Part 2: The Wealth of Silence
I stood up slowly, my joints stiff, facing the man who looked like he wanted to dismantle me piece by piece.
— This is between me and my wife, Julian, I hissed, stepping closer until our jackets almost brushed.
— Ex-wife, Julian corrected me instantly, his eyes narrowing like a hawk targeting its prey. You signed the final decree sixty days ago, Arjun. You walked away from her because the silence in your apartment was too loud for your fragile ego.
He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a thick, leather-bound legal folder, tossing it onto the empty chair beside the IV pole.
— While you were busy feeling sorry for yourself in your rented flat, Maya was filing for medical leave, Julian said, his tone carrying the weight of a judge delivering a sentence. She didn't ask you for alimony. She didn't ask you for health insurance. She took nothing because she knew you had nothing real to give.
I looked at Maya, but she refused to look back at either of us, her fingers gripping the fabric of her faded blue gown.
— I didn't know, I stammered, the defense sounding incredibly pathetic even to my own ears.
— Because you didn't look! Julian snarled, his composure finally cracking to reveal a deep, simmering fury underneath. You never looked past your own convenience. When she lost the second baby, she spent four days in the ICU with a severe hemorrhage. Do you know where you were?
My stomach turned over.
— You were at the regional logistics conference in Munich, Julian whispered, his words cutting through the clinical silence like a razor blade. She forged your signature on the medical release forms because she didn't want to ruin your chance at a promotion.
The truth descended upon me like an avalanche.
The permanent sadness in Maya’s eyes hadn't been a sign of her drifting away from me.
It was the exhaustion of a woman fighting a silent, deadly battle entirely by herself while trying to shield a husband who was too cowardly to stay in the room.
— Julian, please, Maya murmured weakly, reaching up to touch his sleeve. Don't. It doesn't matter anymore.
— It matters to me, Maya, Julian said, his voice instantly softening as he looked down at her.
He looked back at me, his eyes returning to that state of absolute, icy certainty.
— I’ve transferred her case to the private research wing at the alpine facility tomorrow morning, Julian stated smoothly. The Vance Foundation is covering the entire experimental protocol. Every doctor, every treatment, every single dollar.
May you like
He stepped in front of her chair, completely cutting off my view of my ex-wife.
— Your presence here is distracting her from her recovery, Arjun. And as the legal trustee of her medical care, I am officially having you removed from the premises.
