Chapter 11

My expression darkened at the thought of Eve's photos being slotted into the photo album. A set of footsteps echoed from behind me. It was Richard. I slowly rose to my feet before turning around to meet Richard's gaze. "Where's the album that was previously in this drawer?" Richard must be the one clearing out the bedroom. Wynnie wasn't a fan of household chores, after all. I had a feeling that Richard knew what I was looking for. Otherwise, he wouldn't be wearing such a despicable grin right now. "That album contained photos of a dead girl. It's bad luck for me, so I've thrown it away. If you start looking for it now, you might be able to find it in the garbage pile." My hands began trembling at the thought of Eve's photos being thrown into the garbage pile. How could a grown man be this vile to the point he couldn't tolerate the existence of a dead girl's photos? Seeing as Richard was still grinning, I balled up my fists before punching him in the nose. Seriously, I had no idea how on earth I was able to possess such strength despite the fact that I was living on borrowed time. Richard let out a pained yelp. He clutched his nose while glaring at me angrily. Blood trickled through the gaps of his fingers and splattered onto the white carpet. I tilted my head while gazing back. Then, I pointed in the direction of the most unsuspecting corner of the room. "Do you know there's a hidden camera there? If you hit me, Wynnie will be able to see everything from her office in the company." Richard clenched his fists tightly before loosening them. He repeated that action a few more times, but in the end, he could only watch me leave unscathed. Before I could leave through the front door, I heard a dull thud coming from the master bedroom. It seemed that Richard had opted to punch the wall instead. I understood the reason why he did that. Richard was a well-loved celebrity, after all. Since when had he suffered from such mistreatment? He felt aggrieved because of me. It was only natural for him to vent his anger on something else. I sought out the security guard after that just to ask him where the residential area's garbage would be delivered. Surprised by my question, the security guard answered truthfully, "All of the garbage will be delivered to the biggest waste disposal station in this city." Before he could finish answering my question, I had already flagged down a cab and headed toward the waste disposal station. When everyone working in the station heard that I wanted to look for something in the garbage piles, they were shocked, to say the least. But when they found out that I was looking for my daughter's photos, they understood my plight immediately. They were all parents, after all—they understood perfectly well what I was feeling. Some people even joined in on the search for the stamp album. I described the album's appearance to them in full detail before starting the search. The stench emitted by the garbage piles was extremely horrendous. The stink was so strong that my stomach began churning involuntarily. But I couldn't care less about the smell. The workers told me that this batch of garbage would be sorted out and would be either buried or burned tomorrow. I didn't have much time left. The midday sun hung above my head, seemingly mocking me for my overestimation of my capabilities. I had spent far too long with my back hunched to the point that I could barely stand straight. Unfortunately, I only managed to clear out less than half of the garbage piles. Someone passed me a glass of water and told me to take a break. But I dared not do that. I was afraid that if I were to rest, I wouldn't be able to find that stamp album ever again. The stomach cancer had completely depleted me of my health. Coupled with the prolonged hours of exposure to the heat, I ended up fainting amidst the garbage piles. Before I blacked out, I remembered thinking that I was a pathetic, useless man for failing to protect Eve's photos. By the time I regained consciousness, all I saw was white. That was when I knew I was back in the hospital. I hadn't even found Eve's stamp album. That thought made me sit up immediately. But that was when I saw Wynnie slumping over the foot of the bed, fast asleep. The stamp album sat next to her. Did she recover the stamp album? I quickly grabbed the album and flipped it open. I didn't even pause to think about why Wynnie was in the ward with me. Wynnie jolted awake because of my actions. She raised my head to see me cradling the stamp album as though it was the most precious treasure to me. Surprisingly enough, she didn't mock me at all. Instead, she asked, "Is this stamp album really that important to the point that you're willing to risk your health just to find it?" I didn't want to acknowledge her at all, so I focused on flipping through the pages with my head hung low. Eve's photos were slotted into one of the thin plastic sheets. They were kept nicely, as proven by the lack of damage on the photos. The sight of Eve's smiling face in the photos made me smile as well. What a relief. I finally found the stamp album. Suddenly, Wynnie snatched the stamp album from my arms, prompting me to raise my head in alarm. That was when I met her rage-filled eyes. "Sebastian, I'm asking you a question here." "Wynnie, you're the selfish type who only loves herself. Someone like you can never understand my feelings." Wynnie let out an angry chortle. She continued glaring at me while saying, "You have this uncanny ability to piss me off all the time." "Thanks for the compliment." I was just stating the truth. I wanted to snatch the album back, but she nimbly avoided my hand. Wynnie shot a disdainful glance at the stamp album in her hands. "You just found it amidst the garbage piles, yet the first thing you do is hug it right away! How filthy!" The word "filthy" grated on my nerves. I leaned forward immediately to grab the stamp album. Then, I hugged it protectively. "It's not filthy! It's not filthy at all! Wynnie, you're the filthy one here!" A loud slap rang out in the ward at that moment. My face was heavily tilted to one side. At the same time, I felt flaring pain raging from my cheek. Even the corner of my mouth was injured. I slowly turned around to look at Wynnie, whose hand was still raised. She looked at her hand in shock. It was as though she didn't expect herself to lash out as well. The atmosphere in the ward was eerily silent. A nurse walked into the ward right after hearing the resounding slap. The moment she saw the bright red handprint on my cheek, she panicked instantly. "Aren't you supposed to be the patient's family? Why did you strike him? Get out!" The nurse quickly pushed Wynnie out of the ward. Then, she checked on my injury. She was stunned upon noticing the stamp album in my hands. After that, she commented, "You should get someone to wipe that album clean for you." I was stuck in a trance for quite some time before finally nodding in response. I had been married to Wynnie for so long. This was the first time she laid a hand on me. By the time Ryan reached my ward after receiving Wynnie's text message, another topic had gone viral on the Internet. "Ms. Jakeman strikes in the name of love! She fought her husband in his ward!" Since Wynnie was a public figure, there would always be people paying attention to her every move regardless of what she did. Not to mention, I was the one who had injured Richard earlier by punching him in the nose. That way, the mass media could easily connect the dots between the two incidents. Naturally, the netizens sided with Wynnie without hesitation. They only believed what they wanted to believe in, after all. That was why they could always come up with various reasons to justify Wynnie's actions no matter what she did. "That was a brilliant slap, Ms. Jakeman! You should've slapped him a long time ago!" "I agree with the commenter above me! How dare that man punch Richard!" "Why didn't that guy get run over by a car? Our darling Richard can easily take over his position if he dies!" "Wynnie and Richard forever!" Ryan sat in my ward while punching away on his phone angrily. He wasted no time in starting a comment war with the haters on the Internet. I could hear loud clicks coming from his screen.