I spent my last two hundred dollars booking a hotel room for the night.
Nicolas was ruthless. The moment I hung up the phone, he had all my bank accounts frozen. He tried to push me to the brink.
At midnight, Nicolas called again. "Lorna, do you realize your mistake now?"
"Mistake? What mistake?"
"Isn't it hard to live without money?" Nicolas let out a mocking laugh. "Hand over all the recordings and photos you have of me on your phone, and I'll unfreeze your accounts and give you a million dollars for your future life."
I was amused. "Are you really afraid of me exposing your disgrace that much?"
That struck a nerve.
Nicolas held back his anger and said, "Lorna, it won't do you any good to ruin me."
"It's not me ruining you. You did it. Do you know what the essence of a healthcare company's development is?"
Nicolas didn't answer, so I did for him. "Curing patients' illnesses is the forever unshakable foundation of the healthcare industry. You're not focusing on developing technology, but you're caught up in false marketing. Someday, you'll fall from grace."
"I don't need your lessons." Nicolas breathed heavily. "Give me those recordings."
I said to him clearly, "I won't give them to you."
Nicolas was furious. "Then enjoy your poverty life. What threat can you pose to me? You have no money or a job. Lorna, without me, you can't even enter the conference hall. How can you dream of threatening me?"
Nicolas angrily hung up.
He wanted to see me return to him in desperation, but I wouldn't regret my decisions, nor would I stay poor.
I called my friend Julie. "Julie, did you say Nicolas begged me to operate on Gillian?"
"Yes. He went through a lot of connections to find me. But don't worry. I didn't tell him who you are. He's not worthy to know how amazing you are."
"Has he contacted you recently?"
"He pesters me every day. He wishes to contact you for Gillian's surgery through me. It's so annoying. Since you're divorced now, I'm about to block him."
"Wait." I paused for a few seconds and made up my mind. "Tell Nicolas I agree to perform the surgery on Gillian, but I want one hundred million dollars, post-tax. Let him transfer to my account this evening."
Julie was shocked. "You're going to operate on that mistress?"
"Yes."
"Alright. Lorna, no matter what you choose, I support you."
I reopened a bank account I had set up while studying abroad and sent the card number to Julie.
Half an hour later, I received the money.
He really cared about Gillian, transferring the money so quickly.
I stood by the large window and gazed at the bustling lights outside. I felt a chill in my heart.
The phone screen dimmed, and the night was silent.
I rubbed the ring around my finger and suddenly recalled my birthday two years ago. I had ordered his favorite cake and prepared a table full of his favorite dishes, waiting at the restaurant until closing time. He never showed up.
He returned in the early morning of the next day, reeking of alcohol. He simply said, "I couldn't say no to a client."
At that time, I truly believed that he was working hard, and I made him some hangover soup.
Now, thinking back, I realized that his so-called "client" was probably just Gillian.
I was so naive back then.
I took off the ring and tossed it out of the window.
Goodbye, Nicolas.
