He Put a Price on Love, So I Walked Away Chapter 2

I put my bag on the sofa and looked up at him.

"I sold it for twenty-five thousand. Twenty thousand settled the bill."

Vincent frowned and picked up the tablet on his desk, handing it to me.

"It was only a fee. The supplementary card was for you to handle household expenses, not for you to force yourself to be stubborn."

I glanced at the new schedule he handed me.

My mother's hospitalization, follow-up appointments, and communication with caregivers had all been listed as separate items.

After each item, it said:

[Compiled by Claire. Confirmed by Vincent.]

"From now on, Mrs. Rosa's hospital information will be sent to Claire first."

His tone was calm.

"Why?"

"She is responsible for compiling it."

"I am the patient's daughter."

"Which is why you should avoid handling it emotionally."

Not only would he not accompany me, he was giving control over my mother's treatment to his female assistant.

"She is more objective than you."

Vincent continued, "You haven't worked in too long. Now, whenever something happens, you don't know how to handle it."

Seven years ago, I worked as a coordinator at the patient service center of St. Mary's Hospital.

The hospital had tried to keep me. They had offered me a promotion.

But one night, just after I got off work, my phone rang again. I had to go back to handle a transfer.

Vincent sat waiting for me at the dining table.

He said, "Every day you clean up other people's messes, and even when you come home you still have to answer calls."

I asked him what I should do about my job.

He ladled soup into a bowl for me.

"You don't have to carry everyone else's burdens. I will take care of you and your mother."

I believed him.

Later, I resigned, moved into this house, and began taking care of his life.

I missed my promotion. I missed the chance to renew my professional license.

I thought I was enjoying marriage, but in truth, I was handing over my life bit by bit.

After that, even asking where the household medicine was kept had to be counted as one request.

My phone chimed.

The attending doctor messaged me, saying the hospital had contacted a cardiac intervention specialist and that there would be a consultation the next afternoon.

I forwarded the message to Vincent.

"Didn't you require the hospital to send my mother's condition and consultation schedule to the family office?"

He glanced at his phone.

"Claire compiled it. The specialist consultation is tomorrow at three in the afternoon."

"Will you go?" I asked.

"I have an important meeting tomorrow afternoon. I'll go after it ends."

I looked up at him.

"The doctor is not waiting for you."

"Then you listen first. I'll go after I'm done."

I took the divorce agreement out of my bag and placed it in front of him.

"Then look at this first."

Vincent did not open it.

He glanced at the cover and pushed it to the corner of the table.

"Your mother is still in the ICU. It is irrational to talk about divorce now."

"I am very rational."

"Selling the watch, refusing the supplementary card, suddenly saying you don't need me. None of that is rational."

"We can talk after Mrs. Rosa's condition stabilizes."

Only when he pushed the divorce agreement away did I understand that even my decision to leave was something he wanted to judge for me.

Vincent pushed the agreement back in front of me, stood up, and buttoned his suit jacket.

"The driver will take you to the hospital tomorrow. I have a call from Chicago. Sleep early."

He closed the door and left.

I looked at the untouched agreement on the corner of the table and turned off every light in the room.