Dominance of the Forgotten God of War

2. Disillusioned

While they were still discussing the matter with the doctor, Felicia entered the lobby and joined them.

As soon as she saw Robert’s handsome face, she smiled flirtatiously and greeted him with her honeyed voice.

“I am so glad to see you here. You have no idea how much this means for my family,” she said, holding his warm hands. “I have been running all around the place looking for Alex, but no one seems to know where he is.”

Before the doctor could utter a reply, Mrs. Rashford cut him off to spin her own yarn. “Alex is a real coward. The nurse told me that he got so scared that he ran away from the hospital when she tried to draw his blood a second time.”

“Alex was always a coward and a loser. It sounds like he hasn’t changed a bit,” Robert scoffed.

Frustrated and fuming with rage, Felicia cursed Alex. “My husband has been nothing more than a useless piece of furniture. I wish I could just kick him out of our house and be done with it once and for all! But I still need him to help with Jakob’s treatment.”

“You don’t need him anymore. The doctor said your brother will make a full recovery after a splenectomy. And I have reached out to the most renowned surgeon to get the job done,” Robert replied, gloating in his own sense of pride. “The Miracle Maker will be here to perform the surgery, and Jakob can soon go back to his normal life.”

“That’s right, darling. Robert has arranged for the best doctor on this planet. They say she can work miracles with her keen mind and sharp skills,” Mrs. Rashford joined in. “Very soon, Jakob won’t need plasma transfusions anymore. He can finally return home.”

Hearing this, Felicia smiled with relief and threw her arms around Robert, melting in his warm embrace.

“I am so happy to have you by my side, Robert. You are the only one who understands me,” she mewed, fawning over him like a doe. “Once Jakob recovers, I will kick Alex out of our house, and then you and I can finally be together.”

***

An hour later, Alex finally regained consciousness. As his eyes fluttered open, he gasped for breath and slowly sat up straight on the bed.

“Please don’t try to move yet. Take it slow,” the young female nurse advised, helping Alex to a glass of oral rehydration fluid.

But Alex ignored her and looked around.

“Call my family. I am ready to leave,” he said.

The nurse put the glass down, and her eyes filled with pity as she looked at Alex. “I am sorry, but they have already left. You need to pay the bill.”

Alex stepped into his slippers and staggered out of the room without uttering any replies. Even as the nurse told him to rest a while longer, he turned a deaf ear to her advice and headed out of the C-wing.

After paying the bill at the reception, Alex was about to walk out of the hospital when he ran into Felicia and the others in the hallway.

“Look who finally decided to show up!” Felicia sneered, casting a condescending glance at him. “I let you stay with us and look after your every comfort, yet you can’t even donate a few drops of your blood to save my sick brother. You really are a useless coward!” she rebuked vehemently.

“What are you talking about? I just finished donating—”

“Just stop with your lies!” Felicia cut him off before he could clarify. “You are a worthless husband, Alex! Neither do you have the money, nor the brains to help me out with my business. And now you can’t even fulfill the role of a blood donor for my poor brother!”

“I have always—”

“I don’t want to hear a single word from your lying mouth. If it weren’t for Robert, who knows what would have happened to my dear brother?” Felicia jumped in before Alex could defend himself. “You’ve been nothing but a burden to us all!” she muttered with such hate that Alex felt like he was being stabbed in the heart.

For the last two years, Alex had sacrificed all his freedom just to help Felicia save her brother, and even when he was bedridden, he had never forgotten a single anniversary or birthday.

Alex knew that without his deep connections and internal influence, Felicia’s business would have never taken off, but seeing how adamantly she refused to hear anything, it was clear that she would never believe the truth even if it lay naked before her.

“I have always tried to support you, Felicia. I don’t know how you could even doubt my intentions,” he said, shaking his head dejectedly. “I never expected you to treat me like this. After everything I have done. It’s almost like you don’t even love me anymore.”

Felicia rolled her eyes and scoffed at his ignorance. “Of course I don’t! I only married you because you were the only AB negative with the rare antibody needed to help my brother. In other words, I needed your blood for Jakob’s plasma transfusions because even though I cannot stand your presence, I dote upon my little brother, and I’d give anything to save him.”

As things slowly became clearer to Alex, he realized he had been living a lie for the last two years. 

Back when Alex first met her, Felicia had appeared as the most caring and charitable woman he had ever seen. Her little acts of kindness had impressed Alex so much that he thought she would be the perfect match for him.

But now that Felicia had revealed the truth, Alex understood that his relationship was nothing more than a marriage of convenience. She neither loved nor respected him, and the only reason she pretended to care was to ensure he would continue donating blood to save her sick brother.

“You were always a fool, Alex. How could you even think a penniless pauper like you would be a good match for a girl like Felicia? The Rashford family was kind enough to shelter you and give you a life you could only dream of, but a dog must always remember his place.” 

Robert’s cruel words snapped Alex out of his thoughts, but instead of arguing with him, he addressed Felicia directly.

“I don’t think you realize your mistake. Your family is nothing without me.”

Felicia widened her eyes and she scoffed at him. “We don’t need you anymore. The Miracle Maker will be performing a splenectomy on my brother very soon, and then you will be worthless to us. I deserve someone who can match my status.”

Alex sneered at her words, and his voice turned as calm as a shallow lake. “Do you really think you can convince the Miracle Maker to treat your brother?” He laughed at her foolishness. “He is far beyond your reach, Felicia.”

Felicia chuckled at his words. “You clearly don’t understand the power of the Salasar household. Robert hails from a B-tier family, and their influence is enough to get hold of the best doctors in this city!”

The lobby echoed with Alex’s scornful laugh as he mocked Felicia for her false sense of confidence. “You really live in a world of your own dreams. It’s truly amusing!”

Mrs. Rashford was appalled by Alex’s gall. She couldn’t believe how a penniless loser like him could raise his voice in front of her. 

Felicia lost her temper and snapped at Alex. “I was thinking about letting you stay in the servants' quarters, but you really don’t know your place. You don’t belong in our house anymore. Pack your things and get lost!” she barked like an angry bitch.

“I will have Dr. L flown to this hospital by tomorrow. My family name is enough to summon a hundred surgeons at once!” Robert snapped back at Alex. “You are a disgrace to the Rashford family, Alex. But don’t worry. Things are about to change now,” he added with a wry smile.

Alex just stood there listening to them gloating about their influence, even though he knew Felicia and her family would have never gone far without his connections.

Finally, Felicia took off her silver wedding ring and dropped it on the tiled floor. 

“I want a divorce, Alex. This marriage is over. I’ll send you the papers tomorrow,” she said, spitting venom with her words.

Alex picked up the ring and nodded gently. “I have done enough for you and your family, Felicia. No more. I will wait for the divorce papers.”

With those final words, he walked away without looking back. He had taken more than his share of disrespect and wanted nothing to do with Felicia or her family again.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Rashford went to check on her son, who was ready for his last plasma transfusion. The doctor followed in her footsteps, paging the interns to prepare the room.

Left alone, Felicia turned to Robert again. “Are you sure this Miracle Maker will show up for my brother?”

“You worry too much,” Robert sighed and pulled out his smartphone. Dialing his secretary, he relayed his instructions in a decisive voice.

“Reach out to Dr. L right now. Wire her ten million dollars in advance and brief her about Jakob’s condition. I want her on the first flight out of Nashwich tomorrow. Get it done ASAP!”

Felicia was so impressed by Robert’s display of power that she planted a kiss on his cheek. “You really are the only man who truly loves me. Once the surgery is done, everything will be sorted. And then we can finally have each other,” she added gleefully.

Meanwhile, Alex was about to leave the hospital when he received a call from an unknown number. After a bit of hesitation, he eventually answered.

“Hello? Who is this?”

“I have good news!” The voice at the other end was filled with excitement. “Miracle Maker, we’ve found a way to restore your powers. You don’t need to hide anymore!”