While I Was Dying, He Watched Fireworks With Her

An ambulance sped through the streets of Aleford.

"Your coronary artery is severely blocked," the paramedic said to Ashley Cooper. "You need an emergency bypass operation. Is there someone we should call for you?"

The urgency in his voice barely reached Ashley through the intense pressure crushing her chest.

"We've contacted the person listed for emergencies," another paramedic said. "Tell him to get to the hospital as soon as possible."

Clutching her chest, Ashley brought the phone closer. Every breath was shallow, and speaking took effort. "Patrick... They found a serious blockage in one of my coronary arteries. I need emergency bypass surgery. Can you please get to the hospital? They need you to sign consent forms."

"Stop it!" Patrick Cooper, her husband, snapped. "You seriously expect me to believe this? Making up something this ridiculous just to force me to see you is pathetic. I'm not dropping everything and rushing over there."

"Patrick..." Ashley's voice trailed off.

As the ambulance drove past Aleford's largest public square, flashes of light filled the window. Fireworks exploded across the night sky in brilliant bursts, bright enough to sting her eyes.

A moment later, Jolie Webb's cheerful voice sounded through the phone.

"Patrick, thank you for the birthday fireworks! You're so sweet!"

Ashley froze.

Jolie had been Patrick's first love, the woman he had never truly forgotten. She had returned from overseas only recently.

Suddenly, Patrick's refusal made sense. He was not too busy to come to the hospital. He was celebrating Jolie's birthday.

A fresh stab of pain ripped through Ashley's chest. Her breathing became even more difficult, and tears rolled silently down her cheeks.

Since they got married five years ago, she could not remember Patrick ever giving her a genuine smile.

She would spend hours cooking the dishes he liked most, hoping to please him. His response was always restrained and detached. "Not bad."

Once, when Patrick had been sick with a high fever, she stayed awake the entire night. By the next day, exhaustion had left her ill as well.

Patrick had shown little concern. "At least you know how to fulfill your responsibilities as my wife," he had said.

She had lost their baby, yet Patrick's face had remained unreadable. "We can have another one."

He had barely even looked in her direction.

Every year on her birthday, Patrick claimed work had made him forget. His solution was always the same: transfer three thousand dollars to her account and tell her to buy whatever she wanted.

Her best friend had even questioned why she continued to stay with him.

Patrick possessed more money than most people could imagine, yet he treated his wife's birthday like another obligation he could settle with a payment.

Money, however, had never been what Ashley wanted from the Cooper family. She had only wanted Patrick to love her.

For that reason, she had even agreed to hide their marriage for five years. The Cooper family knew she was his wife, but beyond them, their marriage did not officially exist in anyone else's eyes.

Now, with unbearable pain spreading through her chest, Ashley finally saw their marriage clearly. Patrick's treatment of her had never been about generosity or money. He simply had never loved her.

The pain became unbearable, and everything around her slowly slipped into darkness.

Through the fog settling over her mind, Ashley heard one of the paramedics yell toward the front of the ambulance. "Go faster! She's crashing. We can't wait for her emergency contact anymore. The hospital will have to proceed under emergency authorization."

"What happens if the surgery goes wrong?" another voice asked, trembling with panic.

"We save her life first!"

The voices surrounding Ashley faded into an indistinct hum. A sudden, searing pain shot through her head, and memories she had lost years ago rushed back all at once.

Everything returned to her.

She was from the Edwards family, one of the four most influential families in Aleford.

Ashley had no idea how much time had passed while she was unconscious.

When she finally opened her eyes, heavy bandages were wrapped around her chest. She managed to lift her head a little and noticed the visible relief on the faces of the doctor and nurses standing nearby.

"Thank goodness you're awake," the doctor said. "The bypass surgery was successful. You'll need to stay away from strenuous activity for about a month, but we expect you to recover fully."

After giving her the necessary instructions, he shook his head and added quietly, "I still can't understand how we couldn't reach even one member of your family before performing such a serious operation."

Ashley's face was drained of color, and her eyes remained swollen from crying. "Thank you, Doctor."

She understood clearly that without his intervention, she might not have survived.

The doctor assured her that gratitude was unnecessary. Keeping patients alive was simply part of his responsibility.

Ashley spent the next two weeks recovering in the hospital. Throughout, she kept waiting for Patrick to call. She thought he might eventually call and ask where she had gone.

For two full weeks, no call came. Not even a single message.

What did appear constantly on her phone were reports about Patrick and Jolie.

"Cooper Group CEO Purchases Luxury Yacht for Celebrated Artist Jolie Webb."

"Billionaire Executive Showers Girlfriend Jolie Webb With Rare Artwork and Expensive Jewelry."

Each new headline displayed just how much Patrick was willing to do for Jolie.

And the realization hurt each time.

Once she was discharged, Ashley returned home.

She had only just walked through the entrance when Patrick appeared. Without warning, he caught her by the wrist and pushed her against the wall near the console table.

"Where the hell have you been for two weeks?" he asked in a dark, dangerous voice. "Did you run off with another man just because I wasn't giving you enough attention?"

The force of his grip sent pain through Ashley's healing chest. For a moment, she felt close to losing consciousness again.

Patrick moved to kiss her, but Ashley quickly turned her head aside. The smell of cigarettes lingered heavily on his breath.

"You've spent every day with Jolie," Ashley said, fighting to keep her tears from falling. "So why does it matter to you where I've been?"

This time, she did not shrink away from him.

Patrick caught her chin and forced her face back toward his. "You're still my wife, Ashley," he said. "Don't forget that. I'm warning you to know your place and stay faithful to me. If you don't..."

His other hand moved beneath her skirt, touching her without tenderness or consideration, as though humiliating her was the entire point. His desire was unmistakable, and he did nothing to conceal it.

Patrick had never loved her.

While she had been undergoing heart surgery, he had been arranging fireworks for the woman he had never managed to forget. After she disappeared for two weeks, his first concern was whether she had been with another man.

She could no longer see any reason for everything she had endured.

Patrick's touch became more intrusive. A quiet sound escaped her before she could suppress it, and humiliation immediately washed over her.

She had finally reached her limit. Her body remained weak and pale, but her decision was firm. She lifted her hand and struck Patrick hard across the face. "Patrick, I want a divorce."