I didn’t respond. I just lowered my eyes, tasting the bitterness that burned my throat.
The nurse yanked out the syringe without even bothering to check if I was allergic. She grabbed my arm and jabbed me straight in, ignoring the way I flinched and screamed. I tried to pull back, but she pressed me down harder, stabbing me over and over until my arm was a mess of blood and bruises.
“You deserve to be punished for breathing and for hurting Miss Davenport,” she hissed, spitting on me. “Stop faking. A few pricks won’t kill you. Just lie still after the injection.” And just like that, she turned and left, leaving me trembling and burning, my arm dripping blood.
I tried to grab the gauze from the table, but suddenly my chest felt like someone had dropped a huge rock on it. Every breath was a knife cutting into me. Allergic reaction. My vision blurred, black spots dancing in front of my eyes. The call button felt miles away, and even when I finally managed to press it, no one came.
Then the nurse’s words hit me. Christopher had sent all the doctors to Lillian’s place. Of course. Of course. Nobody cared if I died.
I barely had the strength to reach for my phone, dialing his number with trembling fingers. The tone dragged on, each beep like a hammer in my chest. Finally, someone picked up, and before I could even speak, clicked.
Disconnected. My phone slipped from my hands as my body sagged, and I thought that was it, that I was done. The last thing I saw before the world went black was the stupid words “Call Ended” blinking on the screen.
---
I woke up, throat dry, arm burning, and all I could smell was disinfectant.
Christopher was sitting there, leaning forward, gripping my hand. “Melissa… finally awake. Don’t scare me like that again.”
I tried to speak but only croaked out, “What… happened?”
“You had an allergic reaction,” he said, voice low but sharp. “The nurses… they didn’t know what they were doing. God, they were idiots.”
I tried to move my arm and saw the bloody needle marks. “You… let them do this?” My voice was trembling.
“I wasn’t there, okay? I had a meeting I couldn’t get out of. But I swear, those nurses are fired. Fired, Melissa. You hear me?”
I swallowed hard. “Why… why didn’t anyone answer the call button? I tried—no one came.”
He sighed, frustration flashing in his eyes. “Because I called everyone to Lillian’s place. The doctors. Everyone. I… I didn’t think you’d react like that. Christ, Melissa, why do you always put yourself in danger?”
I bit my lip. “Because no one cares about me! Not like you care about her.”
He flinched. “Care about who? Melissa, I—don’t start. I told you before, you’re the one I—”
I shook my head, cutting him off. “Stop lying, Chris. You left me to almost die while she’s there… smiling. You let her have everything. Do you even care that I’m here bleeding and scared out of my mind?”
His jaw tightened, “I… I care. I care! God, Melissa, don’t act like I’m some bastard who doesn’t give a shit. I fired them. I’ll make sure nothing like this happens again. You’re my wife. You’re supposed to be my wife, and I—”
“Supposed to be? You’re supposed to be! But where were you? Huh? You were nowhere when I needed you. And now you just sit there, giving me a soft fucking speech and a pat on the head like I’m a kid?”
He swallowed, looking guilty, hands tightening on mine. “Melissa… I know I fucked up. Okay? But I’m here now. That’s what matters.”
I laughed bitterly, tears stinging my eyes. “Here now? You think sitting here holding my hand makes up for letting me nearly die? You think it makes up for all the nights you spent with her instead of me? You think it makes up for the lies, Chris?”
He shook his head. “No… no, I can’t fix everything in one night. But I’ll do my best. I swear, you’ll never go through this again.”
I swallowed, “Do you even know how it feels to be invisible? To be the one everyone ignores while she gets the world?”
“Melissa… I don’t want you to feel that way. You’re mine. You’re always been mine. I—”
“Stop,” I said, jerking my hand away slightly. “Don’t you dare pull that line with me. I don’t want your promises anymore. I’m done pretending your words mean something. You’re the same bastard you always were.”
He froze, then looked away, voice softer. “Melissa… I… I just want you to rest. Please. Let me make sure you’re okay.”
I didn’t answer. I just lay there, letting the tears roll down, feeling small and broken. And as he leaned down to kiss my forehead lightly before leaving, I realized he didn’t even have the balls to stay and face me.
“Rest,” he said over his shoulder, voice fading. “I’ll be back later. I promise.”
I closed my eyes, whispering to myself, bitter and broken. “Yeah… sure. You always promise, don’t you?”
…
I finally got discharged from the hospital, my body still aching and my arm stiff from the injections. I stepped through the door and froze. A child’s laughter echoed from the living room, bright and carefree, mixed with a warm voice I hated to hear. “Oh, sweetie, look who it is! It’s Mommy…”
I looked up slowly. Christopher’s mother was holding Christopher's daughter, smiling as she held her phone, showing a picture of Lillian. My stomach twisted, and I felt my throat tighten.
“Oh, you’re back?” her smile fading the second she saw me. Her tone was sharp, slicing through the air. “Staying in the hospital all these days… you’re really precious, aren’t you? Chris is busy every single day, and you… you just lie there enjoying yourself. Back then, you were nothing, just some poor nobody. If you hadn’t clawed your way up to him, you wouldn’t even have had the chance to sit in a ward like this.”
I swallowed, voice trembling. “It was the doctor’s orders…”
She snorted, cutting me off. “Yeah, yeah, enough excuses. Now that you’re back, don’t just stand there. Chris hasn’t had a proper meal lately, so take him some food at the company, and don’t waste any time.”
I lowered my eyes, nodded silently, and didn’t argue. I felt hollow, like my own voice didn’t even matter anymore.
An hour later, I showed up at his office with a lunchbox. Pushing the door open, my blood ran cold. A woman stood in front of Christopher’s desk, face hidden behind a huge mask, holding a stack of documents. The moment she turned, I recognized her. Lillian.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice barely controlled.
She tilted her head, a smirk playing on her lips. “I’m here to deliver some documents. Don’t tell me Mrs. Bellingham would interfere with something this trivial?”
I tried to ignore her, setting the lunchbox down on the desk and turning to leave.
She stepped closer, voice soft but full of that fake sweetness that made my blood boil. “Mrs. Bellingham… I know you don’t like me, but I really just came to deliver some documents…”
And then she grabbed my hand and shoved the soup I was carrying onto herself. The hot liquid soaked through her clothes, steam rising as her skin turned red instantly.
“Ah!” she screamed, eyes watering.
