As she turned to leave, Lionel reached out and grabbed her arm.


    SLAP!


    Hannah spun around and struck him across the face, the sound echoing in the silent room.


    "That''s enough, Lionel," she seethed, her voice trembling with rage. "I have my limits. I''ve tried to be civil, to let this end peacefully, but you just won''t let it go. You''re angry? Well, so am I! You can''t handle this for a few days? I''ve endured it for three years! Three years! Don''t you dare think a few home-cooked meals and some empty words can make up for any of it. I don''t need your apologies! Just stay away from me. Every time I look at you, I regret the moment of insanity that made me marry you!"


    She ripped her arm from his grasp and stormed out of the house, the m of her car door punctuating her fury.


    Lionel stood frozen, watching her go. A part of him wanted to run after her, to stop her, but he knew that would only make her hate him more. The sound of her car fading into the distance was like a final judgment. He mmed his fist against the wall, the pain doing nothing to quell the turmoil inside him. His appetite was gone.


    He walked back to the dining room, the untouched food a mockery of his efforts. Turning away, he headed upstairs. As he passed Hannah''s room, he paused. After a moment''s hesitation, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.


    The room was neat, impersonal, and bare. It was just as she had described it—a hotel room, a ce for sleeping and nothing more. His eyes were drawn to the calendar on her desk. Hannah never used a desk calendar; its presence was strange.


    He picked it up. His blood ran cold as he saw the dates, each one crossed out with a firm, decisive X. She was counting down the days. She was actually looking forward to their divorce.


    The calendar shook in his trembling hand. His breathing grew ragged. He slowly set it back down and walked out of the room in a daze, stumbling back to the master bedroom. He sank onto the edge of the bed, his hands gripping the mattress until his knuckles turned white. He felt like he couldn''t breathe.


    There were only a few days left. He had hoped to mend things with her, to somehow convince her to reconsider. But now... it seemed there was no chance of that. And what would happen when she found out the divorce she been


    eagerly anticipating was a lie? Their rtionship would shatter beyond repair.


    The thought brought a tear to his eye, and then another, until they were streaming down his face.


    The next day at noon, Hannah met Samuel at the hospital. Peter was already there, and the three of them went inside together.


    Sandra hade for a check-up on her leg. As she was being wheeled toward the entrance, she saw Hannah walking with two men from the Temple family. They seemed to be on very friendly terms After a moment''s hesitation, Sandra pulled out her phone and sent a quick message to Lionel.


    “The Temple family?" Lionel''s brow furrowed as he read the text. How did Hannah


    get involved with them? And why were they at a hospital? Was she hurt?


    A surge of panic shot through him. He immediately left for the hospital, his mind racing.