Chapter 2
As Charles walked away, his colleagues rushed over.
Seeing me in such a state, they quickly helped me onto the bed.
With tubes sticking out of me, I felt completely numb.
It wasn't until the young nurse touched my wrist and saw the crisscrossing scars that she gasped. "Mrs. Finn, please don't hurt yourself."
I shouldn't have forced Charles to make such a choice. Honestly, I should've died yesterday.
Charles was right. What I needed most was a psychiatrist.
I was severely depressed and had tried to end my life several times.
But yesterday, as blood was spreading in the bathtub, the hospital called about a heart donor.
Charles came home early that night and cooked a whole meal for me, the first time in three years. "Lily, once you're better, let's have a baby."
He glanced at my stomach, anticipation shining in his eyes.
"Let's both take a step back and start over," he added.
He didn't notice the bandages wrapped around my hands, kept smiling, and putting food on my plate.
I guessed I could hang in there a bit longer.
But looking back now, it was all a scheme Charles cooked up to make me willingly hand over my heart to Sophie.
His smile, the dreams he spun for me, and his hope for a baby, step by step, were all to make me go to my death without a fight.
Tears slipped down my cheeks before I noticed.
The young nurse, worried about me, whispered, "Mrs. Finn, do you want me to call Mr. Finn?"
Just then, my phone buzzed with a message from Charles.
[When you go back, bring Sophie a thick coat. I'm worried she'll get cold after surgery tonight.
[And don't wear perfume when you visit. She's allergic to it.
[Lily, I'm doing this to save a life. Don't do anything reckless.]
The black text on the white screen made my heart, which had calmed down, start racing again.
I stared up at the hospital ceiling and gave the nurse a small shake of my head.
The wound on my wrist split open, staining my sleeve red.
No matter how hard the doctors and nurses tried to save me, I lay there like a lifeless doll, completely unresponsive.
It wasn't until the doctor, needing to check my oxygen levels, used hydraulic pliers to cut the ring off my swollen finger, that the young nurse gasped. "With how much you're worth, why are you still wearing a fake diamond ring?"
I was stunned.
At the same time, I couldn't stop shaking all over.
This was the wedding ring Charles bought me with his very first paycheck.
He told me he ate instant noodles for a whole month to save up for it.
The young nurse kept trying to comfort me. "Mrs. Finn, wearing a ring that costs a few dollars for so long can be bad for your skin. Once you're better, ask Mr. Finn to buy you a proper one."
I was all cried out.
My tears were gone, empty sockets burning from the salt.
None of it was real.
Our marriage was nothing but a sham from the very start.
Because he was nice to me once in a while, I put up with years of misery.
Suddenly, I remembered scrolling through social media when Charles gave me this ring and seeing Sophie's post.
She was showing off her safety locket necklace.
Her caption was: [I'm always his number one.]
I left a friendly comment under her post. [Hey Sophie, is that your boyfriend?]
Sophie sent me a giggling emoji.
[Someone special knew I wasn't feeling well, so he ate instant noodles for a whole month to buy me this pricey necklace.]
Charles had gotten home from work, saw what was happening, and snatched my phone away in a hurry. "Lily, don't get the wrong idea."
I looked at him, amused. "What am I supposed to be misunderstanding? Are you actually jealous of Sophie's boyfriend?"
He looked flustered.
But back then, we were still newlyweds, and my love for him hadn't gone cold yet.
With effort, I lowered my head and stared at my finger.
Beneath the ring I'd never paid much attention to, there was a thin line of rust left behind.