Chapter 4
834 Words
There was traffic on the way to deliver lunch, so I arrived a little later than usual.
The moment I opened the door, a foul smell hit me in the face.
Only after I walked farther in did I see that the bed beside Jason's was tightly covered by curtains.
It turned out the roommate was relieving himself behind the curtain. That was one inconvenience of having just finished surgery.
Lily had already arrived. When she saw me come in, her face twisted with disgust.
She snatched the lunch box from my hand and threw it at Jason.
"Eat."
Jason glanced at the bed beside him and looked troubled.
"Now? I want to wait a while before eating."
Lily immediately raised her voice.
"Didn't you insist on waiting for the food she made? Didn't you say takeout tasted awful? Since her food is so delicious, you can eat it right now."
Jason was extremely picky with food. If a dish was even slightly not to his taste, he would not touch it.
That was why, no matter how busy I was, I always cooked for him myself.
Jason was still hesitating, so Lily slapped the table impatiently.
"Are you eating or not? If you don't, don't ever think about seeing me again."
"All right, all right. I'll eat."
Jason did not dare go against her. He slowly opened the lunch box and struggled to chew in the sharp stench.
Watching him like that made my stomach churn.
Lily hummed with satisfaction, her face full of pride.
"That's more like it. Let's see if you dare make me angry again."
She waved her hand in front of her nose, then got up and opened the window for air.
Just as she walked back and was about to sit down, her body suddenly tilted.
She fell toward the bed next to Jason's.
"Ah!"
A cry came from behind the roommate's curtain.
Only then did Lily slowly get up and say she had twisted her ankle.
The roommate's wife was not easy to bully. She yanked the curtain open in fury.
"What is wrong with you? You could fall anywhere, and you had to fall onto our bed? The blanket is all dirty now! We brought that blanket from home. Tell me how you plan to fix this."
Lily had been a little guilty at first, but the woman's words instantly fired her up.
"Why are you shouting? Just because your blanket is dirty doesn't mean you can bully others. If it is dirty, I'll just wash it for you."
The roommate's wife's brows shot up in anger. She grabbed the blanket and shoved it into Lily's arms.
"Fine. Then I will watch you scrub it by hand."
Lily turned around and tried to push the blanket into my arms.
"I'll watch him eat. You wash the blanket."
I almost laughed from anger. I stepped back twice and did not take it.
Lily's face darkened.
"What? Now you are picky about the work you do? Know your place. You are a caregiver, not some rich young lady."
I took a deep breath.
I had planned to wait a couple more days before laying everything bare. Since things had come to this, I might as well reveal it now.
I took my marriage certificate out of my bag and placed it in front of her.
"Look carefully. This is Jason Cole's and my marriage certificate. I am not his caregiver. I am his wife."
The once noisy hospital room fell into dead silence.
The couple next to us stood there with their mouths open, looking from one side to the other, not daring to speak.
Jason's face turned deathly pale. He wanted to explain, but not a single word came out.
Lily stared at the marriage certificate for two seconds, then turned and slapped Jason across the face.
"No wonder a caregiver dared to act so arrogant. Who exactly is this woman? Jason Cole, explain yourself. What is going on?"
Jason had been swallowing Lily's anger all through lunch, and that slap finally pushed him over the edge.
He looked at me with hatred.
"Fine. You even brought the marriage certificate. You came here to ruin me on purpose, didn't you? I am telling you, Clara Shaw. Either you scrub that blanket clean today, or you get out right now, and we divorce!"
He grabbed the marriage certificate, tore it in half, and threw it hard at my face.
I looked at the photo of the two of us split down the middle and laughed at myself.
For the sake of his so-called future, Jason had made up lie after lie.
He had even swallowed humiliation and thrown away the most basic dignity a person should have.
Even after being slapped now, he only dared take his anger out on me.
This was the man I had risked my life to save.
I looked at him calmly, my voice empty of emotion.
"Jason Cole, you said that yourself."
- Writer
