Arthur St. Leanの小説

079Nicodemo Harrington“So, what do you say, Mr. Nicodemo?” Doctor, or whatever his name was, I hadn't bothered to catch it, asked. “Do we begin the surgery? She's quite stable now, and everything looks good enough to proceed.”I completely tuned out his voice, staring at the floor as I pretended to weigh the options. In reality, my mind wasn't on his medical jargon at all. Right before I’d stepped into his office, right before I’d intended to find Jack and deal with that long-haired asshole in the hallway, Kariana's text message had rewired my brain's circuits. Right then and there, the exact answer I needed to give this doctor became crystal clear.“I'd like her discharged, Doctor.”“What?” The doctor gasped, the sound sharp and involuntary in the quiet room.“I said, I'd like her discharged,” I repeated, my tone dropping into a cool, unyielding flatline.“That's absolutely not advisable, Mr. Nicodemo. You could kill her. This could literally kill...”“I know,” I interrupted, letti

078Nicodemo HarringtonBrianna chewed a mouthful of the chicken broth, her eyes widening as she let out quiet, appreciative hums under her breath. The corner of my eye twitched with concern. Her entire head was moving with every aggressive chew, acting like she hadn't seen food for actual ages.The room now smelled like a mix of different home-cooked meals. But even looking at Lydia’s special artisanal bread, the kind I usually loved and never got tired of, just made my stomach churn instead.“What?” she sneered, tiny food particles flying into the air the moment she opened her mouth.Why was she always so angry? Isn't she supposed to be enjoying the food? I was getting entirely tired of this attitude of hers. “Nothing.” I told her.How was I supposed to relay the news, such devastating medical news, to her if she wouldn't even listen to me? Or at the very least, speak to me nicely? What on earth had I done that was so unforgivable? But fine, I would give her some time.Lydia’s eyes

077Brianna PoundsHe might know so much already. Fucking hell.“What?” I breathed, my voice trembling with rage. “What the fuck do you want to talk about, huh? Fucking what?”“Brianna, you need to relax. Just... calm down, okay?”"Why should I?" A harsh scoff ripped from my chest. “You’re crazy,” I blurted. “So now I’m the one who fucking has to calm down, huh?”I hoped that with all this rage, he’d combust. I needed him to explode or blurt something out. Anything. I had to know how much he’d heard before I could build a defense or find a way to cover my tracks.“Don't you ever dare tell me to calm down again.” I flung the sheets back in one angry swing, baring my legs as I prepared to climb out of the bed. “This fucking hospital, these shits... jeez,” I gritted out, trying to stand. I had barely moved when Nico’s hand reached out, his fingers brushing the skin of my arm.“What the fuck do you think you’re doing touching me?”“Brianna...”“Let go!” I yanked my hand back with a snarl.

076Brianna Pounds“What? Are you out of your fucking... oh, no way, Brianna,” she gasped. “That's insane. What has gotten into you?”Of course, that reaction was totally normal and called for. I mean, who wouldn't go out of their mind over a request like that? I actually would have been deeply worried if she hadn't reacted this way, or if she had just agreed right away. So, I knew this panic right here wasn't a bad sign at all. I just needed to explain everything to her. Her reaction after the full explanation was what truly mattered.“Relax, Brenda. I didn't ask you to kill anybody.”Her mouth was wide open, her mind clearly racing to figure out which protest to hurl at me first.“Your mouth is wide enough to catch a fly right now,” I deadpanned, keeping my face completely blank, acting like I was totally cool with the absurd favor I'd just asked of her. But this was all part of the process, right? Act cool. Act like absolutely nothing in the world could bother you.“Brianna, you ar

075Brianna Pounds“What is the craziest part, Brianna?”I chuckled, the sound cold. “That Nicodemo Harrington is a fucking monster.”“What? How do you mean?”“Aren't you able to guess that yet?” I leaned forward slightly, holding her gaze captive. “What he did?”“I mean, yeah, maybe, I don't know,” she stammered, tripping over her words. “He cheated right to your face, so I guess that's monstrous enough?” She offered it up like a question, and a bitter chuckle scraped past my throat.“No, Brenda, that's not even it.” I rested my head back again, settling my eyes toward the ceiling.“Well, you're scaring me. What is?”He shoved me. That day, for the first time since forever, Nicodemo treated me like total trash.You're my girl too, Brianna. I love you, and I love her. Kariana here could give us everything we've ever wanted. We could be happy. It would all be perfect, Brianna, you just have to open your eyes and see it.Those words, his exact words, had torn my brain cells apart back t

074Brianna Pounds“Hmm,” I said, shaking my head. “Don't think so. I don't know.”“Maybe I did in that life, yeah? The previous one,” Brenda mused.Thinking about it now, how come I barely remembered anything about Brenda and me in the life before my death? I knew we had possibly fallen out of touch after my marriage, but I didn't have much memory of many things from back then. I only remembered my parents, Nicodemo, and of course, his bitch. Even if I lost my memory damn entirely, I'd still remember her.I owed that woman a total takedown for everything she'd done to me, and for ruining my marriage like that.“I don't know, Brenda,” I muttered, about to continue when she grew impatient anyway.“Keep going. What did you catch them doing?” She asked. "Fucking each other?"“Fucking each other? Of course not,” I blurted out, before quickly correcting myself. “Not literally right then in my face, but Nicodemo fucking Harrington, my husband at the time, obviously, had Kariana straddling h