Chapter 2
We were in the VIP ward at Burwadon Hospital.
The air was thick with the sharp smell of disinfectant mixed with the sweet scent of expensive bouquets.
Linda was lying on the bed, the sheets as white as snow.
She used to be so dazzling, in her fifties, still full of charm, Richard's forever red rose.
But now, she was a paralyzed patient, hooked up to all kinds of tubes, her face twisted, drool slipping from the corner of her mouth.
Life could be so fragile sometimes.
When Linda saw Richard and me walk in together, her eyes, the only thing she could move, shot daggers at me.
Her stare was like a venomous spike, nailing me to the spot.
If looks could kill, I would've been ripped apart a thousand times over by now.
I couldn't care less.
The desperate cries of the defeated are the sweetest music to my ears.
Richard hurried to the bedside, gently taking Linda's hand, the one free of IV tubes, his voice tender but tinged with helplessness. "Linda, don't get worked up.
"I've brought Helen over. From now on, she'll be looking after you."
Linda's eyes grew wider, her throat rasping with a harsh, guttural sound.
She thrashed in agitation, and the monitors' numbers spiked, alarms shrieking through the room.
I stepped forward, wearing a warm, gentle smile. "Linda, try not to get worked up, and don't let it bother you.
"The doctors said what matters most right now is for you to rest and focus on getting better."
The softer I spoke, the more intense the hatred in her eyes became.
She must think I was here to gloat over her misery, to rub it in, and to show off.
She got it all wrong.
I wasn't here to laugh at her misery.
I was here to see her out for good.
Richard was awkwardly trying to calm Linda down when his phone rang at the worst possible moment.
It was an old colleague from his office, urging him to finish up some final paperwork.
He glanced at Linda, then at me, looking conflicted.
I spoke up gently, "Go ahead, Richard. I'll stay with Linda. You don't have to worry."
"But..." He hesitated.
"No buts," I said gently. "We're husband and wife. I'll make sure she's okay."
Richard looked as if he'd finally found peace. He gave me a grateful glance, left a few instructions, and hurried out of the room.
Now, only Linda and I remained.
The room was thick with dead silence.
I pulled a chair over and sat calmly by her bedside, quietly watching her.
She fixed her gaze on me, staring me down without blinking.
We locked eyes, like two beasts facing off, engaged in a silent battle.
After what felt like ages, I finally smiled.
I leaned in, right up to her ear, and whispered so quietly that only the two of us could hear. "He wants me to take care of you, like he used to take care of you.
"Every single day, he'd stand there and watch you swallow your blood pressure pills. He said, 'This time, there can't be one mistake.'"
My voice was soft and gentle, like a lover's whisper.
But Linda's reaction was like she'd been struck by lightning.
Her eyes, which could only move before, suddenly contracted, then snapped wide open, the whites nearly swallowing her pupils, which were swimming in terror and disbelief.
It was the shock of having one's secret ripped open and one's whole life flipped upside down in a heartbeat.
A ragged, strangled gurgle came from her throat.
Her whole body jerked and thrashed on the bed, like an invisible hand was gripping her throat.
The monitors at her bedside erupted with ear-splitting alarms, screaming through the room.
Her crooked mouth snapped open.
She retched.
A gush of dark red blood, mixed with whatever was left in her stomach, burst from Linda's mouth, soaking me from head to toe.
The air in the room was instantly thick with the smell of blood and vomit.
Linda's eyes were still fixed on me, and blood tears slowly trickled from the corners.
After vomiting that blood, her body finally went still.
Her life slipped away, fading fast right before my eyes.
I stood there quietly, not moving, not calling for anyone.
That gentle, almost serene smile still lingered on my face.
I knew Richard would be back soon.
The real drama was only beginning.