Chapter 35: THIS IS NOT A REAL - , DONT UNLOCK

Chapter 35: THIS IS NOT A REAL Chapter, DONT UNLOCK "Hangin’ ’round downtown by myself~ And I had so much time~ To sit and think about myself ~ And then there she was... Heather barely registered the music playing through the speakers at first. Her head leaned against the window, eyes on the passing blur of buildings outside. The city lights should have been distracting, should have pulled her thoughts somewhere else. But nothing could take her mind off where they were heading. Her fingers clenched slightly against her bare skin. The ruined dress felt like proof of how everything had unraveled. The gown from the party, ripped at the side because Caius had torn it free when it got caught in the elevator doors. He had saved her life. But in the process, destroyed the dress. Now, she looked like a mess. Like someone who had been through hell. Her body even itched now, probably psychological, but real enough to make her uncomfortable. "I can smell the s*x and candy~" Heather exhaled sharply, shifting in her seat. "Do we really have to listen to this nonsense?" she muttered. She hadn’t slept well. She barely felt functional. Caius smiled slightly. "Why? You like this song." Heather scoffed. "I would never listen to trash." "Really?" Caius tapped his fingers casually against the wheel. "This is the song you picked for our wedding." Heather stiffened slightly. Right. Back when she had made choices simply because Lauren made them. Lauren had loved this song,.had played it every day. And would sing the lyrics word for word. Heather used to mimic her. She didn’t say anything, simply turning her focus back toward the window. They were heading to civil affairs to get their marriage certificate. Instead of being at the hospital with Alex, she was here. Because Alex had insisted. He had waved them goodbye before heading into the surgery room, his voice filled with unwavering hope. I want to come out and see you with the certificate," he had said. Heather had almost cried at his optimism. At least he still had hope for his survival. Caius pulled into the parking lot. The car settled to a stop, the music still humming softly in the background. Heather inhaled. "If Alex doesn’t... make it..." She paused, swallowing hard. The words barely escaped. "We’ll divorce right away. I’m only doing this for him." Caius turned off the engine. He was quiet for a moment. "Then I hope he makes it." Without another word, Caius opened the car door and stepped out. *** The civil affairs office felt eerily normal. Heather barely focused on the papers in front of her, her mind somewhere else entirely. A woman behind the desk scanned through their records, her fingers gliding smoothly over the keyboard as she searched their file. Then, her brows furrowed. "You’re still married." Heather blinked. "What?" "There’s no official record of divorce." Heather stiffened. "No, that’s impossible. We divorced five years ago." The woman glanced at the screen. "No one filed for a divorce." Heather whipped her head toward Caius. He met her gaze evenly. The clerk cleared her throat. "Would you like to—" "Thank you." Caius interrupted swiftly, rising from his seat. "We’ll be leaving now." Heather barely registered when he grabbed* her shoulder, guiding her outside. The moment they stepped onto the sidewalk, Heather pushed his hands away. "We’re still married*?" she hissed, voice sharp. "You never filed for a divorce?" "I did." Caius exhaled, tone even. "I just didn’t sign the papers." Heather’s mind stalled. Her lips parted slightly before she managed to speak. "You didn’t sign them?" "I told my lawyer to call it off." Heather was staring at him now, really staring. She had been married to him this entire time. For five years. Without even knowing. Her thoughts were scrambling for something logical, some way to make sense of the revelation. "Why?" she finally asked. Caius was silent for a moment. "At the time, it felt..." He trailed off, as if searching for words. "Pointless." Heather exhaled sharply. "Pointless." Her arms folded. "You decided to trap me in a marriage without telling me." "You left. And I couldn’t find you." Caius’s voice was calm. "It was already over between us. It didn’t change anything." "It changes everything!" Heather snapped. "Did it not occur to you to tell me?" "Tell you what?" Caius’s brow lifted slightly. "That you had already moved on? And like I said, I couldn’t find you." Heather clenched her jaw. Caius sighed. "Look, if it really bothers you..." "It does bother me." Heather let out a humorless laugh. "You’re actually unbelievable." Heather hated how unaffected he sounded. Like it was just some technicality. Like it didn’t matter. When Heather and Caius arrived at the hospital, Caius had bought her a new dress on their way back. She had refused to wear it. Instead, she had thrown his jacket over herself. It was huge on her—he was much taller—but it was more comfortable than pretending. Inside the elevator, Heather could feel her pulse speeding up. She was restless. The drive had taken too long. Lily had texted her, "The surgeon already came out." Ding. Heather rushed out of the elevator, walking fast down the hallway. Lila and Lily immediately stepped toward them. "What’s happening now?" Heather’s voice was tight. "We don’t know." Lila exhaled. "But the surgery is done." Heather swallowed. "Is he..." Her voice failed her briefly. "Alive?" Lila rubbed her arms anxiously. "We don’t know." Heather pressed her head against the wall. She hated this. She hated the uncertainty. Her body was shaking now. She looked up at the ceiling. She had never believed in much, not in faith or miracles. But right now—if anything was out there—She hoped it would give her one. Heather inhaled deeply. Then, the surgeon stepped out of the room. He looked at them, motioning for them to come together. "How did it go?" Caius asked immediately. The doctor who had spoken to them earlier approached as well, his expression unreadable. "Your son," he began, tilting his head slightly. Heather’s breath halted. "Is alive." The surgeon completed his sentence, unaware of the tension he had just shattered. The other doctor shot him a sharp glare. Heather felt herself break. She instinctively reached for Caius. Lily and Lila finally breathed out. "So... it’s a miracle?" Heather asked, barely able to speak. "No." The surgeon frowned slightly. "It was a minor tumor. I don’t know why you even called me here. He had a 30/70 survival rate." Heather turned toward the first doctor. "You said he was going to die." The man sighed before admitting, "Because he told me to." Heather stilled. "Who told you to?" Her voice rose slightly, sharper than she had intended. "Alex." The doctor exhaled. "He told me to tell you he was dying." Heather scoffed. "That little asshole." She had forgotten who her son was. Heather’s scoff turned into a sharp breath as reality settled in. She could barely process what she was hearing. The doctor sighed heavily, rubbing his temples as if still processing his own actions. "I really am sorry for doing this. I usually don’t lie for patients, but..." He exhaled deeply. "That little boy, he looked me in the eyes and begged me. He said his parents were in love but didn’t know how to admit it. That they just needed something to bring them together." Heather’s chest tightened. "He told me his mother had been alone for a long time," the doctor continued, "and his father... he said his father was sick. That he wasn’t himself anymore." Heather’s throat felt dry. Alex had lied. Had orchestrated this entire thing, had made her believe she was losing him, had pushed her into marrying Caius. All because he wanted her to. All because he thought they belonged together. Heather wiped a hand down her face. I was fooled... by a five-year-old. She thought. "He said no child should ever have to see their mother cry alone or hear their father struggle in silence." The doctor shook his head slowly. "He was convinced that he had to do something, that if I told you he was dying, it would make you realize what truly mattered. That maybe, just maybe, his family could be whole." Heather pressed her fingers against her forehead. Caius inhaled sharply, barely moving. "And then... he cried." The doctor exhaled deeply, his voice quieter now. "A five-year-old shouldn’t be carrying this kind of weight. He shouldn’t be thinking about fixing his parents. But the way he looked at me..." He hesitated before shaking his head again. "I believed him." Heather clenched her jaw, emotions crashing against each other inside her chest. "Is he awake now?" she asked, voice tight. "He just needs some time before the injection wears off," the doctor said. "But he still needs rest." He offered them a small nod before walking away. Lila, Lily, Caius, and Heather all exchanged stunned looks. They had been fooled by a five-year-old. Lily finally exhaled, shaking her head in disbelief. "I cannot believe this." Lila crossed her arms. "Wait, hold on." She turned to Heather, brows furrowing. "You’re not married to Caius? You guys divorced?" Heather opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Caius glanced at her and the moment stretched. Heather swallowed. "No." According to the woman at the civil affairs, they weren’t. "We were just... apart.