#Chapter 2 Tear Tina’s Story Apart

Mariana

I walked into the hospital room to see Joseph standing protectively beside Tina as he often did. They were paying me no attention when I first walked in; they were whispering to one another, and she was chuckling at something he was saying.

I cleared my throat, making it known to them that I was standing nearby. Joseph jumped at the sound and turned to me. His face remained expressionless as he searched my face. I was trying not to allow his handsome features to distract me from what was important and from what I needed. His dark hair was messily swooped to the side from his fingers. His light brown eyes were the color of milk chocolate, and it always made my heart beat heavy in my chest whenever he looked at me. He was a tall man that towered over me and made me feel so small most of the time.

I wasn’t sure which part of his features attracted me the most.

Tina, on the other hand, was a petite girl, no older than me. She had pixie-style red hair and her fair features were nearly illuminated by the hospital lighting. Her bright green eyes sparkled whenever Joseph was around. She was thin and always wore clothing that hugged her thin figure. She wore a gauge on her legs from where the blood transfusions supposedly took place.

I was never there when they inserted my blood into her, only when they took the blood from me. Tina was always closed off and alone during her treatments; I didn’t question it up until that moment. I thought about the text message of the photo I received earlier in the day, and I knew it had to have come from Tina.

Who else would have such a photo?

Before Joseph could say anything, I took out the divorce papers and waved them in the air.

“Sign the papers, Joseph,” I told him; I was thankful my voice sounded much stronger than it felt.

“You aren’t serious,” he muttered, staring at the papers for a long while.

“I’ve never been more serious about anything,” I told him, keeping my tone steady and my eyes locked on his.

“Is it money that you want? I can give you more money,” Joseph offered, narrowing his eyes at me.

To him, I was just an orphan without a family and without a penny to my name. He knows me as the sad little girl that lost her family at a young age. No living relatives and no inheritance. He found that to be the perfect source to get me to do as he pleased. Joseph often used money to manipulate me; it was his answer to everything. But I didn’t want anything he had to offer.

I flipped a couple of pages into the divorce papers and pointed at the top line that read: Divorce Agreement.

“This states that I want nothing from you and nothing from this marriage. It discloses that in detail if you read further,” I told him.

“I’m so sorry…” I heard a soft voice coming from the hospital bed, we both turned to see Tina staring up at Joseph with misty eyes. “This is all my fault, Joseph. I didn’t expect Ann to care so much about simple blood transfusions.”

“This has nothing to do with you,” Joseph told her softly, reaching for her hand and squeezing it gently. Her freckled nose grew red as she blushed under him.

She held onto his hand, and she bit her lower lip lightly. Tears dripped from her eyes with delicate makeup smearing under her features.

“No,” she whispered, peering over at me. “It is my fault. She blames me for disturbing your life. Anna doesn’t wish to give me any more of her blood and I can’t blame her for that. I don’t want her to give me any of her blood either. As long as you both can be happy. Even if I die, I will bless you from heaven…”

I audibly scoffed and rolled my eyes. it was an act; I knew her act way too well and I wasn’t going to fall for it. Not this time. I spent the last 3 years staying silent and suffering without anyone knowing. Tina made it obvious in private, on multiple occasions, how she truly felt for me. She couldn’t stand me, and it was obvious it was because she was also in love with Joseph.

I wasn’t going to allow her to manipulate me again; I wasn’t going to allow either of them to have the upper hand over my decision.

“Oh please,” I muttered, with a bit of sarcasm. “You can stop the act. I’m not going to be a pawn in your little game anymore, Tina.”

Tina looked taken aback, but darkness flashed over her eyes.

I ignored her death stares and looked back at Joseph who was staring at me with dismay written all over his face.

“Sign the papers, Joseph,” I ordered again.

He straightened his stance; I knew he wasn’t going to deny my request because he was too strong and arrogant.

He grabbed the papers and signed them with an expressionless face before handing them back to me.

I heard Tina sighing from her bed as she stared between me and Joseph.

“So… your marriage is done?” She asked, breaking through the silence that lay thickly between us. Her tone sounded sad, but her eyes flashed something mischievous. As she glanced at me a small smile played on her lips.

I stared up at Joseph who was also staring at me, his expression was still blank. I had given everything I had for him and more. I would have given him so much more, but he couldn’t even give me the time of day. I lost everything in this marriage.

I bit my lip to keep from bursting into tears; this wasn’t how I wanted things to happen. I wanted him to love me as I loved him. But he didn’t and never would. Alice suffered at their hands, and I was worried I would never get to feel her and hear her voice again.

My emotions have been bottled up for so long, that I worried I would break down right then and there. I kept my eyes locked on Tina’s. Her gaze gave me a chill down my spine, and I felt a slight fury rise through me. She knew exactly what she was doing; I knew of her games, and I blindly went along with them. Hoping and waiting for Joseph to see me as more than a blood bank.

This was a game she played to get close to him.

I stepped toward her, staring at the gauge on her leg with intensity. She frowned; she almost looked nervous. I knew, at that moment, that I had the upper hand in the situation. Without warning, I grabbed the edge of her gauge and pulled it off her leg.

She flinched as the bandage ripped off her leg, but I stared at her unwounded leg with a smirk on my face.

“Thought you were dying?” I muttered, throwing the gauge onto her bed.

Joseph stared at her leg as well; I could tell he was shocked by what he was seeing. Or what he wasn’t seeing.

She looked panicked as she grabbed the gauge and tried to cover her leg back up, frantically.

“I can explain,” she said, her voice quavering. Joseph was speechless; I folded my arms across my chest and stared down at her, waiting for her explanation. “My skin heals fast; it’s because of Ann’s blood that it was able to heal so fast. It’s still in such pain though that they kept the gauge on me…”

I nearly laughed on the spot; it was such a ridiculous excuse. I couldn’t tell if Joseph was actually buying it. He looked at her and I saw a flash of hurt in his eyes; he never looked at me with such emotions on his face. My heart tugged at the imagery as I thought back to the picture that was sent to me.

He clearly feels deeply for her, which is more than he’s ever felt for me.

“I don’t understand…” Joseph said softly, meeting Tina’s eyes. “Are you telling me the truth?”

“I would never lie to you. That’s not who my brother taught me to be,” she cried to him, grabbing onto his arm tightly. “My brother was an honest, noble, and genuine man, and he taught me to be just as honest and genuine. You above anybody would know what honest heroin he was.”

Joseph’s eyes softened and stared down to his feet; hearing the mention of Tina’s brother always does something to him. It weakened him and made him mourn the loss; Joseph owed Tina’s brother his life and he felt he owed Tina in return.

He sighed, defeated he took her hands into his. He wiped a tear from her face with the back of his thumb and she leaned into his touch.

“It’s okay,” he whispered to her. “It’ll be okay.”

I could hear my heart-shattering in my chest as he comforted her. Another thing he has never done for me in the 3 years of our marriage. He never cared if I cried or if I was upset. He cared nothing for me, and it was obvious.

I took out my phone and flipped to the picture of him and Tina on my camera roll. I showed him the screen of my phone, keeping my face expressionless. He stared at the picture for a long while, speechless, before meeting my eyes.

“I’ll be leaving the pack as soon as possible,” I announced to him, trying to keep my composure; however, my voice cracked slightly.

He said nothing to me, and I said nothing more after that.

I stumbled back towards the door; I couldn’t stay there any longer. I knew it was only a matter of time before I burst into tears, and I refused to do that in front of them. I got what I needed and now it was time for me to go.

I turned from them, shielding my face from their viewing, and shuffled towards the door. I waited until I was safely in the halls of the hospital before I allowed the tears to soak my features. I sobbed lightly into my hands and my body trembled uncontrollably.

“Daddy…” I mindlinked my father and my two of my older brothers.

I haven’t spoken to them in the 3 years I’ve been married. My eldest brother, Joff, has been away with the grammar warriors for the last few years and I knew he wouldn’t be home with the family.

“Mariana? What’s wrong?” My father asked, his voice was soft and yet was so superior in my mind.

“Been awhile baby sis,” I heard my second oldest brother, Peter’s, voice coming through the mindlink.

“What’s going on?” My youngest older brother, David, said suspiciously and yet worry tracing his tone.

More tears flooded down my face and I bit my lip hard to keep from sobbing at the comforting sounds of their voices.

“I’m divorced,” I told them solemnly.

There was a short pause as they processed what she had just told them.

“Return home to the palace,” my father ordered.