I called a car.

I didn't call Cassian again. I sat on the floor of our kitchen and waited for the headlights to sweep across the window. When the driver texted that he'd arrived, I pulled myself up. Walked down to the street. Slid into the back seat.

"Manhattan Presbyterian," I said.

The driver glanced at me in the mirror. "You okay, miss?"

"I'm fine."

I pressed my palm against my abdomen. The pain was a low, grinding ache now. Constant. I leaned my head against the window and watched the city blur past. Rain streaked the glass. The streets were empty. It was after midnight.

The hospital entrance glowed white under the awning. I paid the driver. Got out. Walked through the automatic doors into the fluorescent brightness of the ER.

A nurse took my information. Asked questions. How long had I been in pain? Was I nauseous? Did I have a history of ulcers?

I answered everything. Quietly. Politely.

She led me to a bay. Pulled a curtain around me. Told me to change into a gown. A doctor would be in soon.

I sat on the gurney. Pulled off my coat. My hands were steady. I changed. Folded my clothes. Set them on the chair.

Another nurse came in. Younger. She smiled and hooked me up to an IV. The needle pinched. I didn't flinch.

"This'll help with the pain," she said. "Just rest."

She dimmed the light. Left.

I lay back. Stared at the ceiling tiles. Counted them. Twelve across. Eight down. Ninety-six total.

The medication worked slowly. The pain softened. Dulled. I closed my eyes. Listened to the sounds of the ER. Beeping monitors. Low voices. Footsteps.

I didn't sleep.

I waited.

---

The doors burst open.

I heard it before I saw it. A man's voice. Urgent. Commanding.

"I need a gurney. Now."

I opened my eyes. Turned my head.

Through the gap in the curtain, I saw him.

Cassian.

He was carrying someone. Cradling her against his chest. Her arms were around his neck. Her face pressed to his shoulder.

Daisy.

Her leg dangled. There was a Band-Aid on her knee. A small spot of red soaked through.

A nurse rushed over. "What happened?"

"She fell," Cassian said. His voice was tight. Protective. "On the stairs outside her building. The storm—she was scared. I tried to get her inside and she slipped."

The nurse glanced at Daisy's knee. "It looks minor—"

"I want it examined," Cassian said. "Properly. She could have fractured something. She's in pain."

Daisy whimpered softly. "It hurts," she whispered.

"I know, sweetheart." He kissed the top of her head. "I've got you. You're okay. I'm right here."

I lay there. Three feet away. Behind a curtain.

Watching.

The nurse brought a wheelchair. Cassian set Daisy down gently. Like she was made of glass. He crouched beside her. Brushed her hair back from her face.

"You're so brave," he murmured.

She looked up at him. Her eyes were wet. "I was so scared."

"I know. But I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere."

He held her hand. Stroked her knuckles with his thumb.

The nurse wheeled her toward an exam room. Cassian walked beside her. His hand never left hers.

They passed my curtain.

He didn't look.

He didn't see me.

I reached for my phone. My hands were steady. I opened the camera. Turned it toward the hallway. Hit record.

I filmed him crouching beside her wheelchair. Whispering to her. His face soft. Tender.

I filmed the nurse cleaning the scrape on Daisy's knee. It was smaller than a quarter.

I filmed Cassian pulling her into his arms. Holding her. Rocking her gently.

"You're safe," he said. "I promise."

I filmed it all.

Then I stopped. Saved the file. And set the phone down on my chest.

I stared at the ceiling again. The medication made everything feel distant. Soft.

But I wasn't numb.

I felt everything.

The nurse came back to check on me. She adjusted the IV. Took my blood pressure.

"How's the pain?" she asked.

"Better," I said.

She smiled. "Good. The doctor will be in soon with your results. Try to rest."

She left.

I closed my eyes.

And I cried.

Quietly. Without sound.

Because I finally understood.

He hadn't hung up because he didn't care.

He'd hung up because he cared more about her.

And no amount of evidence would ever hurt as much as that.

I didn't cry on the drive home.

The car service dropped me at our building just before dawn. The doorman held the door. Asked if I was all right. I nodded. Took the elevator up.

The apartment was dark. Empty. Cassian's shoes weren't by the door.

I walked to the bedroom. Sat on the edge of the bed. Pulled out my phone. Watched the video again.

Cassian cradling Daisy. Whispering to her. Kissing her forehead.

I watched it twice. Then I locked the screen.

Something inside me had gone quiet. Final.

I stood. Walked to the bathroom. Washed my face. Looked at myself in the mirror.

My eyes were dry.

I wouldn't cry again.

I opened my phone. Texted Rachel.

*I need a favor. Can we meet Monday?*

She replied within seconds.

*Of course. Where?*

*Coffee shop near the studio. Not the office.*

*I'll be there.*

I set the phone down. Went to bed. Slept dreamlessly.

---

Monday morning. The coffee shop was small. Quiet. Rachel was already there when I arrived. She had a table in the back. Away from the window.

I sat down. Set my bag on the floor.

"You look tired," she said.

I didn't answer. I pulled out my phone. Opened the audio file from New Year's Eve. Slid it across the table.

"Listen."

She picked it up. Put in her earbuds. Pressed play.

I watched her face. Saw the moment she recognized the caller's voice. Then confusion. Then comprehension.

She pulled out the earbuds. Set the phone down carefully.

"That's Cassian," she said.

I nodded.

Her jaw tightened. "How long?"

"I don't know. Months. Maybe longer."

She leaned back. Crossed her arms. "What else do you have?"

I pulled out the movie ticket stubs. Set them on the table. Then I opened the photo of the mug. The bracelet. Finally, I played the ER video.

Rachel watched in silence. Her expression didn't change. But her knuckles whitened around her coffee cup.

When the video ended, she set the phone down.

We sat there. Neither of us spoke.

Finally, she picked up her cup. Took a slow sip. Set it down.

"Tell me what you need."

I looked at her. "I need the broadcast archive. The full recording from New Year's Eve. Not just the clip. Everything."

"Done. What else?"

"I need you to keep this quiet. No one at the station can know."

"Understood."

I reached into my bag. Pulled out a folder. Slid it across the table.

"What's this?" Rachel asked.

I opened it. Inside was the Golden Microphone Awards nomination letter. My name at the top. Best Radio Host. National broadcast. Televised live.

Rachel's eyes widened. "Milena—"

"I'm going to win," I said quietly. "And when I do, I'm going to make sure everyone hears what I heard."

She stared at me. Then she nodded slowly. "You'll need the audio cleaned. Isolated. Broadcast quality."

"Can you do it?"

"Yes."

"How long?"

"Two weeks. Maybe less."

I closed the folder. "Thank you."

Rachel reached across the table. Squeezed my hand. "He doesn't deserve you."

I didn't answer.

Because it didn't matter what he deserved.

This wasn't about him anymore.

It was about me.

---

I went home. Cassian was in the kitchen. Making coffee. He smiled when he saw me.

"Hey. Where were you?"

"Meeting with Rachel. Work stuff."

He nodded. Poured himself a cup. "I have surgery this afternoon. I'll be late."

"Okay."

He kissed my cheek. Grabbed his coat. Left.

I stood there. Listened to the door close. Then I walked to his office.

His laptop was on the desk. I opened it. Checked his calendar. Backed up his research files to the cloud. Organized his notes.

I did everything I always did.

Because I needed him to believe nothing had changed.

---

The weeks passed.

I ironed his shirts. Hosted a dinner for his colleagues. Smiled at the right moments. Laughed at the right jokes.

I backed up his USB drives. All of them. Labeled them. Filed them in the drawer.

I was meticulous. Patient.

At night, I worked on my acceptance speech. Wrote it longhand in my legal notepad. Crossed out lines. Rewrote them. Practiced in front of the mirror.

Rachel sent me the cleaned audio file. I listened to it once. Then I saved it to an encrypted drive.

I met with Patricia Vance again. Signed the divorce papers. She slid them into a manila envelope. Sealed it.

"When do you want to file?" she asked.

"Not yet."

She nodded. "Let me know."

I took the envelope home. Tucked it in my desk drawer. Locked it.

---

The Golden Microphone Awards ceremony was three weeks away.

I bought a dress. Black. Simple. Elegant.

I rehearsed my speech every night. In the shower. In the car. In the editing booth when no one was around.

I didn't tell Cassian I'd been nominated.

He didn't ask.

---

One week before the ceremony, I stood in our bedroom. Cassian was asleep. I opened my desk drawer. Pulled out the envelope.

I held it in both hands. Felt the weight of it.

Then I set it in my purse.

I walked to the window. Looked out at the city. The lights stretched endlessly. Bright and cold.

I thought about the woman I'd been. The one who believed love was enough. Who believed devotion would be returned.

She was gone.

I wasn't her anymore.

I turned away from the window. Went to bed. Slept.

And when I woke, I was ready.