Chapter 2

Just thinking about that torment made my teeth ache with hatred.

I wanted nothing more than to kill Jasper on the spot and take my revenge.

But my body couldn't support it.

Over twenty minutes had passed since the pesticide was forced down my throat. My head spun, my stomach churned violently, my belly ached as if it were on fire, and my legs felt like rubber. I could barely stand.

Not only could I not attack Jasper, I had to suppress my fury and hatred and plead with him instead.

"I'm not pretending! I was forced to swallow half a bottle of pesticide! I feel really awful right now! Please, arrange gastric lavage!" I begged, my voice trembling with pain.

Jasper yanked me aside with a sneer.

"You're so good at acting, you shouldn't be a programmer; you should be an actress!"

"I'm not acting! Why would I lie about something like this?" I clenched my fists to hold back the rage boiling inside me.

"You know exactly why, Maisie. You were jealous because I was sending Ruby home. So you pretended that a patient with a grudge poisoned you, just to get me to come running… Honestly, at your age, you're acting more childish than an elementary schooler."

He looked at me with undisguised disgust.

My body trembled with anger, but I forced myself to speak, desperate to convince him to let the doctors help me.

From my throat to my stomach, it felt as if something was burning me alive.

I had already vomited everything on the way here. Now I gagged uncontrollably, and my legs shook violently.

I could no longer hold myself up and collapsed to the floor.

The on-duty doctor and nurse jumped, rushing over.

"Dr. Flint! The smell of pesticide on her is so strong. Perhaps she's actually been poisoned?"

The doctor helped me up, his face pale.

Jasper didn't even blink. He just mocked, "To make the acting convincing, she even poured pesticide on herself in advance. Maisie, you're something else!"

Hearing this, the staff recoiled in disgust and let go of me.

I clutched my stomach, a mixture of pain, anger, and—above all—fear surging through me.

If this kept up, I would die.

I struggled to sit up, abandoning any attempt to argue with Jasper. I had seen how ruthless he could be; I refused to let him kill me again.

I shakily reached for my phone, planning to call a taxi to another hospital.

But Jasper lunged, snatching my phone away.

"Trying to run off to another hospital to continue your performance? Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? Maisie, stop wasting effort on acting. I won't believe you anymore. Tonight, I'll stay with Ruby—nowhere else. You, stay here and behave."

I stared at him, body trembling with hatred, and tried to reason.

"Jasper, I'm not acting! If you don't treat me, I will die!"

"Then die. If you do, I'll pay the compensation."

He was convinced I was lying and didn't take my words seriously. He only cared about Ruby, and I was irrelevant.

He told the staff to watch me and prevent me from going to another hospital, then left, taking my phone with him.

That bastard—he killed me once in my last life, and now he wanted to kill me again.

But I refused to die. I wanted to care for my parents, and I wanted Jasper to pay for what he had done.

I gritted my teeth and tried to stand, leaning on a chair, only to vomit acidic bile. Even breathing was a struggle.

The on-duty staff looked at me as if I were a clown.

"Not bad… she's really selling it."

"If she didn't act well, be cunning enough, could she have separated Dr. Flint from Dr. Gray and end up marrying him?"

"Poor Dr. Gray."

Before marrying Jasper, I hadn't even known he'd dated Ruby. How had I become the scheming third wheel in everyone's eyes?

I felt suffocated, but there was no time to dwell on that now.

I pressed on, leaning against the wall and attempting to walk.

I hadn't taken more than a few steps when a nurse caught up and gave me a harsh push.

"Homewrecker! Can you just chill with the acting? You…"

I had no strength left. One push sent me sprawling to the ground, unable to rise.

A patient and their family arrived.

"She's in this state, and your hospital won't treat her? How can you push her?"

"She's faking it!"

"Are you out of your mind? Could she fake this? Look, her lips are white, her forehead's drenched in sweat, even her pupils are dilating!"

Someone helped me up.

"Miss, what's wrong with you? You…"

I couldn't hear the rest. My insides ached as if they were twisting together, and I curled into a ball, suddenly vomiting fresh blood.

At first, people claimed I was faking. But I clutched my stomach, spewing blood in great gouts. It blocked my throat, choking me into coughing, splattering across my clothes.

Chaos erupted. I could faintly hear screams and frantic footsteps.

"Save her!"

"What are the doctors and nurses waiting for? Hurry!"

"She's bleeding so much… her pupils are dilated. She's going to die!"