Mrs. Davis began coughing, the sound harsh and concerning. I immediately turned my attention to her, adjusting her pillows and offering her water. This wasn’t the place for confrontation.
‘I need to get back to work,” I said flatly, turning to leave.
“We’re not done talking,” Ava insisted, following me into the hallway.
Once we were out of her grandmother’s earshot, I turned on her. “You want blown through it all. I don’t have any more to give!”
gain, don’t you? I’ve given your family plenty over the years, and you’ve
Since marrying Henry, I’d been a housewife focused on raising Billy. I had no income of my own. The money I’d been sending to the Davis family came from Betty’s help. When I’d married into the Harding family, there had been no wedding ceremony, but William had privately given me a substantial sum out of sympathy. I’d entrusted it to Betty to invest, and I received dividends from those investments.
I’d divided this money into smaller amounts, periodically sending
it
to Mrs. Davis under
Sam
name. Ava never showed any gratitude.
‘I don’t care where you get it from,‘ she said dismissively. “Grandma needs at least $500,000 for treatment. Figure it out.”
“That’s impossible,” I whispered, shocked at the amount. “I don’t have that kind
of money.”
Ava’s expression turned dangerous. “Then I might have to share some interesting stories with your handsome husband. I wonder if he’d still want you after hearing them.”
I could see the calculations running behind her eyes.
I knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t use all the money for her grandmother’s treatment. The excess would become capital for her to squander and indulge herself.
I never imagined Ava would turn out this way. Years ago, when my mother sent me to live in the countryside, the local children avoided me–but the Davis family had welcomed me. They’d invited me to play and share meals with them. Back then, Sam was twenty, I was thirteen, and Ava was just eight–a sweet, simple girl who adored her older brother.
I couldn’t comprehend how that innocent child had transformed into the mercenary deviant before me.
When she’d signed those papers years ago, Harding’s lawyer had given her two million dollars–enough for her and her grandmother to live comfortably for life in their small town.
How had they spent it all so quickly?
‘I’ll see what I can do,” I finally said, feeling the weight of the past. “Give me some time.”
Ava smirked triumphantly. “You have three days.”
As soon as she left, I called Betty, asking her to investigate Ava’s situation in the small town where she supposedly lived with her grandmother. I also requested her help in preparing $500,000.
“Sophia, what’s going on Betty asked, concern evident in her voice. “That’s a lot of money.”
Before I could answer, one of my colleagues called qut, “Sophia! There’s a new transfer patient. Could you handle the registration?”
I promised Betty I’d explain later and hurried to the front desk.
The sight that greeted me made my heart skip a beat.
Isabella stood at the reception desk, answering the nurse’s questions in her soft, melodious voice. Behind her stood a caregiver and a tall, familiar figure-
Henry.
Seeing my husband accompanying his beloved Isabella to check into the hospital, I expected to feel pain, jealousy, anger. Instead, I felt only an unexpected
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Chapter 135
glimmer of hope.
Divorce seemed within reach now.
Isabella spotted me immediately. Her eyes flashed with malicious triumph as she deliberately moved closer to Henry, linking her arm through his The she directed at me was full of gloating satisfaction.
I simply turned away, ignoring her display.
Let her have her moment.
Soon, I would have my freedom.
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