From Neglected Wife to CEO’s Obsession novel Chapter 85

The second Cindy started crying, my nerves went haywire. Any lingering frustration from earlier was gone in an instant.

“Hey, Cindy, sweetheart, don’t cry. Daddy’s just sick right now—the doctors will take care of him, I promise. But what about you? Why aren’t you in class today?”

Cindy was hiccuping through her tears, eyes big and watery, begging me to go see her dad. I just couldn’t say no to her, so I promised I’d stop by the hospital during my lunch break.

The whole scene threw my morning off schedule, and I had to hustle to catch up at work. By eleven, Vicky poked her head in and asked what I wanted for lunch. That’s when it hit me—I’d totally forgotten to drop off breakfast for Elliot.

Where did I even leave it? Did I forget it in the cab? Or maybe I set it down somewhere during my argument this morning? I seriously had no clue.

To make it worse, Marian had already called Elliot before I left home, telling him I’d bring him breakfast. If he’d been waiting all morning… Ugh.

I groaned and smacked my forehead a few times, then quickly texted Elliot an apology. I offered to order him lunch—figured it was the least I could do.

He replied with his usual dramatic flair: “No need for apologies. I only went hungry all morning—another empty stomach at lunch won’t kill me. Don’t worry, I’ll survive.”

Really? What could I even say to that? It was totally my fault.

So I just owned up to it. “Sorry, boss. Making you starve was on me.”

He shot back, “If apologies fixed everything, the cops would be out of work.”

I just stared at my phone. When it came to sarcasm, Elliot was world-class.

At noon, I scarfed down something in the cafeteria and called a cab straight to the hospital. Not having a car was seriously inconvenient. Maybe it was time to buy my own, or just go grab the one I used to drive.

After thinking about it, I decided to just get a new one. Time to move on and cut ties with everything—and everyone—from the past. Honestly, it’s not like money’s an issue for me anymore.

No one in their right mind would believe this. But the doctors looked completely serious—like, not even a hint of a joke.

I could feel my blood pressure rising.

Remy never agreed to the divorce when he was healthy. Now, with three years wiped from his memory—back to when Julia hadn’t come back yet and he was supposedly madly in love with me—he was definitely not going to sign those papers.

Why is divorce always so impossible? Every time I think I’m almost free, something new knocks me right back.

I looked at Remy’s soft, gentle face and honestly felt like the universe was just messing with me.

My fists clenched in frustration. I punched the wall, ready to storm out of the hospital.

But Remy noticed me. His voice was soft and warm as he called my name. “Avery, you’re finally here. Please, help me explain to them. I remember everything—how could I have amnesia? The doctors must be wrong. Tell them I’m fine, please.”