The CEO Lost Me, the Doctor Won My Heart novel Chapter 5

Lucas froze, his lips trembling as if he had just taken a massive hit, rendering him speechless.

It took him a long moment before he finally forced out two words.

"How… how could this…"

He suddenly grabbed my wrist, but the second he felt the bandages wrapped around it, he seemed to realize just how bad the injury was.

Awkwardly, he let go, his fingers hovering uncertainly over my skin before pulling away completely.

"Why didn't you tell me?" His voice was laced with frustration.

"Something this serious… do you even consider me your husband anymore?"

I let out a short, breathy laugh.

Lucas' brows furrowed at my reaction, confusion flashing across his face.

Before he could start his usual lecture, I beat him to it.

"I can't even take care of myself, right?"

"I ruined the hands you spent a fortune to protect."

"Antonia, you're so caught up in petty jealousy that you'd rather hurt yourself."

"Don't you see how childish that is?"

The words I threw at him were his own, and I could see them hitting him like a slap to the face.

His mouth opened and closed, as if struggling to come up with something—something even crueler, something that would shut me down completely.

But in the end, to my utter surprise, he shut his mouth.

I looked at him, baffled, and for the first time, I saw something in his eyes that I had never seen before—regret.

A deep, wounded kind of regret.

Of course.

This was the first time he was hearing his own words thrown back at him.

Maybe, just maybe, he was realizing how absurd his logic had always been.

It's easy to dismiss pain when it's not your own.

Maybe he still thought he was the same man who once held me close, whispered sweet nothings, and kissed my fingertips when they ached from long hours of practice.

But he wasn't.

Those words, those gentle gestures—they had long since turned into daggers, cutting into me one by one, until all that was left was scar tissue.

And he had never noticed.

Not until I forced him to see it.

But I never expected him to care.

I had stopped hoping for that a long time ago.

I just wanted to stop playing his game—to stop trying to explain myself to someone who had already made up his mind about me.

I didn't expect him to hesitate, to tremble, to choke out, "I'm sorry."

His apology was so unexpected that Lila lost her usual polished composure in an instant.

The ever-gracious, ever-sweet assistant clung onto Lucas' arm, panic flashing in her eyes.

Her urgency only grew when Lucas ignored her, still focused on me, still caught up in his ridiculous display of concern.

"But you should've told me," he muttered.

"I'm your husband… or at least—"

He took a deep breath, as if trying to steady himself. "I'll get you the best doctor."

I cut him off.

"Didn't I already?"

"Lucas, why do you think I'm in a hospital?"

I used my free hand to pry his fingers off my wrist.

Then I took a step back, drawing a clear line between us.

Lucas' eyes darkened, his gaze shifting to something almost… wounded.

Like a kicked puppy.

Just like when we were younger—when his mother had forced him to leave me.

Back then, I had let him go.

I convinced myself I wasn't worth the fight.

And back then, he had looked at me just like this.

"He's already so overwhelmed with work, and you don't even see that."

"You should try to be more understanding…"

There it was.

Her favorite tactic—turning the blame onto me.

And normally, this was the part where I would shut up, guilt creeping in just enough for Lucas to launch into a fresh round of accusations.

But not this time.

"Miss Lila."

I cut her off before she could set the scene any further.

"He thinks this way because of you, doesn't he?"

"Women play these little games to make sure they stay relevant in a man's mind."

"You of all people should know that."

Lila wasn't expecting me to say it outright.

Her lips parted in shock, her carefully composed expression cracking for the first time.

But this wasn't the place for drama.

This was her family's funeral.

I wasn't going to waste any more of my time entertaining their nonsense.

So before Lucas could even process what had just happened, I turned and walked away.

Just before I left, though, I glanced back over my shoulder.

"Oh, by the way," I said.

"The old dean passed away."

I pointed toward the headstone in the distance.

"You should at least pay your respects."

Lucas' face crumpled as the weight of my words sank in.

And with that, I walked away.