“You take a taxi back first. I didn’t drive very far. I’ll reschedule with the designer.”
Jeremy's long, slender fingers tapped rhythmically on the steering wheel. It was his physical sign that his patience was about to run out.
“No need.”
Then I forced my broken body to open the door and get out of the car.
The moment I slammed the door shut, Jeremy’s car shot forward like a bullet, racing against the clock.
The truth staring me in the face was too obvious and I could not deny it any longer. In Jeremy's heart, Lucy, his stepsister, was more important than me, his partner, who had been with him for eight years.
As I was staring at the blood seeping through my clothes, I fought to stay conscious to flag down a taxi and instruct the driver to take me to the hospital.
Seeing the blood on me, the driver stepped on the accelerator and drove as fast as he could, afraid something might happen to me.
When I got out, he insisted on supporting me, escorting me into the nurse's care before leaving.
It felt like ages since I had experienced such concern and care. My eyes involuntarily reddened. At my most vulnerable moment, even a stranger showed me more warmth than Jeremy, my own husband.
When the nurse changed my bandages and saw the wound, she instinctively gasped. “You haven't healed when you left the hospital. When your husband insisted on bringing you home, I thought someone would take care of you. How did it get this bad?”
I gave her a weak, forced smile. “I didn’t walk steadily and hit the edge of a table.”
After that, the nurse started chatting with another nurse who had just come in and they were talking about someone who was at Staten Bridge and threatening to jump into the river.
"Exactly! A young girl, quite pretty too, why would she be so desperate?"
"A girl at her age jumping over a river like that? It's probably just a matter of love. Maybe she's trying to force her boyfriend to show up!”
I looked out the window. The sun was shining brightly and the occasional crisp chirp of birds filled the air.
On such a beautiful day, in the prime of her life, how could someone be so foolish?
“Hey, sir! This is a private room. You can't just barge in like that!”
I heard the nurse beside me raise her voice in protest. Instinctively, I turned my head toward the doorway.
It was Jeremy.
His face was filled with anxiety. Jeremy, who always cared about appearances, now had his suit and tie loosened and even the top button of his shirt was undone.
Ignoring the nurse's protests, he rushed toward me and grabbed my arm so tightly that it made me wince.
“Come with me!”
Just as I was about to pull my arm free, the nurse strode over in long steps, pushed Jeremy away and pointed at him angrily.
“Now I remember—you're her husband, right? You never took proper care of her before and now her wound has reopened. Not only did you fail to look after her, but you're making a scene here. What kind of irresponsible husband are you?”
Clearly, Jeremy was ignoring the nurse's words. He kept staring at me with bloodshot eyes.
“Anne, just come with me this once. After this, I won’t trouble you again. I’ll let you recover properly.”
How ridiculous! Do I need his permission to recover in peace?
Seeing the indifferent look on my face, he immediately grew even more dissatisfied and snapped irritably, "Anne, this is a matter of life and death! How can you be so cold-hearted? Lucy is so distraught over your refusal to forgive her that she's threatening to jump into the river. You must come with me and tell her personally that you've forgiven her!”
Before hearing those two words, I could have let him rant and rave on and on. But now...
I grabbed the pillow behind me and hurled it at him with all my strength.
“Get lost! Let her live or die!”
Jeremy clenched the pillow I’d thrown at him, his knuckles white as he gritted his teeth and said, "Anne, why didn't I see it earlier that you're such a vicious woman? No matter how much you dislike Lucy, she’s about to lose her life. And you can still say something so malicious?”
“You clearly weren’t like this before.”
“This is my fault. I spoiled you too much. That’s why you’ve become so unreasonable and tyrannical now, unable to tolerate even Lucy, your own sister.”
