“Nomi……it's too late.”
“The doctor said……they can't operate anymore.”
A roar filled my skull, drowning everything else out.
“What do you mean they can't? I got the money. I really got it!”
Mom shook her head, tears falling in heavy drops onto the backs of her hands.
“Nomi……go in and talk to him.”
My hands wouldn't stop shaking as I pushed the door open.
On the bed, Dad was so thin he looked like paper.
The moment he saw me, something flickered in his dull eyes, and he struggled to sit up.
“Nomi's here……”
I rushed forward and took his hand. It was skeletal and ice-cold, veins standing out under the skin.
“Dad, I'm right here.”
He forced a smile, his voice coming in fragments.
“Nomi, Dad's sorry……I don't think I'll get to see you in a wedding dress.”
I held the tears back with everything I had and shook my head, smiling.
“Dad, stop talking nonsense. You still have to walk me down the aisle.”
He smiled but didn't answer.
His eyes drifted to the side, gesturing for me to hand him his phone.
I passed it over. His fingers trembled as he unlocked it.
“Dad's useless. All I managed to leave you……is a million dollars.”
He caught his breath and squeezed my hand tighter.
“From now on……if Wilfred ever treats you badly, at least you'll have something to fall back on. You won't have to beg anyone for anything.”
My tears finally broke free.
Dad opened his messages, and all the color drained from his face in an instant.
On the screen, I was naked, saying it over and over into the camera——
“I admit it. I'm the other woman.”
“I, Naomi Harding, came between Wilfred Swanson and Lucretia Fox.”
His fingers went rigid. He jerked his head up to look at me, his lips trembling.
“This……who did this to you?”
His eyes were raw red, his chest heaving violently.
My heart plummeted. I opened my mouth to explain.
His whole body pitched backward and he collapsed flat onto the bed.
The heart monitor let out a single, piercing wail.
I tore out of the room screaming：“Doctor! Doctor——!”
The hallway erupted into chaos. Nurses sprinted past me pushing a crash cart.
I slid down the wall, my whole body shaking so hard I couldn't stop.
And then, from the far end of the corridor, I heard a familiar laugh.
“See? What did I tell you?”
Wilfred held up his phone, voice dripping with self-satisfaction. “I post one little update and she comes running like a trained dog.”
Lucretia doubled over laughing, nodding again and again：“Fine, fine, fine. You win this round.”
Wilfred raised an eyebrow, smug：“She can't live without me.”
I stood frozen, nails digging hard into my palms.
I couldn't take it anymore. I lunged forward and grabbed Lucretia by the collar, ripping her out of Wilfred's arms.
“Ah——!” She shrieked.
I locked my eyes on her, bloodshot and burning：“Who told you to send that video to my father?”
Lucretia stumbled from the force of my grip, but she was still smiling.
“Ow, sis, you're hurting me.”
She wrenched my hand off, her tone light, almost bored.
“I just wanted to help your dad build up a little resilience.”
“Your family used to be so high and mighty. Can't even handle this much?”
She tilted her head, her smile deepening.
“A few more shocks and his tolerance will go way up. Then your family can have its glory days back, right?”
I lost it. The fire in my chest felt like it would burn straight through me.
“Resilience? Do you have any idea he's about to——”
“Enough!”
Wilfred cut me off cold, the way you'd scold a child.
“This was my idea too.”
I whipped around and stared at him, unable to believe what I'd just heard.
There wasn't a trace of guilt on his face. If anything, he looked amused.
“The truth is, I was pretending to be broke the whole time.”
He shrugged, like it was nothing.
“Your family losing everything……I had people make that happen, too.”
A roar filled my ears, and then I couldn't hear anything at all.
Wilfred stepped closer, looked down at me, eyes brimming with satisfaction.
“Dating you was too boring, Naomi. Too easy.”
“I had to see just how deep your love for me really went, didn't I?”
I stood there and listened to every word. Then I laughed.
Doubled over laughing, tears hitting the floor one by one.
Wilfred watched me fall apart and his lips curved upward, pleased, his voice unhurried：“So you really can't live without me.”
He fished a pair of rings from his pocket like an afterthought and dropped to one knee.
“Fine, then. I guess I'll do you the favor of keeping you.”
Lucretia immediately started clapping and cheering, grinning wide：“Marry him! Marry him!”
But I couldn't hear any of it.
The world had gone mute. I just kept walking, a hollow body moving forward.
Behind me, Lucretia's laughter：“See? She's totally running off to tell her parents the good news!”
Wilfred's voice was lazy, dripping with certainty：“Give it a minute. She'll come right back.”
Half an hour passed. I didn't come back.
Wilfred couldn't wait any longer and went to find me.
Up ahead, a crowd had gathered.
The operating room doors swung open hard.
The doctor pulled down his mask and looked around：“Who's the family of Oliver Harding?”
Wilfred's heart lurched. His feet stopped moving.
He rushed forward. “I am, doctor!”
The doctor looked at him, face grave：“I'm sorry. We did everything we could.”
“Mr. Harding didn't pull through.”
Clack.
The ring box slipped from Wilfred's hand and hit the floor.
