Chapter 4
I was caught off guard when Laurel grew even more agitated at my words.
“Why are you putting on that saintly act? Just looking at you makes me sick!” she spat.
Even so, I forced myself to stay composed. I was just about to retort when the sound of a door closing echoed from the ward next door.
Within seconds, Kendrick appeared outside my ward.
The moment the door swung open, Laurel’s sobs filled the air.
“Roxanne, I didn’t mean to upset you. I just wanted to check on you. Please, stop yelling at me!”
As Kendrick’s footsteps drew closer, Laurel moved toward the window as if she were about to jump.
“I know you hate me. Maybe I should just die and let you have Ken back,” she cried out.
Naturally, she never actually jumped. Instead, she collapsed into Kendrick’s arms. Tears shimmered in her eyes as she gazed up at him.
Even from my bed, I could see right through her theatrics. The way she played her hand so effortlessly was almost admirable. She knew exactly how to wrap a man around her finger.
Meanwhile, fury flashed in Kendrick’s eyes. He stormed over to my bedside and clamped down on my wrist.
“What did you say to Laurel? Was everything you did before not enough?” he questioned.
I froze, utterly baffled.
Seeing my reaction, Kendrick scoffed. “If you had the guts to do it, at least own up to it. You’re jealous of Laurel’s family background, aren’t you?
“That’s why you sabotaged the ship before it set sail. Otherwise, how would it have just malfunctioned? I saw everything, Roxanne.”
I kept my gaze fixed on him, confusion written all over my face.
Everyone had checked the cruise ship before departure. I, too, had gone to the engine room for a quick check. But how could Kendrick put all the blame on me?
I chuckled coldly and asked, “Do you have proof?”
“Proof? Ever since you met Laurel, you’ve been jealous of our relationship,” Kendrick shot back.
“You’ve always been hostile toward her and have done countless things to hurt her. And now you have the nerve to ask for evidence?”
He spoke with such conviction that it sent a chill through me. As I looked at the man I had once called mine, all I felt was emptiness.
I had never been the hostile one. It was always Laurel. She’d kiss Kendrick and cling to him in front of me. Every move of hers had been a deliberate provocation.
Out of nowhere, exhaustion crashed over me like a tidal wave.
“Let’s get a divorce. You’re free to go.”
I had expected Kendrick to agree without hesitation. But instead, his expression darkened.
His anger flared. He was convinced that I was using divorce to threaten him. He even thought I was playing hard to get.
Sure, I had been insecure back when we were dating and always needed his reassurance. But things were different now.
I wanted nothing more than to cut ties with him completely. I never wanted to experience the pain of death again.
Kendrick gritted his teeth, the muscles in his jaw flexing as he hissed, “You want a divorce? Dream on! I won’t coax you this time, so quit acting like you’re so important.”
I couldn’t understand why he resented me so much yet refused to let me go.
Right then, Laurel approached him and wrapped her arms around his waist, saying, “Roxanne, I know you hate me. But that cruise ship was something my mother
left me.
“Ken only got upset because he cares too much. Please, don’t get a divorce just because of me.”
She made it a point to emphasize those last few words before walking out with Kendrick.
I closed my eyes and let the silence settle over me.
For the next three days, I barely spoke to either of them.
At last, I was regaining my strength. I began taking slow walks through the hospital corridors, trying to rebuild my stamina.
However, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me.
“That’s her, right? The one whose husband abandoned her? Poor thing. She even lost her baby,” someone whispered.
Another voice chimed in, “Her husband’s been in the ward next door this whole time, taking care of his mistress. When I went to change her IV, I couldn’t stand it and jabbed the needle in extra hard.”
The murmurs swirled around me. I was so caught up in their conversation that I didn’t notice the presence behind me.
With a box of health supplements in one hand, Sabrina Thorne, my sister–in–law, reached out with the other to steady me as we walked back to my ward. “Roxanne, is it true? Did Kendrick really leave you to drown just to save that bitch, Laurel?”
