17%
Lyla stared at the death certificate, rubbing her eyes in disbelief, her gaze vacant. Suddenly, she choked up, her eyes rolling back as she opened her mouth wide, gasping for air.
“Call the doctor! Doctor! Doctor!” screamed a family member from the next bed as they ran out of the room.
Everly snapped out of her stupor and grabbed my clothes. “Ava, you’re lying, aren’t you? You hate that I’m with Archer, so you lied about him being dead.”
“He promised to marry me. I was waiting for him to marry me…”
I pried her hands off, sneering, “Your Archer has gone to hell. You want to marry him that badly? Fine, I’ll arrange a ghost marriage for you two tonight.”
Everly stepped back. “You’re talking nonsense! You’re just jealous of me, jealous that Archer loves me!“%
“Jealous of you? What’s there to be jealous about? Jealous because you’re old, ugly, and playing mistress to a married man, and now you’re pregnant?”
Everly’s legs gave out, and she fell to the ground, blood seeping from her trouser leg.
This time, the patient in the next bed shouted.
“Doctor! Doctor!”
“Mom! Mom!”
Ronan burst through the door and threw himself onto Lyla’s hospital bed, yelling at me, “Ava, what have you done to my mom? Doctor! Doctor! What are you waiting for? Go get a doctor! If anything happens to my mom and my nephew, I’ll skin you alive!“%
I scoffed, “With what will you skin me? Your brother is dead, and to me, you’re just a stranger now.“%
Ronan staggered. He was deep in debt from high–interest loans, waiting for Archer to come up with the money to pay them off.”
“How did Archer die? Did he jump into the river? Did you find Archer’s suicide note?“%
I laughed so hard I couldn’t straighten up.”
I wiped the tears from my eyes and looked at him amusedly. “What? You think I murdered my husband, and then you’ll kick me while I’m down? Are you waiting for me to die so you can cash in on my insurance?%
“Too bad.”
I picked up the death notice from the floor and shoved it at him. “Archer died in a car accident. Here’s the death certificate to prove it. If you don’t believe me, go ask at the morgue.”
Ronan stood frozen as if struck by lightning, pushed aside by the doctor who had rushed over.
“What’s going on here? Don’t you know you can’t agitate the patients?”
Seeing Ronan was no help, the doctor turned to me, and I quickly waved my hands.
“I’m not related to them.“W
Lyla opened her mouth and croaked hoarsely, her eyes venomously fixed on me.
Sadly, she couldn’t utter a single word.
