Chapter 4
The doctor glanced at him in confusion, his tone sharp with reproach. “You, as a husband, are truly negligent. You don’t care at all about your wife’s condition! Miss Silva’s uterus had pathological changes. Any further delay would’ve cost her life! We called you at 1 p.m., but you didn’t answer. Miss Silva had no choice but to sign the surgery consent form herself!” Soren staggered back two steps, only to be steadied by a soft, delicate hand at his waist. Then, a gentle voice followed. “Soren, are you alright?” Looking down, Soren saw Hannah gazing at him with worry, her whole figure dainty and fragile as she leaned against his chest. He was tall and handsome; she was gentle and petite. From where I sat, they looked like a perfect match, truly well-suited. Interrupted by Hannah, the regret and guilt that had just filled Soren’s face quickly disappeared. All his attention shifted to her. “Miss Silva just had surgery. Step outside. I’ll explain some post-op precautions.” The doctor turned and left the room. Soren glanced at me hesitantly, as if unsure. Hannah spoke softly, “Go ahead, Soren. I’ll take care of Miss Silva.” Right in front of me, Soren gently slipped the bracelet he’d just taken from me onto Hannah’s wrist. He gently touched her face, his tone full of affection. “Thank goodness you’re here. Sorry to trouble you, even though you’re not feeling well yourself, to keep Diana company for a bit.” Watching the two of them so close, one of them still my husband, I felt a wave of nausea rise in my chest. As soon as Soren left and the door shut behind him, Hannah’s soft, timid expression disappeared. In its place was a cold, mocking smirk. She walked toward me in her heels, one step at a time. “My dear Miss Silva, I heard you signed off on two surgeries for yourself in just one week?” She chuckled softly as if remembering something funny. “Do you know? While you were lying on that operating table, taking a walk through hell, Soren was holding me, whispering that I’m his one and only sweetheart.” I trembled all over. Curled up in the hospital bed, fresh blood slowly soaked the gauze on my abdomen. Now that the anesthesia had worn off, the pain stabbed through me like a thousand steel needles twisting deep inside. Hannah’s mocking stare and light tone felt like another round of torture. “Hurts, doesn’t it?” She lazily untied the ribbon on her top, revealing a trail of reddish-purple marks below her collarbone. “When Soren got rough with me the other night, I hurt like hell too.” The diamond bracelet on her wrist clinked against the headboard with a sharp, cold sound. That bracelet, which had sat on my wrist for nine full years, was now on hers, taken back by Soren himself. The broken sparkles from the diamonds under the white fluorescent light stung my eyes. But it still wasn’t enough for her. With her long, manicured nails, she poked at my lower abdomen and smiled brightly. “You’ll never be able to have children again and the truth is, Soren won’t be sad about that at all.” “When he was drunk once, he told me the truth. He said you, a fatherless and motherless orphan, have no right to give birth to the heir of the prestigious Whitaker Family of Arlington. Only I, only someone of equal status, someone truly in love with him, am worthy of bearing his children!” “Even if your child had made it into this world, his fate would’ve been pathetic. Better off dead from the start!” My nails dug deep into my palms. “You’re lying. Let Soren in, I want to hear him say it to my face!” I tried to press the call button, but Hannah grabbed my wrist and slammed it hard against the wall.