When He Chose Her Over Justice, I Chose Revenge Over Love - Chapter 32: Chapter 32
You are reading When He Chose Her Over Justice, I Chose Revenge Over Love, Chapter 32: Chapter 32. Read more chapters of When He Chose Her Over Justice, I Chose Revenge Over Love.
When I came to, I was looking at the soft lighting of a hospital room.
My whole body felt like it had been taken apart and put back together, numb with pain.
"Evie? Evie, you're awake?" Riley's anxious face appeared, her eyes red-rimmed.
"The baby..." My voice was hoarse, barely audible.
"The baby's fine! It's a boy! A little premature, swallowed some amniotic fluid, he's under observation in the NICU, but the doctor says it's nothing serious, don't worry!"
Riley said quickly, gripping my hand tightly.
"You scared me to death! The nurse called me! Where the hell is that bastard Marcus?! I couldn't reach him!"
I tried to smile, but it pulled at my incision, making me gasp.
"He... went to sign the contract..." I whispered.
"Sign the fucking contract!" Riley exploded. "His own wife is having emergency surgery to deliver his child, and he runs off to sign a contract?! I'll kill that piece of shit! Evie, divorce him! You have to divorce him! That subhuman trash!"
While she was cursing, the door burst open.
Marcus rushed in, out of breath and sweating, still clutching a document folder.
"Evie! How are you? I got the call right after signing and rushed over! How did this happen so suddenly? Didn't they say you had a few more days?" His face showed the annoyance and anxiety of having his plans disrupted.
Riley shot up like an enraged lioness, pointing at Marcus's nose: "Marcus! Are you even human?! Evie almost died on that operating table! And you were off signing a house contract for your parents?! Your wife and child's lives matter less than mommy and daddy's real estate deal?!"
Marcus's face flushed red, then turned ashen: "Riley! Watch your mouth! That contract was scheduled! How was I supposed to know she'd go into labor suddenly! Besides, everything turned out fine!"
He turned to me, his tone accusatory: "Evie, you should have called me earlier when you started feeling off!"
I looked at him quietly.
At his face full of "unplanned inconvenience."
At the document folder in his hand containing the house contract.
My heart died completely.
Not even ashes remained.
"Marcus," my voice was weak but unusually clear, "the baby's premature, in the NICU. There's a deposit we need to pay. The nurse just came by asking about payment."
The anger and frustration on Marcus's face was instantly replaced by a more familiar emotion—cost-benefit analysis.
He frowned: "How much now? Didn't we just pay a thousand-dollar deposit?"
"The doctor says it's a bit complicated. We need to pay thirty thousand upfront." I looked into his eyes. "Half and half, fifteen thousand each. You should go pay it."
"Thirty thousand?!" His voice shot up. "Why so much? Are they over-treating? Let me talk to the doctor!"
"The doctor says the baby needs the incubator, various monitoring and medications. Thirty thousand upfront, they'll refund any excess." I repeated flatly.
Marcus's brow furrowed deeply, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the document folder.
"Half and half... fifteen thousand each..." he muttered under his breath, as if weighing options.
Riley was trembling with rage beside me, held back only by my grip.
After a few seconds, Marcus seemed to reach a difficult decision.
He pulled out his phone, opened his banking app, tapped around, then turned the screen toward me.
"Evie, look," his tone carried a heavy "I'm doing my best" weight.
"I just paid for the house stuff, so cash flow is really tight right now. This account only has about $2k left—that's for emergencies and next month's mortgage."
He scrolled to show me the balance: $2078.56.
"The baby's deposit, half and half is fifteen thousand each." He paused, his eyes showing "reasonable" compromise, "How about this—I'll cover your fifteen thousand portion for now, pay it from my account. But consider it a loan. When you're recovered and have more cash flow, you can pay me back. Sound fair?"
The air went dead silent.
Riley's breathing was as heavy as a bellows.
I stared at that glaring number on Marcus's phone screen: $2078.56.
At his "I've been more than generous" expression.
At the folder in his hand containing a contract worth hundreds of thousands.
I suddenly wanted to laugh.
In fact, I did laugh.
My voice was hoarse, pulling at my abdominal incision painfully, but I couldn't stop laughing.
I laughed until tears came.
"Evie... you... don't get worked up..." Marcus was unnerved by my laughter and stepped back.
"Fine..." I stopped laughing, wiped the tears from my eyes, my voice terrifyingly calm.
"Consider it a loan. Fifteen thousand. I'll write you an IOU. Go pay it."
Marcus visibly relaxed, as if he'd solved a tricky financial problem.
"Okay, I'll go pay. You rest well." He turned and quickly walked out, afraid I might change my mind.
The moment the door closed, Riley couldn't hold back anymore and sobbed while holding me: "Evie! Evie, how can you be so foolish! You're actually writing him an IOU?! That's his own son! That monster! That fucking bastard! I'm going to kill him!"
I gently patted her back, looking past her shoulder at the heavy darkness outside the window.
My eyes were ice-cold.
"Riley, do me a favor."
"Anything!" Riley looked up, her eyes swollen like walnuts.
"Find me a good postpartum care center. The best one."
My voice was soft but carried undeniable force.
"Don't worry about money. I have it."
Marcus thought he had everything calculated.
Thought I, Evelyn, was just some fool domesticated by the fifty-fifty system, powerless to fight back.
He forgot something.
A woman pushed to the brink will become a wolf.
Now, I could already smell blood.
My whole body felt like it had been taken apart and put back together, numb with pain.
"Evie? Evie, you're awake?" Riley's anxious face appeared, her eyes red-rimmed.
"The baby..." My voice was hoarse, barely audible.
"The baby's fine! It's a boy! A little premature, swallowed some amniotic fluid, he's under observation in the NICU, but the doctor says it's nothing serious, don't worry!"
Riley said quickly, gripping my hand tightly.
"You scared me to death! The nurse called me! Where the hell is that bastard Marcus?! I couldn't reach him!"
I tried to smile, but it pulled at my incision, making me gasp.
"He... went to sign the contract..." I whispered.
"Sign the fucking contract!" Riley exploded. "His own wife is having emergency surgery to deliver his child, and he runs off to sign a contract?! I'll kill that piece of shit! Evie, divorce him! You have to divorce him! That subhuman trash!"
While she was cursing, the door burst open.
Marcus rushed in, out of breath and sweating, still clutching a document folder.
"Evie! How are you? I got the call right after signing and rushed over! How did this happen so suddenly? Didn't they say you had a few more days?" His face showed the annoyance and anxiety of having his plans disrupted.
Riley shot up like an enraged lioness, pointing at Marcus's nose: "Marcus! Are you even human?! Evie almost died on that operating table! And you were off signing a house contract for your parents?! Your wife and child's lives matter less than mommy and daddy's real estate deal?!"
Marcus's face flushed red, then turned ashen: "Riley! Watch your mouth! That contract was scheduled! How was I supposed to know she'd go into labor suddenly! Besides, everything turned out fine!"
He turned to me, his tone accusatory: "Evie, you should have called me earlier when you started feeling off!"
I looked at him quietly.
At his face full of "unplanned inconvenience."
At the document folder in his hand containing the house contract.
My heart died completely.
Not even ashes remained.
"Marcus," my voice was weak but unusually clear, "the baby's premature, in the NICU. There's a deposit we need to pay. The nurse just came by asking about payment."
The anger and frustration on Marcus's face was instantly replaced by a more familiar emotion—cost-benefit analysis.
He frowned: "How much now? Didn't we just pay a thousand-dollar deposit?"
"The doctor says it's a bit complicated. We need to pay thirty thousand upfront." I looked into his eyes. "Half and half, fifteen thousand each. You should go pay it."
"Thirty thousand?!" His voice shot up. "Why so much? Are they over-treating? Let me talk to the doctor!"
"The doctor says the baby needs the incubator, various monitoring and medications. Thirty thousand upfront, they'll refund any excess." I repeated flatly.
Marcus's brow furrowed deeply, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the document folder.
"Half and half... fifteen thousand each..." he muttered under his breath, as if weighing options.
Riley was trembling with rage beside me, held back only by my grip.
After a few seconds, Marcus seemed to reach a difficult decision.
He pulled out his phone, opened his banking app, tapped around, then turned the screen toward me.
"Evie, look," his tone carried a heavy "I'm doing my best" weight.
"I just paid for the house stuff, so cash flow is really tight right now. This account only has about $2k left—that's for emergencies and next month's mortgage."
He scrolled to show me the balance: $2078.56.
"The baby's deposit, half and half is fifteen thousand each." He paused, his eyes showing "reasonable" compromise, "How about this—I'll cover your fifteen thousand portion for now, pay it from my account. But consider it a loan. When you're recovered and have more cash flow, you can pay me back. Sound fair?"
The air went dead silent.
Riley's breathing was as heavy as a bellows.
I stared at that glaring number on Marcus's phone screen: $2078.56.
At his "I've been more than generous" expression.
At the folder in his hand containing a contract worth hundreds of thousands.
I suddenly wanted to laugh.
In fact, I did laugh.
My voice was hoarse, pulling at my abdominal incision painfully, but I couldn't stop laughing.
I laughed until tears came.
"Evie... you... don't get worked up..." Marcus was unnerved by my laughter and stepped back.
"Fine..." I stopped laughing, wiped the tears from my eyes, my voice terrifyingly calm.
"Consider it a loan. Fifteen thousand. I'll write you an IOU. Go pay it."
Marcus visibly relaxed, as if he'd solved a tricky financial problem.
"Okay, I'll go pay. You rest well." He turned and quickly walked out, afraid I might change my mind.
The moment the door closed, Riley couldn't hold back anymore and sobbed while holding me: "Evie! Evie, how can you be so foolish! You're actually writing him an IOU?! That's his own son! That monster! That fucking bastard! I'm going to kill him!"
I gently patted her back, looking past her shoulder at the heavy darkness outside the window.
My eyes were ice-cold.
"Riley, do me a favor."
"Anything!" Riley looked up, her eyes swollen like walnuts.
"Find me a good postpartum care center. The best one."
My voice was soft but carried undeniable force.
"Don't worry about money. I have it."
Marcus thought he had everything calculated.
Thought I, Evelyn, was just some fool domesticated by the fifty-fifty system, powerless to fight back.
He forgot something.
A woman pushed to the brink will become a wolf.
Now, I could already smell blood.
End of When He Chose Her Over Justice, I Chose Revenge Over Love Chapter 32. Continue reading Chapter 33 or return to When He Chose Her Over Justice, I Chose Revenge Over Love book page.