He Chose Her Rival, I Chose Myself

"Put those bags in the south guest room," Sarah instructed our housekeeper.

She stood in the center of my foyer, leaning lightly on a pair of silver crutches. Three massive shopping bags from luxury boutiques rested at her feet.

"What is going on?" I asked, looking at Adam.

He handed his coat to the maid. "Sarah's foot needs to heal. A hotel isn't equipped for her recovery. She is staying here for a few days."

"Here," I repeated.

"It's temporary," he said, avoiding my eyes. "Don't make it a problem."

I didn't argue. I simply turned and walked into the kitchen.

Dinner felt like an interrogation where only one person spoke. Sarah sat at my right, swirling her wine glass.

"My father just secured the new museum wing," Sarah announced, cutting into her steak. "And my mother's gallery opening is next week in Paris. The guest list is incredibly exclusive."

"That sounds nice," Adam offered, slicing his meat.

Sarah took a sip of her wine, her gaze sliding toward me. "I really envy you, Dina."

I looked up from my plate. "Do you?"

"Absolutely," she said, flashing a brilliant smile. "You grew up with no parents to discipline you. You never have to worry about disgracing a family name. It must be so freeing to just... exist without expectations."

The dining room went dead silent.

My parents died in a car crash when I was nine. It was the deepest, rawest wound I carried. In the past, I would have thrown my glass at her. I would have screamed until my throat bled.

Adam stopped chewing. His fork hovered over his plate. He stared at me, his shoulders tensing, bracing for the explosion.

I set my silverware down on the linen napkin. The clink of metal against the table sounded loud in the quiet room.

"You're right," I said quietly.

I stood up, pushed my chair in, and walked out of the dining room.

"Dina?" Adam called out, his voice sharp with surprise.

I didn't turn back. I climbed the stairs and shut my bedroom door. He didn't follow me. He didn't reprimand Sarah. He just let her win.

Midnight arrived. My throat felt like sandpaper.

I slipped out of bed and padded down the dark hallway toward the kitchen. As I passed the study, a sliver of yellow light spilled across the hardwood floor. The door stood slightly ajar.

"I don't understand why we have to hide," Sarah whined from inside.

I stopped.

"We aren't hiding," Adam replied softly.

"Then why won't you just divorce her?" she demanded. "You promised me, Adam."

"I will," he said.

"When?"

"The doctors warned me about her mental state," Adam explained, his tone heavy with exhaustion. "You know she has severe emotional issues. Last time, she cut her wrists. She almost died in that bathtub."

A cold numbness spread through my veins.

"So you're just going to stay married to her out of pity?" Sarah asked.

"I cannot trigger another episode," Adam insisted. "I won't have her blood on my conscience. Once she is fully stable and the therapists clear her, I will file the papers."

"And then?"

"And then I'll marry you," he murmured. "We'll be together forever. Just be patient."

Every word drove a nail into my chest.

He didn't come back to me because he loved me. He came back because I was a liability. He was managing a suicidal patient, playing the devoted husband until he could safely discard me without guilt.

I didn't cry. My eyes remained perfectly dry. My heart simply stopped fighting.

I turned around and walked back to my room.

The morning sun brought no warmth. Adam insisted we both accompany him to a charity luncheon at a suburban estate.

"It looks good for the company," he told me in the driveway. "Just smile for the cameras."

I sat in the back of the SUV. Sarah sat up front.

The event dragged on for three hours. I drank water. I smiled. I said nothing.

The disaster struck on the drive home.

Our driver took the winding mountain road. Rain slicked the asphalt. A massive timber truck swerved into our lane, its horn blaring.

"Look out!" Adam shouted.

The driver yanked the steering wheel. The SUV spun out of control, tires screeching against the wet road. We slammed into the wooden guardrail of a scenic viewing platform.

Metal crunched. Glass shattered.

The impact threw me against the door. The SUV teetered on the edge of the platform, the wooden planks groaning under the immense weight.

"Get out!" Adam barked, kicking his door open.

I shoved my door open and stumbled onto the wooden deck. The platform jutted out over a steep ravine.

*CRACK.*

The support beams beneath us snapped. The ground tilted violently.

"Adam!" Sarah screamed from the passenger side, clinging to the open door. "My foot! I can't walk!"

The platform split down the middle. A massive fissure opened between me and the SUV.

Adam didn't even look in my direction.

He sprinted across the shifting wooden planks, dodging the expanding cracks. He reached Sarah, scooped her into his arms, and held her tight against his chest.

"I've got you!" he yelled over the sound of breaking wood. He turned to his security detail scrambling out of the trailing car. "Get her to the road! Now! Save her first!"

I stood alone on the far side of the platform.

The boards beneath my shoes sank an inch. Wind whipped my hair across my face. I stared at the man who had vowed to protect me for the rest of his life.

He was shielding another woman, demanding her safety while I stood on a collapsing ledge.

The guards threw a rope. They dragged Adam and Sarah to the solid asphalt. Only then did one of the bodyguards turn back and extend a hand to me.

I leaped across the gap, my knees scraping the pavement as I landed on the safe side of the road.

Adam was busy wiping rain from Sarah's face.

I stood up, brushed the dirt from my jeans, and walked to the second security car.

"Take me home," I told the driver.

The house was empty when I arrived. Adam had taken Sarah straight to the emergency room.

I walked into my home office and opened my laptop. I dialed a number I had ignored for three months.

"Director Linus," I said when the line connected.

"Dr. Evans," the older man replied, sounding surprised. "It's late. Is everything alright?"

"Is the African medical aid program still taking volunteers?"

"Yes," he said. "No one wants the post. It's a three-year commitment in a high-risk zone. We deploy in two days."

"Send me the paperwork," I said.

"Are you sure? What about your husband?"

"I'm sure," I answered. "Send it now."

My email chimed thirty seconds later. I printed the contract.

I grabbed my favorite fountain pen, flipped to the last page, and signed my name on the dotted line.

I was leaving. I didn't want Adam anymore.