Dumped By My Wife, Now A Single Father

Chapter 005

Colton's POV

The agreement was finalized before I could fully process what was happening. I sat across from Maita in the same office where I had begged her to save my son, a pen resting between my fingers as I stared at the pages in front of me. 

Every clause seemed strangely distant, as though I were reading about someone else's life. 

Marriage for one year. Separate personal lives. No interference with her business. In return, Felix's treatment would be covered. I signed where she pointed, my signature appearing beneath hers.

When I placed the pen down, Maita collected the documents and checked the final page carefully. “It's done.” Her voice was as matter-of-fact as it had been throughout the entire arrangement. 

I nodded slowly, but my eyes remained on the papers. Done. Just like that, I was no longer simply Colton Ross, the farmer who had spent the day running through the city with his sick son on his back. I had become part of an agreement I never imagined signing.

The lawyer sitting beside Maita cleared his throat before handing another document to her. “There is one final matter regarding your legal name.” 

I looked up, confused. 

Maita glanced at the paper before turning it toward me. “For the purpose of the marriage and the records attached to my family, your name will be registered as Sterling Colton.” I stared at the unfamiliar words.

“Sterling Colton,” the lawyer said aloud, confirming it as if hearing it out loud would make it better.

I repeated it silently in my head. It didn't sound like me. Colton was the name I had carried all my life, but Sterling sounded like someone who belonged to a world I had never entered. I didn't ask questions. I was too tired to care about a name when my son was still lying unconscious in a hospital bed.

Maita rose from her chair and gathered her belongings. “You should come with me.” 

I looked at her. “Where?” 

She gave me a brief glance. “Home.” 

The word made me pause. Home. I almost forgot that I no longer had one. The small house my grandmother had left me was now filled with memories I didn't want to revisit, and the woman I had once called my wife had walked away from it without looking back.

The drive to Maita's estate was quiet. I sat beside her, watching the scenery pass through the window without really seeing it. 

The clothes on my body still felt uncomfortable, and the bruises along my ribs reminded me of the beating I took every time the car went over a bump. I didn't ask where we were going. I simply followed because I had nowhere else to go and because my mind remained fixed on Felix.

When the gates opened, I lifted my eyes briefly. The estate was enormous, but instead of feeling impressed, I felt like I had accidentally entered somewhere I wasn't supposed to be. 

Everything was too orderly, too clean, too distant from the life I knew. I lowered my gaze again. None of it belonged to me. I was only here because of a contract.

The car stopped in front of the main entrance, and several staff members stood waiting. I stepped out slowly, adjusting my shirt before following Maita toward the entrance. 

My shoes felt awkward against the polished floor, and I became painfully aware of the dirt still clinging to them. I tried not to look around too much.

As we entered, one of the older staff members looked me over from head to toe. Her expression changed almost immediately. Her eyes lingered on my worn clothes, then moved toward Maita with obvious disbelief, before lowering her voice. “He doesn't look like someone who belongs here.” 

I felt her eyes return to my clothes. Under different circumstances, her words might have embarrassed me, but I was too exhausted to react. My attention remained fixed on the floor.

Maita's expression stayed unchanged. “Is that why you choose to ignore your work?.” Her tone was calm, almost cold. “How dare you talk to my husband in that manner?!.” 

The staff member's face tightened. 

Maita continued without raising her voice. “That means you will treat him with the same respect you would give me. Trust me, running your mouth around won't do you any good ”

The woman immediately lowered her head. “Yes, Madam.” 

I expected to feel something when I heard those words. Perhaps satisfaction. Perhaps relief. Instead, I felt nothing. I had spent too much of the day fighting to keep my son alive to care whether someone respected me because of a woman's name.

Maita walked away, and I followed her silently. The hallway seemed to stretch endlessly, with rooms opening into rooms I didn't understand the purpose of. 

Everything around me looked expensive, but none of it made me want anything. My mind kept returning to the hospital, to the sound of machines beside Felix's bed and the pale face I had seen before leaving.

“This will be your room,” Maita said as she opened the door. I stopped at the entrance. The room was larger than the entire living area of my old house, but I didn't step inside immediately. The bed was neatly made, the furniture untouched, and everything looked as though no one had ever truly lived there.

I finally entered and placed the small bag I carried beside the bed. That was all I owned with me. A few clothes. Nothing else. I looked around the room and felt strangely uncomfortable. A man who had spent years worrying about whether he could afford food suddenly had a room where everything looked too valuable to touch.

Maita stood near the door. “Someone will bring you clothes tomorrow.” 

I nodded. “Thank you.” 

She gave a small nod in response. 

There was no warmth between us, and neither of us pretended otherwise. We had entered this marriage for completely different reasons, and for now, the agreement was the only thing connecting us.

When she left, the door closed softly behind her. I remained standing for a while, listening to her footsteps disappear down the hallway. The silence that followed felt heavier than the noise of the hospital. I sat on the edge of the bed and lowered my head into my hands.

Only then did the day begin to settle over me.

I remembered Lisa's voice. Felix tied inside the wardrobe. The beating. The empty savings box. Running through the streets. Begging for help. Maita's proposal. The marriage agreement. My new name. Everything came back at once, but I didn't have enough strength left to cry. I simply sat there, elbows resting against my knees, staring at the floor until my eyes began to burn.

My phone was still in my pocket. I pulled it out with trembling fingers and stared at the screen before finally calling the hospital. It rang twice before someone answered. 

“Hello, I'm calling about Felix Ross.” 

My voice was quieter than I expected. “Can you tell me how he is?”

There was a brief pause as the nurse checked his records. 

My fingers tightened around the phone.

 “He's still unconscious,” she said, “but his condition is stable for now. The treatment has started, and the doctors are monitoring him closely.” 

I closed my eyes and released a breath I didn't realize I had been holding.

“Can I see him?” I asked. 

“You can come back tomorrow morning. For tonight, he needs rest, and the doctors are keeping a close watch on him.” 

I nodded even though she couldn't see me. “Okay. Thank you.” The call ended, and I lowered the phone slowly.

I looked around the unfamiliar room again. The expensive furniture, the enormous bed, the quiet hallway beyond the door- none of it mattered. I had a new name, a new home, and a new wife, but none of those things could replace what I wanted most. I wanted to sit beside my son and hold his hand until he opened his eyes.

I lay back carefully, my bruised ribs protesting the movement. My eyes remained fixed on the unfamiliar ceiling as exhaustion finally pulled me under. 

Tomorrow, I will return to Felix. 

Whatever this new life meant, whatever being Sterling Colton was supposed to mean, I didn't care yet. 

My son was still unconscious, but he was alive, and for tonight, that was enough.