Brain Tumor, My Foot!

Halfway through packing, my eyes locked on a dark green box shoved into the back of the cabinet—the one Nathan always said was off-limits.

Well, too bad. What else did I have to lose?

I flipped it open, and the pain hit like a wrecking ball.

Inside were plans Nathan and Rainee had made—"99 things to do together."

The first card on top? Real cute: [In this life, I want to have a beautiful baby with Rainee.]

And the back? A gut punch: [Last time, Liana accidentally got pregnant. I'll only have kids with Rainee. Thankfully, she miscarried.]

The baby I'd dreamed about for so long—Nathan hated it from the start.

Everything clicked. He never let go of Rainee. He never wanted me. I was just the paycheck.

I blinked back the tears, snapped a few photos, and put the box right back where it was.

Then, the front door beeped. My stomach flipped as I peeked through the crack.

Nathan. With Rainee.

He looked excited, holding her hand. "Rainee, my brain's been a little off since the accident. Lucky for me, you're so sweet, taking care of me."

I pushed the door open, stepping out just in time to hear Rainee's sugary voice. "Well, I did major in nursing—it's the least I can do."

She leaned in, brushing against him.

The second she saw me, she froze, her eyes going wide before she gasped, over-the-top. "Oh... Liana, you're home?"

She pulled away from Nathan, acting all flustered, but her eyes wouldn't meet mine.

Nathan didn't even flinch. He yanked her right back, glaring at me. "Let me guess—you were spying on my call with Rainee again last night? What is WRONG with you? She took time off to take care of me, and here you are, acting paranoid and crazy."

I stared at him, too disgusted to even respond. The sickness in my body couldn't touch the sickness I felt just looking at him.

Swallowing the nausea, I shot back, "Wow, Nathan. I'm not even in the ground yet, and you've already got her here to play nurse?"

Rainee swayed, putting on her best damsel act, her voice all shaky as tears pooled in her eyes. "Liana, you've got it all wrong... Nathan and I—"

Before she could finish, Nathan grabbed his head like he'd been hit by a sledgehammer, groaning dramatically.

Rainee freaked, clutching his arm. "Nathan, what's wrong? Don't scare me!"

He twisted his face in over-the-top pain before suddenly pulling her into a hug, murmuring, "Honey..."

Then he turned to me, eyes blazing, and yelled, "Who are you? What are you doing in my house? Get out!"

...Seriously? Brain cancer doesn't cause memory loss like this. It was so fake it hurt.

Leaning against the doorway, I folded my arms. "You might want to take a good look at the wedding photo on the wall before asking me who I am."

Nathan pulled Rainee closer. "How would I know when you put that up? I only love my wife, Rainee!"

He added more Oscar-worthy dramatics, clutching his head like he was seconds away from rolling on the floor.

Rainee turned to me, her face dripping with fake concern. "Nathan must have temporary amnesia from the accident. Please, Liana, don't upset him. If he only remembers me right now, let me stay and take care of him. You can... move out for a while."

I turned and headed to my room. "Don't bother begging. I was already planning to leave."

A few minutes later, I walked out with my suitcase. Setting the divorce papers I'd prepped that morning on the table, I said flatly, "Nathan, let's get divorced."