Blood dragged a long trail across the floor, like a road of despair.
Finally, I reached the phone. The screen was smeared red, and my trembling fingers dialed my younger brother's number.
"Alex?"
"Ryan… save me…"
I managed to gasp out the address before everything went black. In that last second, my eyes locked onto the basin of ice—still not fully melted.
When I opened my eyes again, harsh white fluorescent light made me squint. The smell of disinfectant hit my nose.
I was still alive.
"Alex! You're awake!"
Ryan lunged toward me, eyes red, a crumpled critical condition notice still clutched in his fist.
"The doctor said half an hour later, and even God couldn't have saved you."
His voice cracked. Tears streamed down his face.
I opened my mouth. My throat felt like sandpaper.
"Where's Derek?"
"That bastard!" Ryan's jaw clenched. "I called him, and he was eating."
The hospital room door slammed open.
Derek rushed in reeking of alcohol, exaggerated tear tracks streaking his face.
"Lexi! You scared me to death!"
He threw himself at my bedside, sobbing like he couldn't breathe. But his hand—silently, carefully—pressed down on my IV tube.
The tube flattened. The medication stopped flowing.
I caught the viciousness flash through his eyes. My stomach turned.
"Derek, get away from my sister!" Ryan tried to shove him back.
"Ryan, what do you know!" Derek roared. "I'm worried about her!"
My mother-in-law shuffled in behind him, dabbing at her eyes while stealing glances at me. That look—like she was checking to see when I'd stop breathing.
I swallowed the bile rising in my throat and weakly reached for Derek's hand.
"I'm sorry… I was careless… I knocked over the washbasin…"
Derek froze.
Wild joy nearly spilled from his eyes.
"Lexi, don't say that." He instantly switched to his devoted-husband mask. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have left you home alone."
"I'll never do it again."
My mother-in-law chimed in: "Exactly, exactly. Lexi, your health is fragile—I'll take better care of you from now on."
Watching their performance, I sneered inside.
If they thought I was an idiot, fine. I'd keep playing one.
As long as I stayed alive, he wouldn't see a single cent of that insurance policy.
That was his weakness.
"I want to go home," I said softly.
"Go home?" Ryan's voice pitched with alarm. "Alex, you still need observation!"
"The hospital's too expensive." I looked at Derek. "I don't want to be a burden."
Hesitation flickered across his face. But he quickly arranged his expression into one of anguish. "Money doesn't matter. Your health comes first."
"But…" I let myself cough. "I want to recover at home. With you taking care of me."
That did it. His guard dropped completely.
"Okay. Whatever you want."
He tucked my blanket in gently, but his gaze drifted toward the window.
I knew exactly what he was thinking.
Too many doctors and nurses here. He couldn't make a move.
Home was his territory.
While handling the discharge paperwork, Ryan pulled me aside.
"Alex, are you insane? That bastard almost killed you!"
"I know." I kept my voice low. "That's exactly why I'm going back. Right under his nose, I'm going to tear that home apart piece by piece."
Ryan stared at me, stunned.
I patted his shoulder. "Play along. Don't give anything away."
On the drive home, Derek took the wheel. My mother-in-law sat in the passenger seat.
I slumped in the back, watching them through the rearview mirror.
They exchanged a look.
