Chapter 80 Swallowing the Bitter Pill
That afternoon, Evelyn spent her entire three–hour lunch break talking with Myrtle.
By the time she finally stood, the food on the table was cold and untouched.
Yet both of them felt stronger.
They walked back to work together. Myrtle didn’t even bother with a mask. She allowed the red handprint to stand out openly on her check, unashamed of the stares and whispers.
Their afternoon passed without trouble.
But Harriet’s did not.
That morning, after she slapped Myrtle, Tom only gave her a light scolding in his office.
By noon, though, Tom came back from an errand with a different attitude. He ordered her to collect trash in the woods behind the hospital. If she refused, he threatened to file a complaint with her school in Kingstead and request her internship be extended.
She already hated being here. The last thing she wanted was more time stuck in this place.
So she was forced to pick up trash like a student punishment duty.
That was frustrating enough for her.
מי
When she returned to the hospital, her frustration grew worse. Myrtle was chatting freely with coworkers, her bruised face uncovered for all to see. When their eyes met, Myrtle gave her a cold, dismissive look.
Harriet was certain of it. Myrtle must have been talking about her.
She was probably telling everyone how vicious she was, painting her as some monster who attacked her own
team.
She wanted to storm over and start a scene, but Tom stepped in. He warned, “If you do this now, you’ll make it worse. They’ll extend your internship indefinitely, and you’ll get nothing out of it.”
Harriet snapped back, her voice sharp. “So I’m supposed to let Myrtle insult me in public?”
“How do you know she even mentioned you? You have no proof. And even if she did, the smarter move is to let it go. It’s easier to handle enemies when you don’t fuel the fire. If you really want peace of mind, talk to her privately and settle it with an apology. Otherwise, you’ll keep driving yourself crazy, and work will be unbearable.”
Apologize to Myrtle?
Harriet thought Tom had lost it. That was a terrible idea.
But now, standing outside Myrtle’s room, Harriet wondered if maybe she was the one losing her grip. Because somehow, she had actually decided to follow his advice.
Clenching her teeth, she knocked on Myrtle’s door.
There was none of the humiliation she had imagined.
Chanter so swallowing the differ bil
Myrtle only said that from this point on, everyone should stay out of each other way and let the matter at here. Nobody needest to mention it again, or it could hurt their internship.
Harriet agreed, yet unease lingered inside her.
She wondered if it was really over so easily.
When she walked out, she stayed cautious. Instead of heading straight back, she lingered by the stairwell and waited to see what Myrtle would do.
She had not expected it, but from her hidden corner, she caught something.
The moment Myrtle finished patching things up with her, she could not hide her excitement. She hurried across the hall to find Evelyn, her voice bright with eagerness.
Her joy spilled over so loudly that Harriet heard every word from outside.
That was when Harriet finally figured out the situation.
She should have figured it out earlier. Tom had never had the gall to punish her before. It was odd enough that he suddenly made her pick up the trash or risk extending her internship.
And Myrtle was just some peasant from the sticks. There was no way she could make Harriet bow her head against her will.
Tom’s perfectly timed persuasion should have been the clue.
It was Evelyn’s setup all along.
That outsider had only been here for one day and already acted like she belonged. The arrogance was unbearable.
Rage tightened Harriet’s chest. Her fists cracked as she clenched them, and she stormed away.
When she returned to her room, still boiling, she threw herself onto the squeaky iron bed. The shabby walls and worn furniture only fueled her anger.
Then an idea came to her, sharp and cunning. A sly smile tugged at her lips.
The next morning, Evelyn woke to the sight of several cockroaches crawling across the floor, their greasy shells glinting as they scurried in the light.
The sight was disgusting.
Just then Myrtle walked in carrying breakfast for her. The instant she spotted the insects, she screamed, dropped the buns, and bolted out the door.
Evelyn’s reflexes were quick.
She caught both buns before they hit the ground, then crushed each cockroach under her heel until the room fell silent again.
Myrtle returned, pale and shaken. She held the buns but could not bring herself to eat. Her voice trembled. “Why were there roaches here? Dr. Schmidt, your place is spotless. There shouldn’t be any crawling around.
Chapter 80 Swallowing the Bitter Pill
I don’t know. Maybe the room was empty too long, Evelyn said, her expression Unreadable.
Harriet strolled over, pretending to be curious. “What are you two talking about?”
Dr. Davis … morning. Even though Harriet had apologized the night before, Myrtle still shrank a litde when she faced her.
Harriet slipped her arm through Myrtle’s as if nothing had happened. “Come on, we came to an agreement last night. We’re good colleagues now. I just heard you scream and thought I’d check in.”
“It’s nothing. Just cockroaches in the r
Just cockroaches?
To Myrtle, that was far from “just.”
Evelyn replied.
“Don’t worry about it. Roaches are normal. My room had some too, but they disappeared after a while. If you’re too scared, you can stay in my room for a couple of days. Once the bugs are gone, you can come back. How’s that sound?”
She did not wait for Evelyn’s answer. Harriet was already inside, glancing around. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you get rid of them. After this, you won’t see another one anywhere in your room.”
Evelyn narrowed her amber eyes at Harriet.
Her voice was calm but cutting. “Are you sure you want to switch
rooms with me?”
“What, you think I’ll look down on your things? Of course not. I may be from Kingstead, but I’ve dealt with worse. Whatever’s in here–”
ཇ་ཧན་ཕ་ཛ ོནྣཾ ་ཆེ ཆ་ཁལ་༴
She stepped forward, determined to prove she could handle whatever conditions Evelyn lived in.
But the moment she entered, she froze.
The dorm was nothing like she imagined. The tissue box on the desk, the bedding, even the mosquito net- everything looked brand new. Some of it was better than what she had.
“Well? Are you comfortable with these things?” Evelyn asked softly. Her words struck like a slap, and Harriet’s face burned with shame.
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