Outside the ER, I prayed for Margaret's safety.Hours dragged on without any news. I cried till my eyes swelled shut.When the doors finally opened, the doctors all looked grim. "I'm sorry. We did all we could."It hit like lightning."How? No, she can't be gone," I wailed.Sarah showed up again. "Well well, look who is crying here? Weren't you so tough earlier? Did I nail it? Your mom is dead?"She laughed, "She was old anyway. I did you a favor, lightening your load. You should thank me. This is what you get for stealing James from me."My mind blanked, with only one thought left. I would take her down with me.I bolted to the next room, grabbed a scalpel, and stabbed her wild. Blood soaked her white skirt. She couldn't even speak.With my last family gone, I had nothing to fear and nothing to lose."Your parents should thank me for cleaning up their mess," I hissed, avoiding the vitals.I would not let her die without pain.Screams filled the hall. "Murder!"That didn't
"No way in hell," I spat. "Even now, you're blind like this? I pegged you wrong. You're worse than her."Linda stepped forward. "That lady barged in here making a racket when the patient needed peace. What's her deal?"Others chimed in, agreeing.But James stayed stone-faced. "That's no excuse to hit her. For that, I could charge you with attempted murder. So, would you apologize or not?"His words hit me hard, leaving me breathless. He suddenly felt so distant. Or maybe I had never known him.This was the real him."To someone who hurt my mom?" I shot back. "I've been married to you for six years. Does your conscience even twitch, or do you not have one?"Before we could settle it, the machines behind me screeched."Quick, the patient is crashing," shouted a doctor. "Get her to the ER."They rushed to move Margaret, but James refused to step away from the door.A doctor frowned. "Dr. Carter, step aside. Time's critical."James didn't budge. He simply shut the door. "Apologi
Sarah's words enraged me. I hadn't gone after her yet, but here she was, causing us trouble.Unable to hold back, I charged in, grabbed her hair, and slapped her hard."Shut your filthy mouth, or do I have to break it?" I snapped.Sarah yelped in pain and lunged at me. She shouted, "It's all your fault, you bitch! You must've said something to James. Why else would he block me?"I didn't even hear her. My head was full of how Margaret had ended up like this because of her. All my pent-up rage exploded on her.But the more I lashed out, the more she egged me on, spewing venom. "I should have killed her that day. Like mother, like daughter. You only snagged James while I was abroad. Do you really think he cares about you? Dream on, you're nothing."Her words made me freeze, but hatred soon took over.I hated James's partiality and my own blindness. I lost all senses and grabbed her throat, squeezing as she thrashed.An onlooker recognized me and rushed to inform James. Security
"You keep saying I'm petty," I said. "But when you faked that report for Sarah, did you think about Margaret in the ER next door? One slip, and she'd be gone forever. Did you think about your responsibility to me and the family? When you cleared Sarah's crime, did you think about our future?"My questions rendered James speechless, but I knew the answer.No, he had not. Sarah's future was all that he cared about."I'm not letting this slide," I concluded. "Whatever it takes. I'll make sure she pays the price. And you? Don't let me catch you slipping, or I won't let you off either."I turned and walked out.He reached for me, but I shook him off.In a taxi, I called my old friends for help and fell asleep out of exhaustion.The driver, unable to wake me up, saw missed calls on my phone and dialed James.When I opened my eyes, I found myself in our bedroom.James came in with medicine, sounding tired. "I know you're worried about Margaret, but you should take care of yourself. I
As I thought of James's relationship with Sarah and Margaret's situation, my stomach churned again.I smashed everything he'd ever given me onto the floor."Remember why you became a doctor?" I asked. "You told me that your family went bankrupt and that your parents were framed and beaten to death. So, you wanted to save lives. Look what you're doing now. Helping a monster escape justice. How would your parents see it?"I paused and added, "You've got no heart. All these years, Margaret treated you like her own son, better than me sometimes. And this is how you repay her? She doesn't deserve this. Trash like you doesn't belong in this world."I fought back my tears, unwilling to show my weakness.Mentioning his parents broke him. He clutched his head, his tears hitting the floor."I'm sorry. I..." he muttered.I cut him off. "Yes, you are sorry. Without my sacrifices, you'd be nowhere. But you owe Margaret more. No matter what you say, we won't forgive you."He didn't deserve i
James lost it, yelling back, "Divorce over this? What are you thinking?"He grabbed my arm, dragging me to our wedding photo. Below it lay a smaller picture of him with Sarah's family.He pointed at it and huffed, "Her parents died because of me. I owed them this favor. What's the big deal? Why are you nitpicking? You weren't like this before."His words made me laugh.That was his debt to them, not mine."If I hit Sarah today, would you fake a report for me?" I scoffed. "Talking about debts. You owe me plenty too. Would you do the same to repay me?"His face twisted, and he roared, "That's not the same. I know you're worried about Margaret, but don't use it to throw a tantrum and talk about divorce. Sarah's got night blindness. She didn't mean it. Margaret's condition is temporary. She could wake up. But if Sarah got pinned, her life would be over."She didn't mean it, but Margaret didn't deserve this either.My icy stare daunted him, but he didn't give up defending her."You