“His hand is burnt,” Monica reproached, “Can you please leave? I’ll keep you updated on everything once we sort things out. There’s nothing you can do here. We even need to take care of you.” She then turned to someone and instructed, “Can someone please bring Ms. Tanner back to her room?”
“I’m not going anywhere. I need to know if he’s okay.” I held on to the table and shook my head profusely.
“Stop making things difficult for us! There’s nothing you can do. You can’t even see! Who knows if you’ll hurt Chris again?” It was Julia speaking this time. It was obvious that she was infuriated. I wanted to defend myself, but there was nothing I could say. So, I fell into silence and let the nurse take me out.
For the past two days, the nurse had been taking care of me, making sure I was able to get through the day doing everything I wanted to. This was the first time ever since I lost my sight that I felt as if I was actually handicapped.
Gripped by frustration and resentment, I rubbed my eyes hard, trying to regain my sight, but I still could not see a thing. At last, I sat back in my wheelchair in despair.
I would not be able to take care of Christopher in this state. Although he would still love me the same, I felt brazen to still covet staying with him given my inconvenient situation now.
Bitterness gripped me at this thought.
After some time, I attempted to get out of the wheelchair to go over to the bed, but because I had remained seated for too long, my legs felt numb and weak. I slumped to the ground and sat there without moving, letting my disability sink in.
A knock came from the door, but I did not reply. After a brief silence, someone opened the door, and rapid footsteps followed. “Are you okay, Ms. Tanner?”
It was Monica. Although the woman disliked me, she was still kind at heart. At her question, I nodded my head, saying, “I’m fine.”
“Why don’t you just call for help? The nurses are all outside.” She helped me to the bed, and I pulled the blanket over without saying a word.
It did not feel nice receiving kindness from a love rival.
“Chris is fine. The heart rate monitor was faulty. They’ve already gotten it fixed.” I could feel her sitting down and looking at me.
“That’s good,” I replied with a sigh of relief. I badly wanted to restore my sight.
“You should get some rest. This is my family’s hospital, so don’t worry about the bill. Darius has contacted some of the best ophthalmologists from abroad. They will be here in two days. I’ll do my best to help you in every way I can. After all, you saved Chris.”
Monica leaned closer, and I could feel her breath on me. The scent of her perfume wafted in the air, causing me to back off instinctively.
Monica then uttered, “I know Chris doesn’t like me, but when I look at you, I can’t help but wonder what it is in you that he sees. I’d readily give my life to save him like you did if I were you.”
“You’re a more suitable match for him. I’m aware of that,” I said dryly.
“Yes, but he doesn’t like me,” she said candidly, “I can’t believe I lost him to someone like you, but let me make this clear. I will not give up. Neither will I go easy on you because of your misfortune.”
I scoffed before I replied, “I don’t need your pity. Everything I did for Christopher was out of my own free will. Although I paid a dear price for my love, I never once regretted my choice.”
“But I regret his choice. I can never accept the fact that he chose a divorcee and a blind woman. Chris is such a perfect man. He deserves the best, not someone like you.” Monica did not even try to censor her hatred toward me.
“I don’t care about what you think. I don’t think Chris cares either,” I retorted firmly.
“But I care, and so do his parents. How can you be so selfish, Ms. Tanner? Chris had high prospects in the army if he kept up his performance, but he had to give all that up if he wanted to you. He worked hard for his dream for four good years, but all his effort went to the drain because of a woman like you.”
