A Divorce He Regrets

Chapter 17:

“What I went through,” she said quietly. “You took my son from me. You made it your very aim for me to lose him, yet you speak of me leaving him? I don’t expect anything better from you, Alexander.”

With that, she turned, her heels clicking as she walked away. Then she paused at the door, her fingers gripping the handle, before turning back to face me. There was a look in her eyes I hadn’t seen in years—fierce, unyielding, the defiance simmering just beneath the surface. I hated that after all this time, she could still look at me like that, like I was the one who’d broken every promise.

But before I could say anything, she took a step forward, her voice low but steady.

“If you want me to save Liam,” she said, the words slow and deliberate, “you’ll have to give me what I’ve always deserved. Custody. Full access to him. I want my rights restored, Alexander. And I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you have no choice but to agree.”

My jaw clenched, the air thick with her ultimatum. She was challenging me—for the second time, demanding what I had taken away, and the fierceness in her tone left no room for negotiation. She met my glare, unflinching.

“Those are my terms,” she finished, her gaze unwavering. “Either you let me be his mother again… or you lose him.”

Then, without waiting for my response, she turned and walked out, leaving me standing in the silence, drowning in the certainty of what she had just made clear.

RAINA

As I stepped out of Alexander’s office, my mind was screaming at me to turn back, to save Liam before it was too late. Every fiber of my being was begging me to jump right into it, to hold my son and do whatever it took to stop the illness from consuming him further. But I couldn’t. Not yet.

Just a few more days, I told myself, clenching my fists as I walked down the hallway. Just a few more days to push Alexander to agree to my terms. If I went in now, desperate, without securing my rights as his mother, nothing would stop Alexander from pulling him away from me again. And I couldn’t risk that—couldn’t save him only to lose him all over again.

The thought burned like fire. This wait, this gamble I was taking, it tore me apart. Every hour I delayed felt like I was failing him. But if I held out just a little longer, maybe, just maybe, I could finally make sure that once I saved my son, he’d be mine forever.

I immediately found my way to the hospital. I needed to see him again, my heart beating with dread and urgency. I barely noticed the hallways as I walked toward Liam’s room, each step feeling heavier, like I was dragging a weight I couldn’t see. The doctor in charge of Liam’s case met me just outside his door. His face was kind but stern, and as I held back tears, I forced myself to ask the question I’d been dreading.

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“How long does he have?” My voice trembled, barely above a whisper.

The doctor’s expression softened, but the words came out like blades. “Not long. The disease is advancing quickly. He needs the transplant soon, or…” He trailed off, but he didn’t need to finish. I felt the blow land, cutting deep.

I nodded, swallowing the ache in my throat. “I’m his mother,” I whispered, though I realized he didn’t know who I was. “I’ll do it—I’ll give him the transplant. But…” I glanced down the hall, wary of anyone overhearing. “I need a few days to put some things in order first. Please, don’t tell Alexander about my visit.”

The doctor looked hesitant, but he gave a curt nod. I thanked him with a small, grateful smile, but it did nothing to ease the weight of the moment.

Stepping into Liam’s room, I was met with the sound of the machines humming softly, their lights blinking in rhythmic cadence. My breath caught at the sight of him—my beautiful little boy, lying so still, so fragile, and hooked to all these devices.

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