The Wife You Buried Is Back from Hell novel Chapter 860

Danielle leaned against the cold hallway wall, the sterile scent of antiseptic filling her lungs and making her already heavy chest feel even tighter. She watched the nurses and doctors hurry by, her mind replaying Rebecca’s words.

*Do you really love him?*

If she did, how had she lived with him day in and day out and never noticed a thing? Did she truly love him back then? If she had, how could she have missed the turmoil hidden beneath his cold exterior?

Danielle closed her eyes, digging her nails into her palms. During their marriage, she had always seen Alexander as an impenetrable block of ice, indifferent to everything. He never got involved in household matters and rarely took an active interest in her or Niki. She had complained countless times about his heartlessness, his unnerving calm in the face of any crisis, never once considering the silent agony that lay beneath that composure.

She had felt the suffocating pressure of the Davidson family herself when she first married into it. Jake’s demanding nature, Bianca’s quiet suffering, Paula’s opportunism—everyone wore a mask, the air thick with the scent of ambition and betrayal. Alexander had grown up in that toxic environment with no escape, forced to bear it all.

It was only after he bought the villa on the outskirts of the city and they moved out of the manor that she had finally felt like she could breathe. From then on, she had minimal contact with the family, only visiting with him on holidays. She had assumed that moving out was his way of escaping the drama too, never realizing that the years of accumulated pain had taken root deep inside him.

“I can’t let him carry this alone anymore,” she whispered to herself.

Danielle pushed off the wall and headed for the elevator. First, she would get him something to eat. She remembered his preferences—he disliked greasy food and favored simple, home-style dishes. She found an old, well-regarded restaurant near the hospital and ordered a few light dishes, along with a dessert she knew he liked.

—

In the hospital room, Alexander remained motionless, his back to the door. The sound of Danielle leaving had struck him like a hammer blow, leaving him feeling hollow and cold. He knew his words had been cruel, but he felt he had no choice. He was a wreck, pathetic and fragile, and he couldn’t bear for her to see him like this. He was terrified his darkness would consume her, that she would once again find him morose and uninteresting. He was even more terrified that he could no longer give her the stability she deserved.

It was better to push her away now than to let her down later. At least this way, she could return to her normal life, unburdened by him.