Chapter 4
“You people are so vicious, the child you give birth to will probably be born without an anus!”
The doctor spat out the words, then slammed the ambulance door shut.
He exchanged a glance with the driver, stepped on the gas, and the vehicle shot forward.
As we passed through the hospital lobby, I saw Joseph holding Katherine as if she were made of fragile, cradling her with the tenderness reserved for priceless treasures. His gaze was filled with warmth, noth- ing like the cold, hostile glare he reserved for me. The difference was night and day.
I thought I would feel hurt, that I would ache inside, or even cry. But Joyce’s ordeal had drained every last bit of strength from me. I barely glanced their way before turning my eyes aside, as though they were strangers.
Five minutes after Joyce was wheeled into the operating room, the lead surgeon walked out, shaking his head. “Ms. Wallace, there’s no point fighting it anymore. You should start preparing for the worst.”
I froze in place. My lips trembled for a long moment before I managed to stammer, “Doctor, please, save her! I’ll get down on my knees if I have to!”
He caught me before I could fall, his face clouded with pity. “It’s not that I don’t want to save her. Her body is already stiff.”
His next words felt like a blade slicing through my chest. “The nail in her chest pierced straight through her heart. She was literally tortured to death.”
My legs gave out completely. I wanted to cry, but no tears came.
Then, a voice sounded behind me. “I know an international specialist. I can save her.
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It was Katherine. The sight of her made my blood boil, and I wanted nothing more than to tear her apart with my bare hands. But she said she could save Joyce…
“What do you want in return?” I asked through clenched teeth.
Her lips curved into a strange smile. “Let me handle her first. Then, you can thank me later.”
I didn’t believe she had an ounce of goodwill. But I had no other choice-only a desperate hope to cling
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That afternoon, two men, introduced as top international specialists, walked into the operating room.
I tried to follow, but Katherine blocked the doorway with an outstretched arm. “They said if you go in, you’ll just get in their way.”
I stared at the tightly closed door and forced myself to wait, my stomach twisting with anxiety.
Minute after minute crawled by.
Suddenly, a nurse came running toward me, her face ghostly pale. She said, “Ms. Wallace, she lied to you. They’re not trying to save your daughter at all—”
“What do you mean?!” I grabbed her by the arm.
Panting, she blurted, “I saw it on the security feed. They poured acid over your daughter’s body. Her en- tire upper half is gone.”
A deafening roar filled my head. My vision swam, and I nearly collapsed.
Just then, the operating room door swung open. I shoved past the men and rushed inside.
The sight before me knocked the air from my lungs. My knees buckled, and I dropped to the floor.
A flood of red filled my vision. Joyce’s upper body was nothing but a pool of cloudy blood, long nails scattered and submerged in the mess.
“Katherine!” My eyes burned, my vision blurred with rage. I stormed out, grabbed her by the hair, and yanked with all my strength.
“Ah!” she screamed.
I didn’t hear her. I slammed her head against the wall again and again, the dull thuds echoing through the hallway.
White tiles bloomed with splashes of red.
“You bitch! You lunatic!” she shrieked in pain.
The next second, someone’s foot slammed into me. I was sent sprawling, my head smacking against the railing, the world ringing in my ears.
I looked up to find Joseph’s eyes bloodshot with fury. He pulled Katherine into his arms, holding her tight, and jabbed a finger at me. “How dare you!”
I wiped the blood from my face, my legs trembling as I struggled to stand. Tears spilled into my mouth,
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and my throat felt like it had been slit open.
“Joseph! Why wouldn’t I dare? Your daughter’s body was dissolved by your mistress-using acid!”
