I Divorced the President’s Secret Heiress (Kael’s POV)

Chapter 17

KAEL’S POV

The rhythmic sound penetrated the darkness first. Then came awareness of light pressing against my eyelids, insistent and harsh.

My body felt impossibly heavy, as though weighted with stones. I struggled to open my eyes, squinting against the fluorescent glare above me.

"Kael?" A familiar voice, tinged with disbelief. "You're awake?"

I turned my head slowly, wincing at the stiffness in my neck. Kaela sat beside me, her face drawn with exhaustion, tears welling in her eyes. My sister looked like she'd aged years since I'd last seen her.

"Where... am I?" The words scraped against my dry throat, barely audible.

"You're in the hospital," she said gently, reaching for my hand. "You've been in a coma for weeks."

A coma? The word floated in my mind, disconnected from meaning. I frowned, trying to piece together how I'd ended up here, but my memories were fragmented, scattered like shards of broken glass.

"It's okay," Kaela assured me, squeezing my fingers. "You're safe now. That's what matters."

I scanned the sterile hospital room, the IV dripping steadily into my arm, the monitors tracking my vital signs. Then, suddenly, a name surfaced from the depths of my mind, urgent and insistent.

"Zorina," I whispered, the name feeling right on my tongue. "Where is Zorina? My wife?"

Kaela's expression froze. "What?"

"Zorina," I repeated, more urgently now as anxiety began to build in my chest. "Where is she? Why isn't she here?"

My sister's face fell, her eyes darting away as though searching for an escape. "Kael," she began carefully, "what do you remember?"

I closed my eyes, concentrating on the swirling fog of my memories. Slowly, an image crystallized—a grand hall decorated with white lilies and silver ribbons, soft music playing as a woman in a delicate lace veil stood beside me. Her small hand trembled in mine as we exchanged vows.

"Our wedding," I said softly, opening my eyes. "I remember our wedding. She was beautiful... so nervous." I looked at Kaela pleadingly. "Where is she?"

Kaela bit her lip, hesitation written across her features. "Kael," she said gently, "you've been in a coma for a long time. A lot has changed since then."

Her evasiveness only increased my agitation. "What are you talking about? Where is Zorina? Why isn't she here with me?"

"She... she's not here," Kaela finally admitted.

"Why not?" I demanded, my voice rising despite the pain it caused my throat.

Kaela's eyes filled with fresh tears. "You don't understand. Things didn't go the way you think. You’re no longer with her."

I stared at her in disbelief. "What do you mean? She's my wife."

"Yes, but your marriage wasn't what you remember," Kaela explained gently. "You didn't love her, Kael. You barely spoke to her."

I shook my head, rejecting her words even as fragments of other memories began to surface, moments of cold silence across the dinner table, walking past Zorina in the hallway without acknowledgment, her quiet resignation as I dismissed her concerns.

"That doesn't matter," I insisted stubbornly. "She's my wife. I need to see her."

"Kael, listen to me," Kaela said firmly, leaning forward. "Zorina is no longer the Zorina you know. Her name is Celestina and she's not in your life anymore. She's moved on."

The name "Celestina" struck a chord deep within me, triggering a cascade of disjointed memories.

"Celestina," I repeated slowly, testing the name. "The president's daughter."

Kaela nodded, relief flickering across her face. "Yes. Do you remember now?"

More memories surfaced—standing in a grand foyer, begging for a chance to explain, the bitterness in her voice as she rejected my apologies. "She hates me," I whispered, the realization bringing unexpected pain.

"It's complicated," Kaela said softly. "After everything that happened with the Hestrels, with Liora..."

Liora. The name triggered a flash of anger and betrayal. Images flooded back—overhearing a damning conversation about a failed assassination attempt, sneaking photographs of incriminating documents, sending evidence to Celestina's private address.

"The assassination attempt," I said, my voice stronger now as the pieces began falling into place. "Liora's family was behind it. I found proof. I sent it to Celestina."

Kaela nodded encouragingly. "Yes, you did. And it saved her life when they tried again."

I struggled to sit up, ignoring the protest of my weakened muscles. "What happened to me? Why am I here?"

Kaela's expression darkened. "After you sent those documents to Celestina, someone found out. We don't know who, but..." She trailed off, her eyes filling with tears again. "Your car was run off the road on your way home from the Hestrels' mansion. The authorities ruled it an accident, but..."

But it wasn't an accident. The unspoken truth hung between us.

I leaned back against the pillows, overwhelmed by the flood of returning memories, my cold dismissal of Zorina years ago, discovering her true identity as Celestina, the confrontation with Liora, finding the evidence, my desperate attempts to warn Celestina.

"She's safe now?" I asked quietly.

Kaela nodded. "Yes. The Hestrels have been arrested. Governor Hestrel, Liora, all of them."

Relief washed over me, followed quickly by a deep, aching regret. I had wasted so much time, caused so much pain.

"I need to see her," I said, determination cutting through my weakness. "I need to apologize properly."

Kaela's expression softened with sympathy. "Kael... she's moved on. After the Hestrels were arrested, she went back to her life at the palace. She's where she belongs now."

"I don't care," I insisted. "I need to see her one more time."

"Why?" Kaela asked gently. "Haven't you both been through enough?"

I closed my eyes, sorting through my jumbled emotions. The fog of my coma had briefly allowed me to imagine a different reality—one where I had cherished Zorina from the beginning. The truth was far more painful, but I couldn't hide from it anymore.

"Because I need to make things right," I said finally. "Not for me, but for her. She deserves that much, at least."

Kaela studied my face for a long moment before sighing. "She's attending the Summer Solstice Ball at the palace next week. It's her first public appearance since the assassination attempts."

Hope flickered in my chest. "Then that's where I'll go."

"Kael," Kaela protested, "you can barely sit up. How do you expect to attend a royal ball in a week?"

I met her gaze with determination. "I'll find a way. I have to."

As exhaustion pulled me back toward sleep, my mind filled with images of Celestina—not as the president's daughter in her finery, but as Zorina, the quiet, gentle woman I had once so carelessly dismissed.

I had been given a second chance at life; perhaps I could offer her something in return, not my presence in her life, which she clearly didn't want, but the closure she deserved.

The steady beeping of the monitors followed me into dreams of palace gates and emerald gowns, of second chances and redemption.