My Husband Realized He Loved Me After I Stopped Loving Him Chapter 05
Three documents, handed to him side by side.Â
Vivian Calloway’s labor induction and D&CÂ
procedure form. Chloe’s fetal monitoring report.Â
And a divorce settlement agreement.Â
He looked at the first two and just scoffed.Â
A fake pregnancy–not the first time Vivian hadÂ
pulled that stunt.Â
Her uterus had already been shattered when sheÂ
lost their first child years ago.Â
They’d tried everything since. But the doctors hadÂ
told him long ago that another pregnancy wasÂ
unlikely.Â
He’d stopped hoping a long time ago.Â
He pulled out Chloe’s fetal monitoring report,Â
tossed it in the trash, thinking Vivian’s tricks wereÂ
getting more and more amateurish.Â
Then he flipped to the divorce agreement, and hisÂ
breath caught.Â
He frowned, flipping through the pages, his chestÂ
visibly tightening.Â
He felt a wave of irritation at this latest stunt ofÂ
hers, laced with an anger he couldn’t quite place.Â
All these years, no matter how ugly things gotÂ
between them, Vivian had never once joked aboutÂ
divorce.Â
He’d never even considered it a real possibility.Â
Partly because he was certain she couldn’t leaveÂ
him–he’d spent years learning exactly how deepÂ
her feelings ran, down to the last detail.Â
Partly because…Â
He suddenly remembered how she’d looked,Â
standing on that rooftop, after losing their first.Â
child.Â
The hollowness in her eyes still made his skinÂ
crawl to this day.Â
He picked up his phone and called her. No answer.Â
He started typing.Â
[Get on a call with me. Let’s talk.]Â
[Don’t do anything rash. You know what I’mÂ
capable of. If you hurt yourself, I’ll match you and then some.]Â
That trick had worked for years.Â
Every single time, the moment he put himself onÂ
the line, Vivian backed down first.Â
Her feelings for him had always run far deeperÂ
than her feelings for herself. He’d always knownÂ
that.Â
But this time, he waited and waited.Â
The chat stayed empty. No reply.Â
The doctor beside him spoke up carefully.Â
“Mr. Ashworth, Ms. Calloway should already be onÂ
an international flight. She’s not reachable rightÂ
now.”Â
Grant’s head snapped up.Â
“International? Where did she go?”Â
The doctor flinched at the sharpness in his voiceÂ
and shook his head.Â
“She didn’t say. She left in a hurry.Â
“She even transferred her shares in this hospital.”Â
A sharp buzz erupted in Grant’s skull.Â
Transferred her shares?Â
She’d actually given them up?Â
The hospital was the last thing her parents hadÂ
left her. The empire she’d fought tooth and nail toÂ
hold onto for years–she’d just let it go, just likeÂ
that?Â
And now she’d left the country…Â
A memory he’d been trying to forget surfaced.Â
How they’d lost that first child.Â
That year, he’d been cornered overseas by rivals,Â
and Vivian, heavily pregnant, had flown out to saveÂ
him.Â
On the way back, their private plane had goneÂ
down.Â
In the second before impact, he’d thrown himselfÂ
over her.Â
They’d both survived. The baby hadn’t.Â
Eight months along. Full term. The doctor hadÂ
said it was only days away.Â
Since then, Vivian had never left the country again.Â
She wouldn’t even say the word “plane” withoutÂ
going pale.Â
Heights, turbulence, enclosed spaces–anythingÂ
that could remind her of that child, she avoided.Â
There was no way someone like that would get on an international flight.Â
His hands started shaking.Â
He grabbed his phone and mobilized everyoneÂ
under his command.Â
“Find out where Vivian went.”Â
“Trace every hospital, every property, everyÂ
account under her name. I need to know exactlyÂ
where she is and how she’s doing–now!”Â
His people moved fast. The reply came fast too.Â
“Sir, Mrs. Ashworth’s entire domestic portfolio-Â
hospitals, real estate, funds–all of it’s beenÂ
liquidated.”Â
The veins in Grant’s hand stood out as he grippedÂ
the phone.Â
He tried a different number. Still no answer.Â
For the first time in years, he felt somethingÂ
spinning completely out of his control.Â
Chloe’s call came in while he was scrolling backÂ
through messages Vivian had sent him the monthÂ
before, searching for some clue, any clue.Â
“Grant, I don’t feel well. Can you come?”Â
“Grant? Are you there?”Â
Grant said nothing for a long moment beforeÂ
finally answering, voice hoarse.Â
“Have the doctor look at you.”Â
“I… I have something going on here.”Â
It was the first time he’d ever hung up on ChloeÂ
first.Â
He pulled out the divorce agreement again.Â
On the last page, the signature was, without question, Vivian’s own handwriting.Â
He stared at that line for a long time, until theÂ
phone rang again.Â
“Sir, Ms. Calloway’s exit records show she flew toÂ
Scandinavia, but once she landed, all herÂ
movements were encrypted. Professional–levelÂ
concealment.”Â
Grant closed his eyes, forcing down the panic andÂ
unease building in his chest.Â
“Book me the next flight to Scandinavia…”Â
“No. Get the private jet ready.”
