The doctor was confident. “Yes, I’m sure of it. It’s not necessarily true that heavy bleeding connotes serious wounds. At worst, her fall might accidentally trigger an older leg injury, and since it’s connected to some of her leg ligaments, it elicited a sudden jolt of pain that could, understandably, cause her to faint in agony. Either way, when the IV drip finishes, she will be ready to go home. Right now, she’s already awake.”
Mark nodded and walked inside the emergency room. Shelly was lying on the bed, her complexion ashen. The usual cherry tint in her lips was now pale and bloodless. Fluid from an IV bag hanging above her head dripped slowly through the line and into her body; chilled by the nipping, wintry air, the fluid often left the patient’s arm feeling torturously numb.
Mark reached out and held the arm that was being fed the IV drip. Just as he thought, her arm was frigid to his touch.
“Why? I texted you. I told you I wasn’t coming.”
Shelly flashed him a pallid smile. “I’m sorry, dear. I’d been busying myself preparing food since the early morning that I missed your message. By the time I came around to reading it… lunch was already set. You only told me that you weren’t coming before noon, so I thought—I held out hope—that you’d change your mind, and I wouldn’t want you and Smore to come when there’s no food on the table. But after waiting and waiting and my cooking turning cold, I knew you were not coming anymore. I began to clear the table, but I… I’m so clumsy and useless that I tripped and fell,” she recounted. “When you answered my call… you were in a mall, weren’t you? You and Arianne must have been shopping at that time. Oh, Mark, would she be mad that I’ve borrowed you at this time?”
Mark merely shook his head wordlessly.
They waited until the IV therapy was over before Mark drove Shelly home.
By then, the sky had gradually darkened. Thinking Shelly should not be left alone in her current condition, Mark stayed and watched her finish her dinner before finally leaving.
The corner of Arianne’s lips quivered into a lopsided smirk. “No big deal, a cut, and some blood. And that’s all it took to keep you until midnight? She’s got some Oscar-level acting.”
Mark frowned. “What are you implying here? You think she made this up? I saw it with my own eyes. How fake could it be? Look, I know you hold some… misgivings about her, and yes, she has done a lot of questionable things before. But you can’t just downplay a person’s experience just because one or two instances of their actions in the past hurt you. Honestly, where is her fault this time?… You know what? I’m taxed. I’d appreciate it if you don’t kick up a fuss right now, okay? Let’s all rest early.”
He failed to notice Arianne’s shuddering frame. The fury inside of her flared, torching all over her mind until she was seeing red.
“Where is her fault? Let me enlighten you, then. Her fault is that she won! She won, I frickin lost, and now she’s pleased with herself and beaming about it, isn’t she?!” Arianne fumed. “Remember how we got married? You used some sort of trick and made me your wife despite my absence. This time, though, I’m not sitting out on my divorce—I will be there. I don’t care how busy you are, and I don’t care what depraved scheme she’ll cook up tomorrow; I just want you to spend about half a day drafting the document. It’s not gonna be a drag to do, nor will it take too much of your precious, sweet time.”
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