Chapter 6
"Alright. I've scheduled it for next month," I said.
"Let's head back to the hospital," Oscar replied.
"Okay," I said.
On the way back, I tucked the receipt into the inner pocket of my handbag.
This receipt wasn't meant for me.
It was for Oscar to see.
When the time came, I wanted him to realize that his wife, while seven months pregnant, had bought an urn for herself.
And he never asked about it.
This receipt was my knife.
I wasn't going to stab him with it now.
But I would hand it to him when he thought I was gone, at the moment when regret would cut him the deepest.
Three days before the surgery, a guest showed up at the Powell family's house.
It was Loretta Reed, Milena's younger sister and Oscar's aunt.
Loretta owned a pretty big cosmetic clinic and was a big name in her social circle.
She came to see Georgia.
When she walked by my room, she pushed the door open and came in.
"Jennifer," she said.
"Loretta," I replied.
Loretta was nothing like Milena. Milena always had a plan for everything she did.
Even if she were forcing someone into a corner, she'd always explain herself first.
Loretta was blunt and ruthless. She spoke her mind and never beat around the bush.
"I heard you're donating your liver to Georgia. Is that true?" she asked.
"Yeah," I replied.
"Who suggested it?" she asked.
"Oscar," I replied.
Loretta stood at the foot of the bed, arms crossed. She wore a white wool coat, her hair styled in big curls, and her perfume filled the room.
"So, you're okay with this?" she asked.
"I've signed the papers," I replied.
"I'm asking if you're willing to do this, not whether you signed the papers," Loretta said.
I stayed silent.
Loretta looked at me for a bit and then gave a cold chuckle.
"Alright, suit yourself. If you don't want to say, whatever," she said.
She walked to the door and suddenly turned back. "Jennifer, let me be blunt.
"Do you think putting your life on the line for him will make him care about you?"
I looked up at her.
"He won't. Not in this lifetime," Loretta said. "To him, you've never been a real person.
"You're just a face, a face that happens to look like Georgia's.
"He only sought you out because you looked like Georgia. Once she's back on her feet, even your face will be useless to him."
With those words, she left without another glance.
The sound of her heels clicked down the hallway, growing fainter with each step.
I sat on the bed, turning Loretta's words over and over in my mind.
She'd said the same thing as last time.
But that time, she only said it after I was dead.
She said it to Milena then. "You pushed her to her death. Are you satisfied now?
"That baby was seven months along. You threw away two lives, all for Georgia?
"Do you think Oscar will thank you? He'll only hate you now because you made this happen."
Back then, Milena never took any of it to heart.
This time around, I didn't expect anyone to speak up for me.
But at least what Loretta said made one thing clear.
The Powell family wasn't all on the same page.
That was something I could use.
The night before the surgery, Nora came by for one last confirmation.
She was in casual clothes, with a backpack slung over her shoulder.
Inside, she had all the paperwork for what came after the operation.
"Dr. Lester's got everything lined up," she said, spreading the documents out on the bed. "Bleeding report, resuscitation records, death certificate, everything you need."
"What about the timing?" I asked.
"Three hours after the surgery," Nora explained. "Dr. Lester will go through the motions for the first half hour to make it look legit.
"Then he'll make it look like you're bleeding out and call the family. From that call to the official announcement, it'll be about forty minutes."
"Is forty minutes enough?" I asked.
"Plenty," Nora said. "During those forty minutes, you'll be waiting in the isolation room behind the OR. Dr. Lester has a private exit he can use to sneak you out."
"And after that?" I asked.
Nora said, "My brother will be waiting at the east gate of the hospital. He'll take you straight to a private clinic in the suburbs.
"The owner owes me a favor. He won't ask any questions. You'll stay there until things cool down."
I went through each document one by one, making sure nothing was missing.
"There's one thing I need you to help me with," I said.
"Shoot," Nora replied.
"There are cameras in the OR," I said.
Nora paused.
"I need that footage," I said.
"Jennifer, only hospital staff can access the security room," Nora replied.
"Not that one," I said. "I mean the cameras in the hallway outside the operating room."
"The hallway?" Nora echoed.