Chapter 7 Shameless

Leonard had never let anyone touch his phone so casually, but this was the second time it had happened. When the police called him, it was Lily who answered, and it was the same when I called. "I'm hanging up if you don't have anything important. We're busy." Lily emphasized the word "we" on purpose to make sure I knew they were together. "Tell him to call me back after he's done with his shower." The pain made my voice tremble, and my trembling voice seemed to make her happy. Lily's tone became unusually cheerful. "He'll still be busy after his shower. He's not free to call you. If you have anything to say, just tell me. It would be the same anyway." I smiled wryly. She really thought too highly of herself, but I could not be bothered to talk nonsense with her. "Lily, the expenses of your trip to Sheffold are considered our joint marital property as well. Your intimate photos with him are evidence of adultery. Are you going to pay that money back to me if I take legal action?" Seeming to have been triggered, Lily's voice rose. "Eva, you're being too much! You old, ugly woman! Did you really think Leonard still loves you? Dream on. "All you talk about is money, you selfish gold-digger. Leonard regrets marrying you so much. "Don't even think about getting money from him. Even if you are poor, starve, or die of illness, he won't look at you again!" With that, Lily hung up coldly. "Beep, beep, beep…" Staring at the dark screen, I let out a long sigh. Maybe I did not really want to live that badly after all. If not, I should have begged her harder, right? "Eva? Eva!" The curtain in the middle of the ward was suddenly pulled open as Emma Carter looked at me in disbelief. "Why are you here? Did... you have surgery? What's going on? "Did your cancer relapse? Didn't they say it wouldn't relapse so easily after the surgery?" She asked me so many questions in a row that I had no way to answer them. I only asked her after she got tired from talking, "What are you doing here?" She pointed to the old lady's bed next to us. "My grandma is here. I rushed here as soon as I landed. But… what happened to you? Why didn't you tell me you were sick? Where's Leonard? "Was that his mistress who answered the phone just now? Has he become so shameless now?" The room was very quiet, so I knew my phone call with Lily could be heard by others. But what could I have done? In my current condition, I could not even leave the ward. Upon hearing no response from me, Emma got a little upset. "Why didn't you call me? How could you deal with everything here on your own?" I gently grabbed her hand as I teared up. Emma was my college roommate and my best friend. When I found out about the cancer relapse, I did think about contacting her, but she was in an important international competition at the time, and I did not want to distract her. I gave her what I thought was a decent smile. "But the surgery was a success, right?" She pinched my cheek softly. "You look horrible. Don't force a smile if you don't want to. "Where's Leonard? He didn't even come for your surgery. What an asshole! If it weren't for him in the first place, you wouldn't be suffering so much. And he's just—" I had already heard this more than once, so I quickly tugged on her clothes. "Since you're here, can you do me a favor?" I reached out and took off my earrings and the ring on my hand. I pointed to the bag. "Help me put those things in the bag into another package. Sell them and the bag for me. The bag was bought for 70 thousand dollars. Look for a reliable buyer. But the ring and earrings probably aren't worth much." Without realizing it, I touched the pendant on my neck. I still could not bring myself to take it off. It was true that Leonard did not treat me well now, but he was everything to me back then. However, one thing was clear to me. I needed money now—a lot of money. But I would not call Leonard again. I had to figure it out myself. Although the surgery went well, I still needed a lot of money for injections and chemotherapy afterward. I had thought it through. Even if we got a divorce, the jewelry at home was my personal property too. If all else failed, I would just smash the jewelry cabinet. The worst thing he could do was to call the police. From my research, I would not have to go to jail for family disputes like that. Emma kept frowning. She stuffed the ring back into my hand. "I have money. You can use it first." I shook my head. Stubbornly, I pushed the ring back to her. "These were all gifts from Leonard. I don't want them anymore. Help me sell them." I shook her arm. "Please." Emma opened her mouth, but she said nothing. She turned away to help me pack up the bag. She was really efficient. By the next afternoon, she had brought me the money. "They were sold for 50 thousand dollars. If it's not enough, I'll figure something else out." As she transferred the money to me, she did not dare to meet my eyes. I knew that most of that money was probably hers. However, I did not expose her. I planned to give her two of the most expensive bags as a gift when I smashed the glass cabinet at home. Just as I was thinking about which bags Emma might like, Leonard actually called me. is roar came through the moment I pressed the answer button. "Eva Greene, you're still asking for money even though you don't go to work? How shameless could you be?"