Rebirth of the Wife in Despair by Tess Munoz

Clack! Clack! The sound of footsteps in the hospital’s corridor broke the silence of the ward. Lying on

the hospital bed, Eileen Swan strained to open her eyes slightly, catching a glimpse of someone

standing before her as the footsteps drew near. Could it be that Eric is here to visit me? Exhausted as

she was, Eileen couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy at the thought of that. However, she quickly

regained her composure and let out a disappointed sigh when she saw that the person was actually

Sarah Swire, the woman whom her husband, Eric Snow, treasured deeply. Ugh… What am I even

thinking? In the six months since Eileen was diagnosed with a brain tumor, her days were filled with

dialysis, chemotherapy sessions, a myriad of medications, and constant IV drips. Even so, it did

nothing to stop her illness from worsening. Adding to her distress, Eric never once visited her. Eileen

forced a wry smile at Sarah and asked in a hoarse voice, “Why are you here?” Sarah flashed her a

smile and placed a basket of fruits on the table. “You seemed disappointed when you saw me. Eric

won’t come, so you can stop dreaming about him showing up.” She then gracefully tucked her hair

behind her ear, retrieved a file from her handbag, and tossed it onto the hospital bed. “Eric wanted me

to bring you this. You have to sign these divorce papers tonight. Snow Group is a huge business, so it’s

only natural that an heir will come to inherit it. Since I’m already pregnant with Eric’s child, you should

give up your position as his wife!” Sarah declared proudly. The slightly raised bump on her tummy was

proof of her statement, indicating her victory in winning Eric over. Oh, the irony… Eileen had

experienced motherhood in the past, but she tragically lost the child, and her body suffered irreversible

damage, rendering her unable to conceive again. Amidst her ongoing battle with illness, Eric

impregnated Sarah. Normally, Eileen might have fought Sarah fiercely, even risking harm to her unborn

child. However, she now lacked the strength and confidence to confront Sarah. “All right. I’ll sign it,”

Eileen said without any hesitation. Her hand, which was connected to the IV drip, trembled as she

picked up the pen and signed her name on the divorce papers. Sarah froze in surprise as she didn’t

think it would be this easy. A look of joy then spread across her face as she carefully put the divorce

papers back into its folder. The shiny diamond ring on Sarah’s slender finger was quite the eyesore for

Eileen, who had devoted herself fully to Eric throughout their eight long years of marriage. She had

loved him so much that she sacrificed everything for him, and yet, he never gave her a diamond ring.

He didn’t even give her the chance to see him one last time before divorcing her. “Does Eric know that

I’m sick?” Eileen asked weakly, her lips pale. Despite coming to terms with her reality, she felt a

lingering resentment for the way Eric had treated her. “Yes, he knows. He said you’re a burden and that

you should just die off,” Sarah replied without hesitation, her harsh tone mirroring Eric’s. With her heart

numb, Eileen no longer had any reason to doubt Sarah’s words. She knew with absolute certainty that

Sarah was simply delivering Eric’s heartless message. Eileen’s father had entrusted Eric with all of

their family’s businesses before his passing, elevating Eric from the once-dependent individual the

Swan family took in. Even after learning about Eileen’s cancer and her limited time left, Eric insisted on

divorcing her to be with his mistress. Heh… He sure is a heartless one… Nevertheless, as Eric was the

only man Eileen had ever loved, she still wanted to see him one last time. “Could you bring me to him

so I can see him one last time?” she pleaded while looking at Sarah. “No need for that. Have you taken

a look in the mirror lately? What’s the use of seeing him when you’re in this wretched state?” Sarah

retorted, looking down on her like a haughty princess. “C-Can I at least call him, then?” “Look at

yourself, Eileen! Do you see how pathetic you are right now? I would never love a man to the point

where I lose all dignity, unlike you!” The contempt in Sarah’s eyes felt like a knife stabbing at Eileen’s

heart. How did I end up in such a pathetic state that a woman like Sarah, who comes from an ordinary

family, could insult me to this extent? Ignoring Eileen, Sarah stormed out of the ward in her high heels.

The door slammed shut, plunging the ward into complete silence once again. Eileen, fading in and out

of consciousness from the pain, lay weakly on the hospital bed. She felt as though she was watching

her life ebb away as she stared at the IV fluid slowly dripping from its bag. It was Christmas that day.

The atmosphere in the streets was incredibly lively with heavy snow and festive decorations. Many

people gathered in the hospital corridor to watch the snow and wish each other a merry Christmas.

They got so carried away that no one noticed the beeping from the monitor on Eileen’s bed. Eileen

slowly closed her eyes as her consciousness faded away little by little. She couldn’t shake the feeling

of hatred for having sacrificed so much for Eric, only to end up losing everything in the end. If only I had

a second chance to start over and change my life.