Chapter 3
Blood type? Seriously?
I stared at the doctor, like he was telling me the biggest joke I'd ever heard.
Michael and I both had type A blood.
That used to be just another sign that we were "meant to be."
Back when he was trying to win me over, a blood drive rolled into campus, and he insisted I go with him.
When we got the results, he was so excited he spun me around in his arms.
"Claire, look! We're both type A! We're a match made in heaven!" he said, grinning from ear to ear.
A match made in heaven.
Now, that so-called proof of being a match made in heaven had become just another card in my hand.
"Doctor, why should I give him my blood?" I asked, my voice calm and steady.
The doctor was stunned, momentarily speechless.
"He...he's your husband, isn't he? Saving a life..."
"Husband?" I scoffed, letting out a cold laugh. "You mean the same husband who just tried to beat me to death and take everything I own?
"Doctor, maybe you should brush up on the law.
"Sure, spouses are supposed to support each other. But all he ever gave me was abuse and betrayal.
"And as for saving a life? That depends on who you're saving.
"Why should I use my blood to keep alive someone who's already dead to me?"
My words were like an icy knife, slicing right through all the fake sympathy and so-called kindness in the room.
The doctor's face turned red, and he wanted to argue, but he couldn't find a single thing to say.
Because what I said was the truth.
It was the kind of truth that was raw and bleeding, still warm from my own body.
"How can you be so cold-blooded?" a young nurse couldn't help but mutter under her breath.
I turned to look at her.
She was just a fresh-faced girl, still wearing that naive innocence of someone who hadn't yet seen how ugly the world could get.
"Sweetheart, if you ever go through what I've been through, you might end up even colder than me," I said, my voice calm but sharp.
"Or hey, you can just walk in right now and check out Michael and his mistress Emily lying in those hospital beds.
"Watch how they shamelessly try to bleed me dry, acting like it's all my fault."
The young nurse flinched under my gaze and took a step back, too scared to say another word.
Just then, a chaotic clatter of footsteps grew louder as they approached.
My mother-in-law, Mrs. Bennett, always ready for a fight, finally stormed in.
She didn't come alone.
Trailing behind her were Michael's two aunts and his uncle.
They marched in like an angry mob, ready to take me down.
"Claire! You bitch! Where's the money? Where's the cash to save my son?" Mrs. Bennett was already screaming before she even reached me.
She barreled toward me like a missile, her hand already swinging for my face.
I was ready and sidestepped her attack.
Her slap hit nothing but air.
She swung so hard she almost lost her balance and nearly toppled over.
Michael's aunts grabbed her just in time, keeping her from falling flat.
"How dare you avoid me!" Iris, one of Michael's aunts, snapped.
"Claire, do you even have a heart? Michael's about to die and you're still being so stubborn!" Michael's other aunt, Maya, jumped in, scolding me.
Michael's uncle, Ethan, just stood there, putting on his best 'family elder' act.
"Claire, quit making a fuss. Couples shouldn't let fights last past midnight. Just pay up and let Michael get his surgery. Once he's out of danger, I'll help you two sort things out," he said, trying to sound all reasonable.
Sorting things out?
I looked at their twisted faces and just laughed.
What a familiar routine.
Every time Michael got violent with me, they always played the same game.
First, they'd threaten me, then guilt-trip me, and finally, they'd pretend to be the voice of reason.
And their idea of justice was just telling me to suck it up.
"Women should be more forgiving."
"Men have it tough out there, you should cut him some slack."
"For the sake of the kids, just put up with it."
I used to fall for that crap, forgiving him again and again, always backing down.
And all I got in return was even worse abuse.
"Ethan, there's no such thing as a grudge that lasts till morning between us," I said.
I looked them straight in the eye, making sure every word landed.
"Because right now, today, I have a deep, burning hatred for him.
"He and the bastard his mistress is carrying, they both deserve to die."
I swept my gaze over every single one of them.
"And all of you," I said, my voice cold and unyielding.
"The only reason you get to stand here and order me around is because I used to give you way too much respect.
"From today on, I'm done giving you respect. I'm tearing it all away.
"And from now on, none of you will get a single cent from me."
I pulled a tiny recorder out of my bag.
I pressed play.
"If you don't divorce me, I'll beat you until you do!"
Michael's violent roar echoed through the ER, loud and clear.
"Claire, don't blame us. You were just hogging the spot and doing nothing."
Emily's honeyed, poisonous tone followed right after.
Then one could hear the crash of the photo frame hitting the wall, and my stifled gasp of pain.
The whole hall went dead silent.
Everyone was glaring at the Bennetts.
Mrs. Bennett's face went ghostly pale in an instant.
Iris, Maya and Ethan all looked awkward and guilty, like someone had just exposed all their dirty laundry.
"This is...this is..." Mrs. Bennett stammered, her lips trembling as she tried to come up with an excuse.
"Oh, that's just the appetizer," I said, my voice cool and unbothered.
I turned off the recorder and slipped it back into my bag.
"I've got plenty more where that came from," I said, totally unfazed.
"Like how Michael funneled company money straight into Emily's account.
"Or how you all plotted to throw me out with nothing, even tried to steal the house my parents left me.
"Mrs. Bennett, did you forget? At last week's family dinner, you got drunk and laid out the whole scheme for everyone to hear.
"And I got that all on tape, too."
I smiled, watching the color drain from Mrs. Bennett's face, she went from ghostly pale to dead gray.
Her legs gave out. Iris and Maya grabbed her just in time to keep her from hitting the floor.
"You...you" Mrs. Bennett stammered, her finger shaking as she pointed at me.
She was so stunned she couldn't say a word.
"So, are you still going to ask me for money?" I asked.
I walked right up to her, looking down at her from above.
"So, do you still expect me to give him my blood?
"Let me make this clear.
"Today, not even 3 bucks, let alone 30 grand, will come from me.
"Whether he keeps his leg or not, that's your problem.
"Whether he lives or dies, that's up to fate.
"As for me..."
I paused, sweeping my gaze over everyone in the room.
"I'm getting a divorce.
"And I'm taking him to court, for assault, and for hiding our marital assets.
"I want him and that bitch to be utterly ruined, left with nothing.
"I want them to pay the most agonizing price for every single thing they've done to me!"
My voice echoed through the entire hall.
Every word struck like a hammer.
Just as I finished speaking, the doctor from earlier came rushing out of the ER again.
His face was even paler than before, sweat pouring down his forehead.
He didn't even glance at me, his eyes were locked on Mrs. Bennett.
"We've waited too long!" he shouted.
"Because of the blood loss and the delay in surgery, the tissue in his right leg is already starting to rot away in huge patches!"
Mrs. Bennett's whole body shook.
The doctor didn't give her a second to react, he shoved a folder and a pen right into her arms.
"There's no saving it now! We have to amputate immediately! If we don't, the infection will spread through his whole body, he could die!
"You're his mother, you sign it!
"Sign it, and we'll get him into surgery right now!"
I looked at Mrs. Bennett's ghostly pale face, and the Amputation Consent Form clutched in her arms.
A cold, icy smile tugged at the corner of my lips.
I remembered what I'd told the doctor when I first got to the hospital.
"No money. Just cut it off."
Now, karma showed up right on schedule.