I nodded without answering.
I wasn't thinking about my scars.
I was thinking about paperwork.
Because while Julian believed he'd destroyed me physically...
He had forgotten the one habit he'd mocked for years.
I documented everything.
Less than an hour later, Julian walked into my hospital room carrying a bouquet of white lilies.
The flowers made me sick.
He placed them beside the bed and immediately noticed the police officer standing near the doorway.
His face transformed instantly.
He looked devastated.
He even forced tears into his eyes.
"Officer," he said quietly, "my wife has been under so much stress lately."
The officer looked sympathetic.
Julian continued.
"She insisted on cooking dinner even though she was exhausted."
"I begged her to let me help."
His voice cracked perfectly.
"It all happened so fast."
"My mother tried to stop her."
"The pan slipped."
"It was a horrible accident."
If I hadn't known him...
I might have believed him too.
The officer turned toward me.
"Mrs. Bennett?"
"Is that what happened?"
Julian squeezed my hand before I could answer.
His grip tightened just enough to hurt.
His smile never disappeared.
"Tell them the truth, sweetheart."
"The accident wasn't anyone's fault."
I slowly looked into his eyes.
Then...
I said nothing.
Not yet.
After the officer left, Julian released my hand immediately.
The tears vanished.
"So," he sighed, pulling a chair beside my bed, "let's stop pretending."
He removed a thick envelope from his briefcase.
Divorce papers.
"I had my attorney work overnight."
He placed a pen beside them.
"Sign these."
I stared at him.
"You poured boiling oil on me."
"No."
"My mother did."
He smiled.
"And unless you can prove otherwise..."
"...it's your word against ours."
He leaned closer.
"I'll even be generous."
"If you transfer the commercial properties into my company before the divorce is finalized..."