I looked into his eyes now. There was nothing left of the affection he'd once had for me.
So that's how cheap his love had been all along.
I burst out laughing, tears leaking from the corners of my eyes.
"That's right! I did it on purpose! What are you going to do about it?!"
Ferris's hand clamped around my throat, squeezing hard. His eyes were bloodshot.
"Last night, to punish you, I cut off Joy's medical resources. It was Bess who begged me to restore them."
"She saved your daughter's life, and instead of thanking her, you use something this vile to frame her?!"
"You're going to apologize to Bess right now. This entire hospital belongs to the Delgado family. If you don't apologize, I can't guarantee what kind of medication Joy will be getting."
Ferris dragged me to Bess's room. He was about to force me to my knees when a doctor walked in through the door.
"These top-performing antiallergy medications are newly developed. They haven't been fully vetted for safety. We may need human trials."
Ferris glanced at me, his gaze cold and flat. "Use this woman for the trials."
"On what grounds?!"
The doctor turned back to Ferris. "However, these medications are applied to intimate areas. For accurate efficacy results, the best method is direct human application."
A dozen vagrants filed into the room. The stench rolling off them was overwhelming. They looked eager.
Ferris knew I was a germaphobe. He was doing this to break me.
I shrank into the corner, trembling so hard my teeth chattered.
His voice was ice. No mercy. "All of you. Go ahead."
"Ferris, you're out of your goddamn mind!"
I tried to fight back. The next second, his assistant shoved a phone screen in my face—a live security feed.
On the monitor, a doctor held a syringe of HIV-contaminated blood inches from Joy's IV line.
"Don't touch my daughter!"
"Fine! I'll do it... Are you satisfied now, Ferris?"
They cleared the room. The vagrants pulled down their pants one by one, exposing themselves. The smell was unbearable.
They smeared the medication on themselves and lunged at me.
I struggled. I fought. In the end, they pried my legs apart and took what they wanted.
They rocked and thrust on top of me. The pain hollowed out my vision. Blood ran freely between my thighs and wouldn't stop.
I didn't know how much time passed before a voice came from the doorway.
"Mr. Delgado, we have results. This antiallergy medication is the most effective."
The men finally withdrew. Some unknowable stretch of time later, Bess strolled into the room.
She stood over me, looking down.
"I was never mentally ill. And I was never allergic to anything. Too bad your body couldn't hold on to a baby, huh?"
"Ferris and I are getting married soon. Make sure you come as the maid of honor!"
When I didn't respond, she crouched down and seized my face, her nails digging into my cheeks. "Aw, and what a shame about your little girl. She was so hard to come by, and now she's not going to make it. I really do pity you."
I glared at her with every ounce of hatred I had left.
"What do you mean?"
She held up a video. The doctor hadn't spared Joy at all.
A full syringe of liquid was pushed into my daughter's IV line. Joy's scream ripped through the speakers—raw, agonized, inhuman for a child so small.
"HIV. She won't last long. Better go say your goodbyes!"
"You animal! I'll kill you!"
I snatched a syringe off the bedside table and lunged at her. A brutal grip caught my wrist mid-swing.
Then a backhand cracked across my face.
"You're going after Bess again?!"
"You love me this much? You'd hurt her over and over just to win me back?"
Bess collapsed to the floor and scrambled behind Ferris, cowering, her voice a pitiful whimper.
"Honey, I just invited her to our wedding. She hates me so much she tried to destroy my face!"
Ferris wore the expression of a man who'd already figured everything out.
"I know you're jealous. The wedding is just a formality. I'll withdraw the divorce application before the cooling-off period ends."
