Watching the two of them leave, I suddenly realized something. No wonder Leonard had never brought Lily back home. He was worried about her having an allergic reaction to Buddy's fur.
Anxious, the young nurse wanted to call him back. But I stopped her.
"Ms. Greene, he's your husband, isn't he? That's outrageous!" The nurse was young and had probably just graduated. She was indignant at the situation.
I shook my head. "It's fine. We're getting divorced anyway. If he stayed here, I might die even faster."
It wasn't healthy for women to be angry. I wondered if my cancer had relapsed again because of how much I had been suppressing my anger for the past three years.
After the commotion was over, Patrick started scheduling the surgery. Perhaps feeling a bit guilty toward me, he scheduled the surgery for me first after confirming that my vital signs were barely adequate.
I did not know if Agatha's lucky charm had really worked. Patrick had originally said the chances for the surgery to be a success were low since it was a second relapse, but this surgery went really well.
Clearly, using up some of my luck had allowed me to live a little longer. I suddenly felt grateful that Leonard came to upset me today. If he had been too kind to me, I might have died sooner.
When I was in the ICU, the amount of pain I felt was excruciating. Although it wasn't my first surgery, it hurt more than the first. Maybe it was because I knew no one cared about me.
During my first surgery in Manovia, at least my mother was by my side. I couldn't help but cry at the thought of her. If I had listened to what she said back then, would she have lived a little longer?
The nurse who was monitoring me gently wiped my tears and comforted me softly. "The surgery was really successful today. The anesthesia wearing off can make it hurt a bit, but just hang in there."
She could not hide the sympathy in her eyes. I could probably guess the reason. I must have become the hospital's celebrity today.
It was not because my head got injured, but because my husband had left with his mistress. He had abandoned his wife who needed surgery for cancer.
But I no longer cared. As long as I could live, there was hope.
Nobody contacted me in the few days after the surgery, and I did not bother thinking about it. The old lady next to me and I hired a shared caregiver, which saved me a few thousand dollars.
When it was quiet at night, I would sometimes check my phone. Leonard never contacted me. There were no phone calls or WhatsApp messages from him.
But I could always see updates from him and Lily. Lily was a very avid sharer, so she would constantly post things on her WhatsApp moments. She was the center of attention in the group chat that she was not in.
"Leonard is spoiling her so much! Did he actually take her on a vacation in Sheffold just because she had an allergic reaction?"
"Corporate slaves like us can't relate to that. While we're toiling away doing strategy planning, she's getting spa treatments by the sea!"
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Love's Bitter Edge (Eva and Leonard)
When's the next episode coming?...
Beautiful novel and I hope Eva and Jack get together and they have a kid too. Jack loves her a lot...