Sacrifice in Shadows

I slipped out unnoticed, trailing behind them.

I caught Matthew in a deep kiss with his assistant in a secluded room just outside the banquet hall.

He spun around, pulling her close.

"Lucky for us, Wendy's not here to see this. Flirting with me right in front of her? Be careful next time," he whispered.

"Why worry? What can she do? With the way she is? She can't even stand, much less leave you," his assistant murmured, tugging at his shirt as their breaths mingled and grew heavy, and things quickly spiraled.

Shaking, I pulled out my phone and hit record.

I listened for as long as they were lost in each other.

Eventually, the assistant, worn out, dozed off on Matthew.

However, he kept going, holding her face and kissing her like she was something precious.

I could not take it anymore. I turned and ran, my heart pounding.

It was not until I was back home that I truly let Matthew go, my heart heavy with loss.

My wedding ring went into the trash. I dug out every reminder of Matthew and me and tossed it away.

Staring into the trash, I sifted through the sweet memories, feeling a calm I had never known.

'Matthew, it's over,' I thought.

I was gathering the last of my things when Matthew came rushing back.

He only relaxed when he saw me.

"Wendy, you can't walk. How on earth did you get back here on your own? Weren't you scared that something might happen to you? You almost gave me a heart attack."

Matthew was a mix of shock and fury.

I kept my cool, smiling lightly, "I couldn't find you, and I didn't want to hang around there too long, so I had the nanny drop me off."

Matthew's face softened as he took my hand and said, "I'm so sorry, Wendy. It's my fault. I shouldn't have left you to deal with things on your own."

After that, Matthew and I had a few quiet days together.

Everything was calm and uneventful.

However, on the seventh day, the day I was set to leave, Matthew suggested we go out for a little stroll.

We barely made it to the foyer when his phone rang. It was his assistant with some urgent company business, so he had to rush off.

I stopped him just in time, coaxing him into signing a document by telling him the hospital required a family member's signature for rehabilitation.

"The doctor said you need to sign this. They need a family member's signature."

Matthew, completely unsuspecting, did not hesitate and scribbled down his name.

"What rehabilitation? Is it for those machines they use on you?" he asked out of habit.

I answered offhandedly. After he signed it, I had hoped to say a proper farewell.

The document had nothing to do with hospital rehabilitation—it was the divorce papers.

However, Matthew was too eager to meet his assistant, and he did not even leave me the chance for that final goodbye.

Well, he did not need it anyway.

I stood up from the wheelchair, watching Matthew's back as he left. "Matthew, it's over between us."

I left the divorce papers and the evidence of his cheating on the coffee table in the living room.

After I took one last look at the place that used to be my home, I grabbed my suitcase and walked out without a backward glance.

Matthew raced to the office after his assistant's frantic call about a client getting handsy. However, when he got there, he realized it was a false alarm—no client, no crisis.

He glared at her, disbelief etched on his face. "Cut it out with the lies, okay?"

Spinning on his heel to leave, he bumped into the doctor who had been treating my legs. The doctor stood in his path.

"Mr. Larson, how's Wendy doing? She's fresh out of recovery, so she should be doing follow-ups at the hospital, but she hasn't shown up. Is something wrong?"

Matthew froze, clueless about what the doctor was hinting at.

"Fresh out of recovery? What does that mean?"

"Well, seven days ago, thanks to our team effort, Wendy's legs recovered. She can walk without a wheelchair. We were gonna tell you, but she wanted to climb the stairs and surprise you herself."