Chapter 3
Nelson shadowed me every moment for a whole week, never leaving my side. I started to think he was finally having a change of heart.
But the day I was discharged, he threatened me.
He said, "If I ever catch you touching my suit again, it won't be as simple as a car accident. I'll chop off your hands and feed them to the dogs."
Those words sent a chill down my spine.
But now, his prized coat was hanging on the shoulders of a woman he barely knew, a fling at best.
Anyone could see what was happening right away.
People started giving me strange looks.
"So it turns out Dr. Lowell is the other woman," someone whispered.
"I've always heard Nelson's wife is a stunner who never shows her face, but seeing her today. She really lives up to the hype," someone whispered.
"Dr. Lowell isn't even close to a beauty. She can't even compare to Mrs. Stowe's eyebrows," another person snarked.
"How does the side chick have the nerve to force the real wife to get an abortion and give up her spot?" someone else gossiped.
The gossip got more and more outrageous, until even Nick Warren, the director of the hospital, caught wind of it.
He hurried over to the scene.
When he realized Nelson was involved, Nick immediately abandoned his usual dignified attitude and started fawning all over him.
Nelson arched his brow, a hint of challenge in his expression.
He said, "Mr. Warren, as I recall, this hospital isn't just about competence. Shouldn't you also be concerned about your doctors' integrity?
"Lucky I got here in time. If anything had happened to my wife..."
When he mentioned "wife," Nelson's lips curled into a playful smirk, his gaze lingering on me with a touch of amusement.
He continued, "If my wife were to get hurt, could your hospital really handle the consequences?"
Just like that, I was out of a job.
Nick looked at me like I was some kind of plague and threw me out.
All the patients under my care were handed off to other doctors in a heartbeat.
Jobless and empty-handed, I walked the streets, feeling lost.
My phone screen lit up with a message.
Nelson texted: [The Stowe family can't afford any scandal that goes against our values. For the future of the Stowe Group, and for your sick mother, you should understand why I had to do this today.]
I turned off the screen, and hot tears rolled down my cheeks, falling to the ground.
Each drop left a barely noticeable mark on the sidewalk.
Then, out of nowhere, the sky opened up and rain came pouring down.
No surprise, by the time I got home, I was sick as a dog.
Nelson, looking at me like I was something he'd scraped off his shoe, banished me to the storage shed.
He even forbade anyone from bringing me food, calling it "quarantine" to keep my illness from spreading.
It was all just an excuse. With trembling hands, I fished out my phone.
I dialed the number of someone who would never answer again.
I croaked into the phone, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Mom, I miss you so much.
"I'm so tired, Mom. Please, just take me with you."
The door flew open with a bang.
Nelson stormed in, hair practically bristling with fury, and grabbed me, limp and barely hanging on.
He sneered, "Port City's massive, but you and your mom have nobody. Where do you think you can go?
"So you lost your job. Is this pathetic act just to get my attention? Hoping I'll suddenly want you back?
"Forget it. I'm never taking you back, and I won't let you go looking for another man either."
Tears streaming down my face, I nodded with exaggerated force, then pulled a sarcastic grin.
I sneered, "Of course. Even if I die, I'll never leave you. When midnight comes, by your window, under your bed, you'll hear me calling your name."
Nelson just brushed it off, thinking I was acting jealous and dramatic.
He suddenly mellowed out, speaking to me in a gentler tone.
"Nydia, as long as you behave yourself, I'll take pity on you. I'll pay for your mom's medical bills, and I'll help you get whatever it is you keep wishing for in that iron box.
"But that's only if you play nice."
When Nelson mentioned the iron box, I couldn't help but give in.
That was the only thing I had left to cling to.
I fell into a deep sleep and didn't wake up until the next afternoon.
My whole body felt like I'd been taken apart and put back together by someone who had no clue what they were doing.
I was a doctor who saved lives, but now I was helpless to save myself.
Bored out of my mind, I scrolled through my social media feed.
Right away, I spotted Evelyn, gently caressing her baby bump.
On her ring finger was a red diamond, big as a pigeon egg.
I'd been obsessed with that red diamond for ages, always pestering Nelson to buy it for me.
But he always turned me down, saying Mrs. Stowe shouldn't be so flashy.
Under the photo, she'd written: [Soon, I'll be official.]
My gaze shifted downward, and my heart suddenly jolted.
There it was, something that had no business being on her.
It was the necklace my mother left me.
Why was Evelyn wearing the necklace my mother left me?
I didn't waste a second.
I jumped in my car and sped off to where Evelyn was.
It was one of those ultra-exclusive malls, pure luxury.
Before you could even step inside, they'd check your assets. Unless you could prove you were worth at least seven million bucks, forget about getting in.
I bulldozed my way past the security guards who tried to block me.
I searched every floor, desperate to find her.
I lost a shoe, my hair was a mess, but I finally spotted Evelyn still shopping in the mall.
When she saw me, she shot me an impatient frown.