Chapter 4 of He Faked His Death,She Died Waiting for Him

"Mommy... your nose is bleeding!"

It seemed my time was running out.

I gathered every last ounce of strength to sit up, then waved my daughter into my arms.

I stroked her hair gently and said, "In a little while, Mommy's going to sneak into their house. When I do, I need you to go back and bring the doctor here to find me."

She lifted her head, choking back sobs, and asked me why.

I pulled a few strands of hair from my pocket and pressed them into her small hand.

"Take these to the doctor and have him run a DNA test against yours. If they find my body, make sure the results get to Nathan Henson."

She didn't understand, but she nodded along anyway.

After a few minutes, I pushed her away from me. "Go to the hospital! Find the doctor!"

She let go of my hand reluctantly, then turned and ran out through the mountains.

I forced myself to stand, leaning against the trees along the way as I stumbled into the villa.

On the table, I spotted a phone number scrawled on a piece of paper.

Nathan's.

I pulled out my phone and dialed.

Before I could even speak, his voice came through, laced with confusion.

I clenched my fist instinctively. I was going to give him one last chance.

"Nathan, I'm dying..."

Silence stretched on the other end. When he finally spoke, his tone was dripping with mockery.

"Sarah, I know you've hated me for the past ten years, but don't you think this is a bit much?"

"Everyone told me you were discharged after a couple of days. How could you possibly still be sick after all this time?"

"Your illness cleared up a long time ago, didn't it."

I let out a long, slow breath. He scoffed.

"Sarah, I know the reason you came looking for me is because you never got over us. So how about this—you come live with Ethel and me. The three of us, together."

"Your husband, your daughter—leave them all behind. Just be with me."

"Ethel just said she wouldn't mind."

I nearly laughed from the sheer absurdity. I lowered the phone and hung up without another word.

I braced myself against the wall, my head swimming, my vision blurring.

I was seconds from collapsing.

For ten years, I had been holding on by sheer willpower. All of it for the sake of raising our only child.

But now, none of it seemed to matter anymore.

I knew Nathan had always had feelings for me. Ethel was younger, someone he'd met later. But that was exactly why I'd come. It was the only way to make sure Daisy would have a safe place to live.

I slipped into Nathan's bedroom. On his desk, a framed photo of the two of us still sat there, from the life we used to share.

Now, it only made me sick.

I crawled into the closet and never came back out.

The stale, trapped air made it harder to breathe. Slowly, my knees buckled against the closet door and I slid to the floor. My fingers twisted into one of his shirts, gripping the fabric tight, and then a mouthful of blood surged up my throat.

This time, everything went dark.

Not long after, Nathan came home with Ethel.

Ethel draped her arms around his neck. "Nathan, are you really going to bring her here to live with us?"

He chuckled. "Why so jealous? She's just a woman."

The two of them laughed without a care in the world.

The next second, Daisy burst through the door with the doctor right behind her.

"Where's my mom?"

Nathan's expression hardened the moment he saw Daisy. His brow furrowed into a deep scowl.

"Figures. Someone else's little brat. Not an ounce of manners."

"Is that what your mother taught you? Barging into someone's home without permission?"

The doctor pulled Daisy behind him, still catching his breath.

"Where is Sarah? Her condition is critical. If she doesn't get to a hospital now, she's going to die!"