Romance

Nester stood under the hospital hallway's harsh white lights, gripping his phone as he repeatedly dialed a number he knew by heart.

"Sorry. The number you've dialed is unavailable…"

"Sorry. The number you've dialed is unavailable…"

The cold, automated female voice sounded like the harshest verdict and constantly hammered against his eardrums.

He hung up in irritation and dialed again. The cycle repeated endlessly.

His fingers trembled slightly from the force of his grip. The back of his hand was still marked with scabbed-over cuts from shards of crystal of the fallen chandelier.

He wanted to explain and tell Sabrina that in that split second on the balcony, Della had been closer to him. Since she had stretched out her hand, he had reacted on instinct and pure reflex.

By the time he realized what he had done and tried to pull Sabrina up, she had let go and plunged downward.

"Neste

Nester hung up the phone and spun around, bolting out of the hospital.

Was Sabrina gone? Had she left with a suitcase?

No way! That was impossible! How could she have left? She loved him so much, so how could she have just walked away?

"Nester! Where are you going?" Della called out in panic as she watched him turn and rush off like a wild beast, but he could no longer hear her.

There was only one thought in his mind, which was to go home now. Sabrina had to be home—that message had to be fake and a prank, or maybe she was throwing a tantrum and trying to piss him off on purpose.

Yes, that had to be it. She loved him too much to leave.

Nester sprinted down the stairs, stormed into the garage, and started the car. After he floored the gas pedal, the black sports car shot out of the hospital like an arrow from a bow, roaring into the traffic.

Nester's mind was a chaotic mess. One mo

"How dare you!" The blatant contempt and pity in Sabrina's eyes pushed Della over the edge. 

Her gaze flicked past Sabrina to the low, decorative balcony railing behind her, and a vicious glint flashed in her eyes.

"Just die!"

Suddenly, she thrust out her hands and shoved Sabrina hard with all her strength.

Caught off guard, Sabrina lost her balance and pitched backward.

As she tumbled over the balcony, pure instinct kicked in. She flailed out and blindly grabbed around, seizing Della's wrist before Della could pull it back.

"Ah!" they screamed at the same time.

Most of Sabrina's body was hanging in midair, supported only by her death grip on Della's wrist. 

Della was dragged down with her and sprawled over the edge of the railing in terror. She clung desperately to it with her free hand, barely stopping herself from falling as well.

"Help! Nester, help me!" she shrieked hysterically.

The commotion drew people from the ballroom. Guests swarmed toward the balcony with Nester rushing at the very front. The sight before him drained all color from his face.

"Nester! Save me! I'm falling, so pull me up!" Della wept with tears and snot smeared over her face, stretching the hand that was clutching the railing toward him.

Nester's gaze darted between Sabrina, who gritted her teeth without saying a word, and Della, who cried for help.

In that split second, he didn't hesitate and charged forward to grab Della's outstretched hand.

"Sabrina, hold on a little longer!" he shouted down at her in a shaking voice. "Once I pull Della up, I'll save you right away!"

Looking at him, Sabrina suddenly smiled, then let go.

As her body plummeted through the air, the wind roared past her ears before she ended up crashing into the swimming pool below.

Water splashed everywhere. The icy cold water swallowed her whole as she closed her eyes and lost consciousness.

…

When she woke up, she was lying in her bed, changed into clean pajamas, and had her wounds treated. The room was empty.

When she picked up her phone, she noticed a message from Nester. "Sabrina, Della was badly shaken, so I'm taking her to the hospital first. 

"Get some rest. I'll explain everything I get back and make it up to you."

Again, he kept talking about compensating her and making it up to her.

Sabrina stared at the words and found them utterly laughable. If one truly cared for someone, they would never have to talk about compensation.

"I don't love you anymore, Nester, so your 'making it up to me' means nothing to me at all. All I want is to sever all ties with you as soon as possible and leave this place to go far away," she murmured.

That was when she received another notification on her phone. This time, it was a message from the courthouse.

"Ms. Sabrina Frye, your divorce certificate with Mr. Nester Blackwell has been processed. Please collect it within three working days."

The divorce certificate was ready.

Sabrina held her phone and stared at the message for a long time before she let out a long, slow exhale. That breath seemed to expel all the grievances, pain, struggle, and unwillingness from the past five years of marriage.

She threw back the covers and got out of bed to begin packing the last of her belongings.

To be honest, there wasn't much left to pack since most of her belongings were boxed up. She placed the last few pieces of clothing into the suitcase and zipped it shut.

Then she took out her phone and booked a flight to Elyndoria that departed at 3:00 pm.

When she dragged her suitcase downstairs, she ran into George, who froze in surprise. "Mrs. Blackwell, what—"

"I'm leaving," she said. "Thank you for all these years."

"What? But Mr. Blackwell—"

"We're divorced," she said with a faint smile. "From today, I'm no longer Mrs. Blackwell."

She wheeled her suitcase out of the villa and flagged a cab to the courthouse. After receiving the divorce certificate, she opened it and glanced at the attached photo, in which neither she nor Nester was smiling.

Perfect. It was finally over.

She grabbed another cab to the airport, checked in, and sat in the waiting lounge.

Her phone rang with a call from Nester, but she didn't answer. He relentlessly continued until she powered off the phone.

When the boarding announcement came over the speakers, she stood up and dragged her suitcase toward the gate.

As the plane took off, she looked out the window at the city shrinking beneath the clouds and felt utterly calm.

"Goodbye, Nester. Goodbye, my past," she whispered.

The plane soared through the thick layer of clouds, flying toward the vast sky and a whole new life awaiting her.

Nester stood under the hospital hallway's harsh white lights, gripping his phone as he repeatedly dialed a number he knew by heart.

"Sorry. The number you've dialed is unavailable…"

"Sorry. The number you've dialed is unavailable…"

The cold, automated female voice sounded like the harshest verdict and constantly hammered against his eardrums.

He hung up in irritation and dialed again. The cycle repeated endlessly.

His fingers trembled slightly from the force of his grip. The back of his hand was still marked with scabbed-over cuts from shards of crystal of the fallen chandelier.

He wanted to explain and tell Sabrina that in that split second on the balcony, Della had been closer to him. Since she had stretched out her hand, he had reacted on instinct and pure reflex.

By the time he realized what he had done and tried to pull Sabrina up, she had let go and plunged downward.

"Nester…"

The door to the examination room opened. The pale Della stepped out with a small bandage wrappe

Chapter 9