Chapter 6
Cornered with no way out, I eventually grabbed my phone and opened Twitter. The number one trending hashtag immediately caught my eye.
I clicked on a video clip. It was Sienna, laying a gorgeous bouquet of flowers at my mother's grave. A perfect tear rolled down her cheek.
Edward was standing right beside her, his head bowed solemnly.
She looked directly into the camera, sobbing.
"Dr. Murray is an incredible, selfless woman. She cured my mother's chronic pain... I just had no idea that her own mother passed away on that exact same day.
"Dr. Murray is a hero to my family. I am praying for her mother to find peace in heaven."
Edward wrapped his arms around her, offering comfort right there on camera. The two of them clung to each other, a sickening display for everyone watching the clip.
Because Edward's face was partially obscured, the comments assumed he was just her manager or assistant.
The replies were a cesspool of praise.
[Omg, she is literally an angel on earth.]
[And people called her a diva? She's so sweet!]
[I could never be this forgiving if a doctor assaulted me in public.]
My hands shook violently. They just couldn't let it go. They had to use my mother's grave as a PR stunt.
The second the video ended, the door to my room swung open. Sienna strolled in with an aggressively cheerful smile on her face.
"Hey there! Edward told me you finally woke up!" she chirped, carrying an expensive fruit basket. "I brought over some fruit just for you. I hope you aren't too proud to accept such a small gift."
She was putting on a massive show. Every exaggerated move was a calculated insult designed to turn my stomach.
I completely ignored her, staring blankly at the wall.
Unfazed, she pulled up a chair, crossed her legs, and pulled out her phone.
"Did you happen to catch Twitter today?" she asked, her voice dripping with smug satisfaction.
I turned my head away, refusing to answer.
Perhaps I was losing it after being trapped here so long. Driven by the urge to give Edward a taste of his own medicine, I reached for my phone and started recording.
Sienna put her phone away and sighed dramatically.
"You know, you and your dead mom really are my guardian angels. Thanks to this whole mess, my PR team just completely rebranded me as a saint."
I let out a harsh laugh. "You are truly shameless."
Sienna didn't even flinch and kept talking.
"You want to talk about shameless? Do you have any idea how badly when I saw Edward marry you?
"I bust my ass overseas, claw my way to the A-list, come back home, and find some nobody country-doctor playing house with my man!
"When we reconnected, all he could do was talk about you. Susan is so smart. Susan is so kind.
"Please. You stole the man who belonged to me. That is the definition of shameless."
It caught me off guard for a moment, yet I remained perfectly composed, giving away nothing.
"If he loved me so much, why is he always running to you?"
Sienna beamed, her chest puffing out with pride.
"Because I'm better than you in every way.
"But I don't just want him to like me. I want the ring on your finger. I want the title of Mrs. Harrington. And I am willing to do whatever it takes to get it."
"Aren't you worried he's going to find out you've been faking your illnesses this whole time?" I asked smoothly.
Sienna rolled her eyes, snorting.
"He's an idiot. He'll never figure it out.
"He's at my beck and call for whatever I need. I mean, look at how things are now. Isn't that enough of an example?
"You're just pathetic, Susan. You couldn't even keep your own mother alive."
A blinding surge of adrenaline shot through me. I raised my hand, fully intending to slap the smug look off her face.
"Shut your mouth!" I snarled.
Sienna caught my wrist mid-air, twisting it violently backward and pinning it against the mattress.
"You think you can hit me?" she mocked. "Look at you! You're a dehydrated mess. You don't have the strength to swat a fly.
"Just a heads-up. Edward is walking through that door in about ten seconds. Let's see how you explain this one."