Divorced: The Hidden King Rises

Ch.9 - Withdrawal Symptoms

A week passed.

Ryan stood by the window of his VIP suite, rolling his shoulder. He could feel the change in the muscle fibers. The wounds had nearly healed; his strength had returned.

St. Mary's top-floor suite lived up to its reputation. With the city's best medical resources at his disposal, his recovery was moving faster than he had ever anticipated.

His life over the past week had been clinical. Rigorous.

Early morning rehab, followed by hours buried in financial texts and global market news. The knowledge he had suppressed for years was waking up. Candlestick charts. Financial statements. Market analytics. He hadn't forgotten a thing.

He had just kept it all in a box. Locked away.

Ryan flipped a page of Market Wizards. A faint smirk touched his lips.

Once he walked out of here, he was starting his own firm. With his talent, carving a path through the financial world wouldn't be a challenge. It would be a slaughter.

He had sacrificed everything for Elise. He had played the role of the humble firefighter just for her. He had thought that as long as they were together, nothing else mattered.

God, I was a pathetic fool.

He shook the thought away. His new life began the second he stepped out of this room.

.....

Across the city, things weren't going nearly as well.

Nexora Headquarters. CEO's Office.

It was twilight. The curtains were half-drawn, plunging the room into murky, gray shadow.

Elise was curled up on the sofa, a thin coat draped over her. Her brows were furrowed tight. She wasn't resting; she was tossing and turning.

A dream.

She was back in her own living room. Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, warm and golden.

The door opened.

Ryan walked in. He was still wearing that tattered firefighter uniform. He smiled as he approached, his eyes as tender as they had been on their wedding day.

"Elise, I'm back."

Her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes welled up instantly.

"Where were you? Do you have any idea how I—"

Before she could finish, Ryan pulled her against his chest. The familiar scent. The warmth.

Elise melted in his arms. Every grievance, every ounce of pride dissolved in that moment. She clung to him, her voice cracking.

"You can't leave again. Don't you dare..."

Ryan patted her back. "Okay. I'm not going anywhere."

Elise smiled. Tears tracked down her face. She had never felt such peace.

Then—

She woke up.

The gray ceiling of her office stared back at her. The low hum of the AC was the only sound in the room. The sofa was hard. Her coat had slipped to the carpet.

No sun. No home. No Ryan.

Nothing.

Elise lay there, paralyzed. It took her a full minute to process reality.

A dream. Just a stupid dream.

The crash back to reality was brutal. Violent. Like falling from a cloud into a bottomless abyss. Her eyes stung again. Not with happiness this time, but with the hollow ache of loss.

"Hah..." She let out a dry, self-deprecating laugh, covering her eyes with her palm.

Pathetic.

The great CEO of Nexora, reduced to chasing a ghost in her sleep.

She sat up slowly, staring at the empty office. She felt like a piece of her soul had been carved out.

A knock at the door.

"Ms. Sinclair?" Her secretary walked in, carrying a fresh coffee. She paused, looking at Elise. Her boss was pale, her eyes shadowed by dark circles. She looked like she was about to shatter.

"Are you... alright?" the secretary asked cautiously.

Elise rubbed her temples, forcing herself to sit upright. To be the CEO again.

"I'm fine. Just exhausted from preparing for the investment gala."

The secretary nodded and left the room.

The moment the door shut, Elise's composure crumbled.

Preparing? That was a lie. The real reason was something she couldn't admit to anyone.

She missed Ryan.

That bastard had the nerve to go ten days without a single word! How did he do it? Even after their worst fights, he was always back within three days, begging for forgiveness.

But now?

Ten days. No calls. No texts.

Is he actually done with me?

The thought made her blood boil with a mixture of rage and fear. These ten days had been hell. She couldn't eat. She couldn't sleep. Her mind was on a loop, replaying him.

She was useless at work. Lost in thought during meetings. She had grown so addicted to his warmth. His scent. His existence.

Without him, she was going through physical withdrawal.

"Ryan, you bastard..." she hissed through gritted teeth. "You prick..."

But even as she cursed him, her vision blurred with tears.

Another knock.

"Elise, it's Justin. I'm here to go over the proposal."

Elise took a deep breath. She wiped her eyes and steadied her voice.

"Come in."

Justin walked in, looking sharp in a tailored suit. He noticed her condition immediately. The tight pencil skirt highlighted every curve. Even exhausted, she possessed a sophisticated, mature allure that made his throat go dry.

A flash of greed crossed Justin's eyes. He masked it with a professional smile.

"Here's the new investment plan. I need to confirm a few details."

Elise nodded and took the file. Justin sat across from her and started his pitch.

But Elise wasn't listening.

Her eyes were on the paper, but she saw Ryan.

What is he doing? Is he really gone? Is there another woman?

"Elise?" Justin called out.

"What?"

Justin frowned. "I was talking about the Q3 budget allocation..."

Elise slammed the file down. She grabbed her phone. She couldn't take it anymore. She had to call him.

Screw who caved first. She just needed to hear his voice.

Justin's brow twitched. "Elise, we're in the middle of something important—"

She looked up. Her eyes were chips of ice.

"Justin, know your place." Her voice was dead cold. "Do you have any idea the kind of hell I'm in right now?"

Justin froze, his face stiffening.

Elise ignored him and hit dial.

Ring—

Ring—

"The subscriber you have dialed is currently powered off..."

Elise froze.

Off?

Ryan never turned his phone off. Never.

Her heart tightened until it hurt. A memory flashed. Ten days ago. A call from the hospital.

"Ryan is injured. He needs a transfusion."

She had called it a cheap trick. She had told them to stop acting.

Her face went deathly pale.

No.

It's not possible.

Ryan... he wouldn't actually be in trouble, would he?

Elise stood up so fast her chair screeched across the floor.

"Elise?" Justin was shocked. "What's wrong?"

She didn't answer. She grabbed her coat and sprinted out of the office.

Files scattered across the floor like fallen leaves. She didn't look back.

The project. The gala. None of it mattered.

Ryan couldn't be hurt. He couldn't.