I Divorced My Sister's Boyfriend

For the fifth anniversary of my marriage to Ryan Caldwell, I prepared a lavish dinner. Every dish was carefully crafted—something special for this day. But just as he sat down, my sister Chloe Harrington’s name lit up on his ringing phone screen.

The sound of the chair scraping against the floor pierced the air. "I have to go to the hospital. Chloe's stomach condition flared up again. She did not eat properly."

Before I could even say a word to stop him, he was already halfway out the door. All I saw was his retreating figure, leaving me behind like a second thought.

The knot in my chest tightened. Tears fall into the untouched bowls of food. My hand reached instinctively toward my stomach, feeling a sharp, familiar pain twist inside me. Then, a mouthful of blood gushed out.

Ryan’s assistant, Lucas Parker, rushed to my side, panic flickering in his eyes. "We need to get you to a hospital now."

***

Just as I finished setting the last dish on the table, Ryan returned home hours later. I acted as if nothing had happened—as if this night still held meaning.

"You're back," I greeted him warmly. I didn't even take off my apron before going up to take his suit jacket. "Go wash your hands first; the dishes are ready."

He waved his hands, avoiding my movements without looking at me. Instead, he handed his coat to the assistant behind him.

"Why don't you go change first." After saying that, he walked off and washed his hands.

I hurriedly went upstairs and changed into a new outfit I had bought recently. I had recently lost so much weight that even the new clothes I had purchased a while ago were about not to hold up. My reflection looked like a ghost.

A wave of pain surged from my stomach again. I pressed a hand to it, drew in a shaky breath and forced myself to endure the discomfort. I sat across from him at the table, hoping to share even a small part of this night.

Just as I wanted to open my mouth to speak, an abrupt ringing of the phone rang again.

The smile that spread across Ryan’s face was the first I'd seen from him all day. And just like that, I knew. He answered immediately and in the next second, his face turned anxious. The sound of the chair scraping the floor cut through the silence once more.

"I have to go to the hospital. Chloe’s condition isn’t stable."

I didn't even have a chance to hold him back. Looking up, I saw only his back as he left in quick steps.

I stared at the beautifully arranged dishes, now cold and meaningless, turned into irony at this moment like a cruel joke at my expense.

The pain I had been holding back came crashing down all at once. The pain coming from my abdomen was magnified a million times over. Tears dripped into my bowl and with them came another mouthful of blood.

Ryan's assistant immediately came over and held my thin shoulders just before I collapsed. His face twisted with concern, looking panicked. "We have to get you to the hospital."

***

By the time the tests and treatments were done, the night outside had settled into complete darkness.

Lucas entered my room, holding a folder with my medical report. His voice carried a subtle tension. "You have stomach cancer, Madam."

He paused for a moment. "Does Mr. Caldwell know?"

Although Lucas was Ryan's assistant, I was even glad now that my husband left in too much of a hurry for Chloe and even forgot to bring him as an assistant. Otherwise, I would just die of pain in the villa and no one would notice.

I lay on the bed and shook my head slowly.

“Why haven’t you told him?” he asked, his brow furrowed.

Before I could answer, my phone rang. Ryan’s name appeared on the screen.

"Emma," his voice said briskly on the other end, "bring the soup you made today to the hospital. Chloe has just recovered and needs nutrition now."

“It's urgent. No need to recook it. Just heat it up.”

Before I could respond, I heard Chloe’s cheerful voice chiming in the background. "Ryan, what are you doing? Don't bother my sister—she's probably exhausted."

"Emma, I'm fine! You don't have to come over. Don’t worry about me. I even scolded Ryan for you."

Before she could finish her words, the phone was hung up.

The phone slipped from my trembling fingers and thrown to the side on the sofa.

I looked up at Lucas, searching for any trace of mockery or pity in his expression. There was none.

My pale and cracked lips twitched in a sad attempt at a smile. But my heart felt unbearably heavy, like a weight pressing on my chest.

"You go out first. I want to rest." I whispered, my voice barely audible. "Please don’t tell him about this."

Lucas hesitated, nodded and quietly left the room, leaving me with suffocating silence.