The Healer's Divorce, Fading Away

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I went from a miracle healer to a discarded wife... and it only took three years.

My husband, Luke, still looked at me with the same eyes as before.

But in that gentle gaze, there was now someone else.

Lydia. She was the scholarship student he had been sponsoring.

He said she had a gritty spirit, just like I used to.

My son, Leo, said Lydia was the prettiest and wished she was his mom.

I just smiled and said nothing.

At a gala, a business partner sighed with envy. "Mr. and Mrs. Miller, your relationship is truly something else."

"Most couples hit the seven-year itch, but you two are still like newlyweds after a decade."

Luke laughed and shook his head. "We are just an old couple getting by. We make it work."

His gaze drifted, finally landing on Lydia across the room.

I didn't cause a scene. I just leaned in and whispered in his ear. "There is no need to just make it work. Let's get a divorce."

Luke was speechless for a moment, but he didn't say no.

Overnight, I vanished completely. Every trace of my existence was wiped clean.

Luke collapsed on the floor, losing all feeling in his legs once again.

The Miller Group crumbled, its stock price plummeting into an abyss.

He cried until his eyes were bloodshot, his voice breaking. "Leah, I was wrong. Please come back."

But it was already too late...

Across the negotiation table, the executive finally gave in.

"Mrs. Miller is truly extraordinary. I'm impressed. Luke, you married a hell of a woman."

"Sign here, Luke. Once you do, this billion-dollar contract is yours."

Luke's pen hovered over the signature line.

Suddenly, the doors burst open.

Lydia stumbled in, her clothes a mess. Bright red marks were visible on her neck and collarbone.

"Mr. Miller, help me," she whimpered.

I frowned, about to have security escort her out.

Luke suddenly flipped his chair over.

His pen skidded across the table, ink ruining the key clauses of the contract.

He scooped Lydia up into his arms, moving like a whirlwind.

I blocked the door, my eyes pleading with him.

"Wait until the signing is finished," I said firmly.

Lydia leaned weakly against his chest, clutching his collar with trembling fingers.

"Mr. Miller, I feel so sick" she groaned.

The veins on Luke's forehead bulged. His eyes were dark and full of rage.

"Leah, can't you see the state she is in? All you care about is your damn profit!"

He slammed his shoulder into me to get past.

I hit the wall hard, a muffled groan escaping my lips from the sharp pain.

Luke paused for a split second, then carried Lydia away without another word.

The deal, of course, was dead.

Laughter from the hallway reached my ears like stabs to the heart.

"The wife was dumped in front of everyone. Mr. Miller is cold-blooded!"

"With a birthmark covering half her face, she doesn't deserve to be his wife anyway. It's disgusting to look at."

"I heard Mr. Miller sleeps at the office every night. Who could look at that face and feel anything? Can't blame the guy."

The mockery came in waves.

Since Luke had abandoned me, I was just a discarded woman in their eyes, someone they didn't need to fear.

I touched the birthmark on my cheek, my mind drifting back.

Ten years ago, I was transported into this world.

Luke was a dark, terrifying villain whose legs were paralyzed.

The System told me to save him.

Through the days of staying by his side, I fell in love with him.

My special gift was being a miracle healer, but there was a heavy price.

I traded my beauty for Luke's legs.

Back then, he held me and kissed my birthmark over and over.

He promised he would never be repulsed by me, no matter what I looked like.

Now, I had become his greatest shame.

He rarely took me to events or let me be seen in public anymore.

I knew he was embarrassed of me.

Sometimes I wondered what life would be like if I hadn't saved him.

But I didn't regret it.

I loved him once, truly and deeply.

Seeing him stand up and become a success made me happier than anything else.

Now that things had turned out like this, I realized love is just the one thing that can't survive time.

I called out to the System in my mind.

"I want to leave this world."

"Understood. Initiating the exit sequence. You will leave in seven days."

On my birthday, Luke actually came home early.

He took my hand, his smile appearing warm and gentle. "Leah, it's your birthday tomorrow. I'm taking you and Leo to the amusement park."

I nodded, my heart feeling nothing at all.

When I walked to the car that afternoon, Lydia was already sitting in the front passenger seat.

I froze outside the car door.

"Lydia came along to celebrate with you. The more the merrier," Luke explained, but his eyes were shifty.

When we reached the preschool, Leo's eyes lit up the moment he saw Lydia. He ran toward her like a little rocket. "Lydia!"

He pulled out a little red paper flower and proudly pressed it into her hand. "I was the only one who got this today. I'm giving it to my favorite person."

He clung to her side, his smile brighter than I had seen in weeks.

I got out of the car in silence.

When Leo saw me, his smile vanished. He dragged his feet over, his face cold and stoic, looking just like a mini version of Luke. "Mom, why are you here?"

The disgust in his eyes turned into a blush of embarrassment as the other kids stared at my birthmark.

My heart felt a sharp prick of pain.

"Get in the car," I said quietly.

Inside the car, Lydia pretended to give the flower back to Leo. "Leo, be good. Your mom worked hard to pick you up. You should give the flower to her."

She held him close, whispering softly. "Give it to me tomorrow instead. Give it to your mom today, okay?"

Then she looked at me with a playful, innocent expression. "Leah, don't be mad. Leo just loves me too much."

She was marking her territory, showing me how close she was to my son.

Even a gift for a mother had to be granted by her.

Leo held the flower tight, his voice thick with tears.

"But I made this specifically for Lydia!"

Luke suddenly snapped. "Leah, do you have to make everyone miserable? It's just a flower. Let the kid give it to whoever he wants."

I suddenly found the whole thing exhausted.

I let out a dry laugh and looked at my son. "Your dad is right. It's your flower. You decide."

Leo immediately cheered up and shoved the flower back into Lydia's hands.

The car sped down the road.

Suddenly, an out-of-control semi-truck swerved into our lane, heading straight for us.

"Watch out!"

Luke roared, slamming the steering wheel to the side.

We barely missed the truck, but the momentum sent the car spinning toward a thick concrete barrier.

The impact happened in a heartbeat.

"Bang!"

The world spun as a massive force threw me forward.

My forehead slammed against the cold, hard window.

A thick, warm liquid blurred the vision in my left eye, and the smell of blood filled the air.

The last thing I saw before blacking out stayed burned in my mind.

Luke had unbuckled his seatbelt instantly. He threw himself across the seat to shield Lydia with his own body.

And my son, despite his small size, showed incredible strength.

He lunged toward Lydia, grabbing her legs and using his tiny body to protect her from the impact.

One was my husband. The other was my son.

And I, like a piece of forgotten trash, took the full force of the crash alone.

Shattered glass cut into my skin. Warm blood mixed with cold despair as it reached my lips.

In that moment, my heart was crushed into dust.

I had nothing left to stay for.

The smell of bleach in the hospital was nauseating.

Luke touched the bandage on my forehead. "When that truck hit, she was the closest person to me."

His voice sounded strained. "I panicked and my body just acted on instinct to protect her."

I just stared at him blankly.

But I remembered a time before.

I had been kidnapped and thrown into the ocean.

Luke had jumped in from thirty feet away, reaching me in seconds to hold me tight. He had broken every human limit for me then.

Now, he was talking about uncontrollable instincts.

Was he unable to control himself, or did he just stop loving me?

I didn't want to fight about it anymore. I just closed my eyes. "Okay."

He suddenly grabbed my wrist hard. "Leah, I apologized! What more do you want from me?"

I pulled my hand away. "Do you want me to scream? Do you want me to ask why you didn't save me?"

"Luke, it's been ten years."

"The way you look at Lydia isn't innocent at all."

Luke's face paled as I stared him down. A flash of panic crossed his features.

"I would never betray you," he stammered.

Right. He wouldn't betray me, but he never said he hadn't fallen for her.

I closed my eyes to hide the exhaustion.

The hospital door pushed open.

Lydia limped into the room, her eyes red from crying.

"Leah, please don't be mad. This is all my fault," she sobbed.

She suddenly dropped to her knees by my bed.

"Leah, I know you hate me. I've been having nightmares lately because of it."

"It's all my fault. I'll keep making up for it until you can forgive me."

Luke looked concerned. "Nightmares? Since when?"

"Every night. It must be God punishing me for coming between you two."

Luke's brow furrowed. He looked at me. "Leah, you still have that lucky charm I got for you, right?"

"Let Lydia borrow it for a while."

That charm was something Luke had spent a day and night praying for on his knees after I took a bullet for him years ago.

It was the most important thing I owned.

And now, he wanted me to just give it away to her.

My heart felt like it was being squeezed by a giant, icy hand.

I took a breath, ripped the red string from my neck, and threw it at his face. "Get out."

After they left, the door opened again.

Luke's mother walked in, her expression complicated.

Years ago, after I saved Luke, she treated me like a queen. She said I was the savior of their family.

But now, all that gratitude had been erased by time.

She walked over to my bedside.

"Luke has been living in your shadow for ten years, Leah."

"The whole city laughs at him, saying he only succeeded because of a woman. Please, just let him go."

"He doesn't love you anymore. Just set him free."

She grabbed my hand, her eyes full of pleading.

"Just leave."

I closed my eyes, a single tear falling onto my palm.

"Fine," I whispered.

Satisfied, his mother left.

I dragged my weak body toward the bathroom and heard familiar voices nearby.

Lydia was hugging Luke's waist, confessing her feelings. "Luke, you are the light of my life. Just seeing you makes me happy."

"You love me too, don't you?"

Luke froze. Struggle flashed in his eyes, but he eventually pushed her hands away.

"No. Leah will always be Mrs. Miller. She is the only one I am allowed to love."

He left Lydia there, crying alone.

My heart didn't even flicker.

I knew Luke too well.

He was already in love with her.

After that day, Lydia didn't show up again.

Luke stayed by my side constantly.

He came to the hospital every day after work to take care of me.

Our relationship seemed to have gone back to how it was in the beginning.

But I knew the truth. I saw him standing on the balcony, staring blankly toward Lydia's apartment.

On the day I was discharged, Luke gently stroked my hair.

"We missed your birthday party. I'll pick up Leo today, and the three of us will have a nice celebration at home."

%%%

Less than 24 hours until world departure. Please be prepared, Host.

The System's voice startled me. I hadn't realized seven days had passed so quickly.

This dinner would be the last time I saw my husband and son.

I nodded and agreed.

We picked Leo up from preschool.

Luke put on an apron and started cooking in the kitchen while Leo sat in my lap to watch cartoons.

It looked like a perfect, happy family.

Dinner was ready soon.

Just as we sat down, Luke's phone buzzed.

His face went pale the moment he looked at the screen.

It was a photo from Lydia. She was lying in a bathtub, the water stained bright red with blood.

Luke was in the middle of handing me a bowl of rice. The hot rice spilled onto my lap, burning me, but he didn't even notice.

"Luke," I called out softly. He finally snapped out of it.

"I was just thinking about work. Let's eat," he said, his voice trembling.

He put the food down, but Leo couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into tears.

"Daddy, we have to go save Lydia! She's going to die!"

Luke looked at me, waiting for me to say something.

I remained silent.

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Ten minutes later, Luke stood up. "Lydia is in trouble. I have to go check on her."

"Leah..."

"Go," I said simply.

Luke actually looked stunned for a moment.

But the hesitation lasted only a second.

He kissed my forehead quickly. "Wait for me. I'll be right back."

Then he grabbed Leo and ran out the door.

I sat there alone, watching the food on the table grow cold and stiff.

Ten o'clock passed.

Eleven o'clock.

Eleven-thirty.

My phone buzzed. It wasn't a text from Luke. It was from Lydia.

She sent a photo of Luke holding her hand by the hospital bed.

Looking at that picture, my numb heart felt one final, sharp sting.

Luke wasn't coming back.

I stood up.

I went to the kitchen, got a clean set of utensils, and slowly ate every bit of the cold, congealed food on the table.

At exactly midnight, the System's voice rang out.

Departure channel is open. Does the Host confirm departure?

I looked at the front door. It remained closed.

"Confirm," I said.

A circle of light surrounded me. Without a single look back, I stepped into the darkness.

Goodbye, Luke.

Goodbye, Leo.

%%%