Served
1177 Words
(Vaughn)
I knew I'd screwed up the second Sloane walked out of my office last night.
Not because I felt guilty. I didn't. The s*x was good, and honestly, the nurse was more fun than Sloane had been in months. But I'd gotten caught, and that was a problem.
Sloane was supposed to be too busy with her surgeries to notice. She was supposed to keep working her ridiculous hours while I did whatever I wanted. That was the arrangement, even if she didn't know it.
But now she knew. And now I had to deal with the fallout.
I tried calling her all night, not because I missed her, but because I needed to control the situation. If she started talking, if she told people what happened, my reputation at the hospital would be ruined. I couldn't have that.
She answered once around noon, and I tried everything. Begging, apologizing, even telling her I loved her. But she didn't buy any of it. She hung up on me and then blocked my number.
When I tried calling again, it went straight to a message saying the number was no longer in service.
That b***h actually blocked me.
I sat in my office, fuming. Who did she think she was? I was trying to fix this, and she was acting like I was the only one at fault.
She was the one who worked all the time. She was the one who ignored me. She was the one who made me feel invisible.
This was her fault as much as it was mine.
By morning, I had a plan. I'd catch her at the hospital, corner her somewhere she couldn't ignore me. Force her to listen. She'd forgive me eventually. She always did.
I got to the hospital early, hoping to find her before her surgery. But she was already scrubbed in by the time I made it to the surgical floor. I stood outside the operating room, watching through the glass as she worked.
She looked completely unbothered. Like catching me cheating hadn't even fazed her.
That pissed me off.
I left before she finished and went to my office. I needed to think about how to spin this. Maybe I could make it seem like she'd been neglecting me. That she'd pushed me away with her obsession with work. People would understand that, right?
I spent the rest of the morning trying to figure out how to get to her. I couldn't call. I couldn't text. And if I showed up at her office, she'd probably have security throw me out.
I was running out of options.
That's when there was a knock on my office door. I looked up to see a man in a suit standing there with a clipboard.
"Dr. Vaughn Reid?"
"Yeah, that's me."
He stepped inside and handed me an envelope. "You've been served."
I took the envelope, and the man left without another word.
Divorce papers.
I ripped them open and read through the documents. Sloane wanted everything finalized as quickly as possible. No contest. No negotiations. Just done.
My hands started shaking, but not from sadness. From rage.
She thought she could just divorce me? Just like that? After everything I'd done for her?
I'd married her when she was still a resident. I'd helped her build her career. I'd introduced her to the right people, made sure she got the best cases. And this was how she repaid me?
I grabbed my phone to call her, then remembered she'd blocked me.
Fine. If she wanted to play games, I'd play games.
I stood up and paced my office. She wasn't going to walk away from me that easily. I'd drag this divorce out as long as possible. Make her life hell. Ruin her reputation if I had to.
She thought blocking my number would keep me away? She was wrong.
I left my office and headed to the surgical floor. I needed to see her, to remind her who she was dealing with.
But as I turned the corner, I saw something that made my blood boil.
Sloane. Walking down the hallway with Kieran Ashford.
They were talking, and she was smiling. Actually smiling. At him.
And Kieran. That smug piece of garbage. He was looking at her like he wanted her.
My wife.
I watched as they stopped outside the ER. Kieran said something to her, and she laughed.
Then he leaned in closer, his eyes locked on hers.
He was making a move on my wife. Right in front of everyone.
My hands balled into fists. This was exactly what I was afraid of. Kieran had been waiting for me to screw up, and now he was swooping in like the opportunistic bastard he was.
He didn't care about Sloane. He just wanted to take something from me. To prove he was better than me.
Well, he wasn't.
Sloane said something to Kieran and walked into the ER. Kieran watched her go, a satisfied smile on his face.
Then he turned and saw me standing there.
Our eyes met across the hallway. He didn't look surprised. He didn't look guilty. He just looked like he'd already won.
I turned and walked away before I punched him in the face.
Back in my office, I grabbed the divorce papers and stared at the signature line.
I wasn't signing them. Not now. Not ever.
Sloane wanted a divorce? She'd have to fight me for it. I'd make this as difficult as possible. I'd contest everything. Drag her through court. Make her beg me to settle.
And Kieran? He was about to learn what happened when he messed with me.
I picked up my phone and called my lawyer.
"I need you to fight this divorce," I said when he answered. "I don't care what it costs. I want her to suffer."
"What grounds are we contesting on?"
"I don't know. Figure it out. Just make sure this drags on for months. Years if possible."
"Understood."
I hung up and leaned back in my chair, a smile spreading across my face.
Sloane thought she could humiliate me? Embarrass me in front of the entire hospital? Move on with Kieran like I didn't matter?
She was wrong.
I'd make her regret ever walking away from me.
And when I was done, she'd come crawling back, begging for forgiveness.
They all did eventually.
But first, I needed to deal with Kieran. He thought he could just take what was mine? He thought he could play hero and steal my wife?
I'd destroy him. I'd make sure everyone at this hospital knew what kind of man he really was. I'd ruin his career, his reputation, everything.
Sloane was mine. She'd always been mine.
And no one, especially not Kieran Ashford, was going to take her away from me.
I looked down at the divorce papers again and crumpled them in my fist.
This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
Sloane wanted a war? She'd get one.
And I always won.
- Writer
