The Ex-Wife He Couldn't Keep Novel by Dahlia Sterling _ Novel




The Ex-Wife He Couldn't Keep Chapter 01

When Elena Merritt came to, her head was foggy.
Her last memory was frozen on the semi-truck barreling straight at her and her husband, Damian Callahan.
A jolt of fear shot through her. With every ounce of strength, Elena reached for her lower belly.
It was flat.
Just as she had feared...
Tears slid from the corners of her eyes.
Before Elena even had time to mourn the child she had never gotten to meet, she suddenly heard the door open.
Nurses walked in, and Elena reflexively shut her eyes.
"Mr. Callahan will be here any minute. Let's get Mrs. Callahan cleaned up."
"He and his wife really must have loved each other. She's been in a coma for six years, and he still came to see her every week. That's rare."
Only then did Elena realize she’d been unconscious for six years—and Damian had kept waiting for her to wake up.
She swallowed the rush of joy bubbling up in her chest, squeezed her eyes shut, and planned to surprise Damian.The next second, the door opened.
Steady, measured footsteps echoed in, followed by the sharp click of high heels on the tile.
"Dame, I'm going to get the doctor. Let's finish the consent form early so we can go out to eat."
A woman's soft, sweet voice rang out, and Elena's happiness was extinguished in an instant.
She recognized that voice immediately.
It was Vanessa Ellington, Damian's first love, the woman who was already married.
But why was Vanessa here? And what consent form?
Someone stopped beside the hospital bed. A familiar cedar scent drifted to Elena's nose, and her heartbeat stalled.
It was Damian.
He said, "Okay."
The flutter of joy and excitement in her chest faded, replaced by cold confusion.
Not long after, the doctor returned with Vanessa, and Damian pulled out a document.
"This is the consent form to withdraw life-sustaining treatment. I don't want my wife to keep suffering."
The doctor sounded hesitant. "But Mrs. Callahan's recent EEG has shown changes. We believe these may be signs that she's coming around."
Elena fought the urge to open her eyes and waited for Damian to take back that thin sheet of paper that would determine her fate.
Instead, Damian paused slightly, then said with cold indifference, "There's no need. I've been disappointed too many times over the years. If my wife knew, she wouldn't want to see me suffer blow after blow like this."
In that split second, every last shred of Elena’s hope shattered.
After the doctor left, Vanessa slipped her arm gently through Damian's. "Dame, don't be sad. From now on, I'll stay with you. And so will our baby on the way."
Damian's hand rested tenderly over her still-flat stomach. "Don't worry. I won't let this child come into the world carrying the label of an illegitimate child.
"In two months, after Elena's funeral arrangements are finished, we'll get married on your birthday."
The intimate murmurs by Elena's ear gradually faded away, and the hospital room fell quiet again.
Elena struggled to sit up and, through the window, saw the two of them leaving hand in hand.
In that moment, something inside her died—along with all the love she’d ever had for him.
She survived the wreck, only to be rejected by the man she’d loved with all her heart.
The door to the room was pushed open again. The doctor and nurses came in with a cart full of injections, then froze in place.
"Mrs. Callahan, when did you come to?"
"Quick, go get Mr. Callahan back!"
Elena forced out a bitter smile, her voice calm. "I just came to. Did my husband come by? There's no need to call him back. I want to surprise him myself."
In the days that followed, Elena endured the pain and threw herself desperately into rehabilitation.
Every time she fell, every time despair swallowed her whole, the memories that came back to her were the tender scenes she had buried deep in her heart.
Damian knew Elena loved traveling and loved being able to eat her favorite food wherever she went, so his restaurant brand had expanded into every city she liked, all so she could have whatever she was craving anytime she wanted.
Later, when she got pregnant, he celebrated with fireworks for three straight months. When her morning sickness got so bad she felt like she was dying, Elena didn't cry, but Damian, rubbing her back beside her, did. After that, he insisted on getting a vasectomy, and Elena had stopped him only after laughing helplessly.
And in the end, all those warm memories stopped on the image of her pregnant self during the accident, shoving Damian toward the roadside.
After the heartbreak came a wave of cold dread.
It wasn't that Elena couldn't let Damian go.
What she couldn't understand was why, knowing she might come around, he had still signed that consent form so decisively.
Had the six years they had shared really meant nothing to him?
***
Two months later, Elena quietly left the hospital and dragged her still-unsteady legs to the villa she shared with Damian.
Sounds of lively celebration drifted out from inside.
The housekeeper came hurrying to the door and opened it with obvious impatience. "Who is it? Ah, Mrs. Callahan!"
The noise inside stopped abruptly.
Elena walked into the entryway and saw a large birthday cake in the living room.
Damian, holding a gift, froze where he stood, while Vanessa, facing the candles and making a wish, looked as if she had seen a ghost.
"Ella, you came around?"
Damian threw down the gift in his hand and rushed over to pull her into his arms, the corners of his eyes reddening.
"When did you come to? Why didn't anyone tell me? You've suffered so much all these years."
Elena said nothing, letting him hold her. She watched Vanessa’s face harden before she forced a stiff, fake smile. "Ella, it's been so long. I'm just so happy you came around."
Just then, a small head popped out from behind the cake.
Elena’s gaze locked with the little boy’s, and a sharp jolt ripped through her.
That little boy had the exact same eyes and brows as hers.
At the time of the crash, the baby in her womb had already been eight months along. If the child had survived...
Elena shoved Damian away and crouched down in front of the boy. Her voice trembled as she asked, "How old are you?"
"Six."
Her eyes reddened as she shakily reached a hand toward the boy's cheek, but he immediately burrowed into Vanessa's arms.
"Mommy, who is this lady?"
Ice flooded Elena’s veins.

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