The Day I Stopped Fighting For Him Novel by WriterLola _ Novel




The Day I Stopped Fighting For Him Chapter 01

Seven days after surviving her suicide attempt, Maddison Elford became the quiet wife Jarrett Dawney had always wanted.
She no longer shared every little thing she found interesting, nor did she question him over lipstick stains on his shirts.
She stopped keeping tabs on him just because he used to be a serial cheater, stopped getting paranoid about his fidelity.
She gave him complete freedom, staying silent and keeping out of his way, exactly as he preferred.
***
Even after being injured in a massive hostage incident at the mall, Maddison handled everything alone. She gave her statement to the police and went straight to the hospital for treatment.
By the time she stepped out, it was already late. To her surprise, Jarrett's Rolls-Royce was parked at the entrance.
The moment he saw her, he slipped his phone into his pocket and hurried over.
"Why didn't you call me?" he asked. "If I hadn't seen the news, I wouldn't have even known how serious it was."
His gaze dropped to the bandage on her arm as he reached out to hold her.
Maddison subtly avoided his touch and got into the passenger seat instead. "I'm fine," she said, her voice completely flat. "There was no need to bother you."
Jarrett's hands froze midair. Her calm, detached tone made him frown.
She was acting entirely out of character. During their decade together, Maddison used to send him photos of things as trivial as feeding a stray dog.
Yet now, after surviving something life-threatening, she dismissed it with a few indifferent words.
Irritation flared in his chest. "Maddie, I've recommitted myself to our marriage. Why are you still holding a grudge?"
Maddison kept her gaze fixed on the window, never turning toward him. "I know. I didn't bother you because I'm fine. Let's just go home."
Frustrated by her perfunctory reply, Jarrett slammed his fist against the steering wheel.
The horn blared, startling a girl selling flowers across the street. She looked up at the car.
The moment her face came into view, the atmosphere inside the car turned heavy.
"Estrella? What is she doing selling flowers here?"
Jarrett instinctively glanced at Maddison. After all, she used to make a scene—sometimes even lose control—whenever she encountered Estrella Pownall.
But this time, Maddison only gave Estrella a brief glance before looking away, completely unmoved.
Jarrett tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his eyes drifting back to the street. In the dead of winter, Estrella wore only a thin coat, her nose reddened by the cold.
His hand curled around the door handle, concern plainly written across his face.
Without missing a beat, Maddison popped her door open and stepped out. "If you have things to take care of, I can get home on my own."
Before Jarrett could stop her, she flagged down a taxi and got in.
He scrambled out and grabbed the cab door, fumbling to explain himself. "It's really over between me and her. I have no idea why she's here. Why won't you believe me?"
Maddison shook her head. "No, I believe you. Life is hard for a young girl like her. Even though you have ended things, it's perfectly normal that you still care about her. I understand."
Jarrett stared at her pale face. She showed no emotion, and she didn't seem to be acting out of spite.
Still, he felt something was deeply wrong.
The Maddison he knew had been possessive, expressive—always eager to share everything with him. Even finding a stray hair on his suit would lead to hours of questioning.
Now she was exactly what he claimed to want—quiet, rational, considerate, and understanding. But instead of relief, a heavy unease settled in his chest.
While he hesitated, the taxi door clicked shut, and the car pulled away into traffic.
Inside the cab, Maddison asked the driver to circle the block and come back. From a distance, she saw Jarrett take off his winter coat, drape it over Estrella's shoulders, and tilt her chin up to kiss her.
Maddison wasn't surprised at all. If anything, she had long expected this.
She instinctively rubbed the scar on her wrist, feeling absolutely nothing.
She wasn't going to fall apart like she had the first time she caught him cheating.
Back then, she had completely cracked, screaming at him, "Do you have zero shame, Jarrett? I've been with you since I was sixteen. We built this life from nothing, and now you're telling me you've fallen for someone else?"
Blood had trickled from the corner of his mouth where she'd slapped him. He'd licked his split lip, his own temper flaring.
"You want to talk about shame?" he'd spat back. "If you had any, you wouldn't have run off with me at sixteen. Your own parents didn't even want you. I've kept a roof over your head for over a decade. You should be thanking me!"
And yet, he had been the one to take her hand in the orphanage, promising her a future.
Over a decade of having each other's backs had been completely gutted by that single sentence.
Her ringing phone dragged her back to the present.
"Ms. Elford, we're just about done finalizing the paperwork for your biological parents' inheritance," the man on the line said. "When will you be available to come to the UK?"
Maddison covered the scar on her wrist. "In ten days. My divorce will be finalized by then."
The lawyer hesitated, as if compelled to remind her, "I heard you and your husband were deeply in love for years. You don't actually have to emigrate to claim the inheritance."
"I don't love him anymore," Maddison replied, her voice perfectly calm. "I just want to leave New York for good. I'll see you in the UK in ten days."
She watched the snow falling past the car window and let out a soft breath.
From now on, she was done loving Jarrett.

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