplane mode, just to scroll mindlessly through social media to get my mind out of the mess that was my life. There were a couple of emails waiting for me, one from a journal subscription, but the second was from a friend of mine.

That caught my interest, because this was one of my oldest friends and I've talked with her about my plans to move away from my ‘current city’ soon due to personal reasons.  

Curious, I clicked on that email and sucked in a breath when I saw what the contents were. 

It was a job offer at her very successful business. A job offer that would suit my educational qualities and previous work experience. 

Below the job offer, she'd typed.

“Here you go, Kara. I would love to have you take this job and move closer to us! We miss you around here!”

Well... 

Immediately, I opened a new email to her.

“Thanks,” I typed. “I can start in two months.”