Chapter 6 Bitterness in the Heart

Watching them leave, I finally understood. No wonder Calvin had never brought Emily home. He'd been worried about her allergy to dogs. The young nurse next to me seemed anxious. She wanted to call after them, but I stopped her. "Ms. Jefferson, he's your husband, right? Isn't this too much?" The nurse, who was probably fresh out of school, was righteously indignant. I shook my head. "It's fine. We're getting divorced. I might die faster if he stays." A woman should never let herself be consumed by anger. I wondered if my cancer had relapsed because I'd spent the last three years bottling up my emotions. With the drama finally over, Ralph resumed scheduling my surgery. Perhaps he felt guilty toward me; he ended up prioritizing my surgery after confirming my condition was fit for it—barely, but it was enough. Maybe Phyllis' protection pendant had worked. … Ralph had initially said that my chances of surviving this second surgery were slim, but everything went unusually well. It seemed that a little luck could get me living a little longer. I felt a strange sense of gratitude toward Calvin for upsetting me today. If he'd been too kind, I might have died sooner. The pain in the ICU was unbearable. This wasn't my first surgery, but it hurt far more than the first. Perhaps it was because I knew no one cared about me right now. During my first surgery in Melyria, I'd had my mother with me. I couldn't stop my tears from falling when I thought of her. If I'd listened to her more back then, would she have lived longer? A nurse monitoring my condition gently wiped my tears and softly offered some words of comfort. "The surgery was very successful. It's normal to feel pain after the anesthesia wears off. Just hang in there." Her eyes were filled with sympathy she couldn't hide. I could imagine why. I might have become the most famous person to exist in the hospital today. It wasn't because I had hit my head, but rather because my husband had left with his mistress and hadn't bothered to stay with me, his wife, who was about to undergo surgery to remove cancer. But I no longer cared. There was hope as long as I survived. … In the days following the surgery, no one contacted me, and I didn't bother thinking about it. The old lady next to me and I shared a caregiver, which saved me at least a few thousand dollars. I took my phone out late at night. Calvin hadn't reached out, and there were no calls or texts. Emily loved sharing, and her updates were frequent. In the group chat without her, she was still the center of attention. "Mr. Pierce spoils her so much! He took her on a vacation to Savile just because she had an allergic reaction?" "We're slogging away, making plans, and they're relaxing at the beach spa." "We might not compare to them, but at least we're not as bitter as Summer." "Doesn't she care that Mr. Pierce is cheating on her while they're still married?" Whenever people talked about Calvin and Emily, they'd inevitably think of me. To them, I had to pitifully endure humiliation and stay silent for money while Calvin had affair after affair. They seemed to have forgotten that I'd once been a well-regarded designer at the company. I had been added to this very group chat when I'd first joined. They hadn't known who I was back then, and they'd shared everything with me. Now, it seemed like they'd forgotten I was still in the group. Just as I was about to turn off my phone, a call came in from a client. I hadn't been involved in Lumenix Group's project for months, so I didn't know why they were calling. The moment I answered, I was bombarded with angry complaints. "Ms. Jefferson, if Pierce Group doesn't want to continue working with us, that's fine. But you can't just leave us hanging like this!" "Mr. Pierce isn't answering calls, and no one from the company is coordinating with us. What about our project? Who's going to compensate us for our losses?" The more they spoke, the more agitated they became. I eventually gathered that Calvin had taken Emily to Savile and left a lot of work undone, including the project I used to manage. I let them rant for a while before weakly replying, "I'm sorry. I just had surgery and am no longer handling company matters." Years of experience taught me that showing vulnerability was the best way to de-escalate situations like this. It wasn't my fault, so why should I take the blame? The other party was momentarily stunned, and their tone softened. "You had surgery? You're in the hospital?" "Yes. If you can't reach Mr. Pierce, you can try contacting his secretary. I'm sorry I can't help." I hung up and glanced at the photos Emily had just posted. Then, I silently turned off my phone. Calvin had always been meticulous. He knew I was allergic to peanuts, and he would repeatedly remind the restaurant not to add them to our food whenever we ate out. If there were any in the dish, he would pick out every single one. Now that Emily was allergic to dog fur, he had taken her to the beach for fresh air. I guessed that made sense too. The sharp, stinging pain from my surgery wound spread across my body. I bit my lip hard and told myself it was nothing. But the next day, the pain grew worse. Ralph explained it was likely a side effect of my cancer recurrence. "Ms. Jefferson, as I mentioned before, I'd recommend you stay on the medication for at least six months. You're facing a recurrence, and you can't always count on being lucky, alright?" Ralph spoke earnestly, but I wasn't sure I could afford the treatment. The pain was overwhelming though, and in the end, I dialed Calvin's number. "Hello? Calvin is in the shower. Do you need something?" When Emily's voice came through the line, the ache in my chest intensified.