Chapter 5: Tears and Transactions<\/p>\n
Two days later, my phone buzzed with an unknown landline number. Recognizing the prefix for Westwood Medical, I pressed record before answering.<\/p>\n
\u201cClara? It\u2019s me. Audrey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice was breathy, fragile, laced with a practiced tremor. I said nothing, letting the silence stretch until it became a physical weight.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you probably hate me,\u201d Audrey whimpered, the sound of fake tears wet against the receiver. \u201cI just wanted to apologize. I swear to you, I had no idea Declan diverted your blood to me until yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you truly knew nothing,\u201d I said, my voice flat and devoid of empathy, \u201cwhy did you initiate this call by explaining the exact thing you claim ignorance of?\u201d<\/p>\n
The fake crying hitched, stumbling over its own script. \u201cClara, must you be so ruthless? I almost died. Whatever Declan chose to do, he was just trying to save a life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he want to save a life, Audrey, or did he want to save your life? There is a profound difference. If it were standard protocol, the medical board would have made the call. Instead, my husband used his absolute authority to override the system specifically for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI just wanted to live!\u201d she cried, abandoning the innocent act and pivoting to emotional blackmail. \u201cYou are his wife. You\u2019ve had him for seven years. What did I do wrong by wanting to survive?\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the sterile ceiling. You\u2019ve had him for seven years. There it was. The entitlement of the \u201cone who got away.\u201d She viewed my marriage, my life, and my blood as communal resources she could tap into because of her historical claim on my husband.<\/p>\n
\u201cAudrey, let\u2019s talk about resources,\u201d I said coldly. \u201cWho arranged your placement in VIP Room 3?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe\u2026 the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd who fronted the exorbitant daily costs for your private nursing?\u201d I pressed. \u201cDid Declan use the hospital\u2019s Charitable Aid Foundation to waive your fees?\u201d<\/p>\n
I could hear her breath catch.<\/p>\n
\u201cI built that charity,\u201d I continued, unleashing the trap I had laid. \u201cRecipients must provide documented proof of extreme financial hardship. You are the heiress to the Snow family fortune. Which poverty metric do you meet, Audrey?\u201d<\/p>\n
She panicked, her voice turning venomous. \u201cYou are going to destroy him over petty jealousy! He hasn\u2019t slept in days. He knows you won\u2019t leave him, Clara. He knows you\u2019re just throwing a fit to get his attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before I could obliterate her, the door to my room flew open. Declan stormed in, phone in hand, looking like a man pushed to the brink of insanity. He saw me holding my phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you talking to?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n
I put the phone on speaker. Audrey\u2019s voice filled the room. \u201cDeclan! I was just trying to apologize to Clara, but she\u2019s being so cruel\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
Declan\u2019s face hardened. He looked at me with absolute disgust. \u201cClara, her blood pressure just dropped. She is emotionally fragile. Take your resentment out on me, not her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe called me,\u201d I said evenly. \u201cWould you like to hear what she actually said?\u201d<\/p>\n
I tapped the screen, playing the recording from three minutes prior. Audrey\u2019s voice echoed in the room: \u201cYou\u2019ve had him for seven years. I just wanted to live\u2026 He knows you won\u2019t leave him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Declan\u2019s expression faltered, the righteous anger draining from his face as he heard the manipulative venom in Audrey\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cClara\u2026 you recorded her?\u201d Audrey shrieked through the speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cI record everything now,\u201d I said, looking directly at Declan. \u201cEver since I realized my husband\u2019s word is worth nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Declan lunged for the phone, his instinct to protect Audrey overriding his shock. \u201cAudrey, calm down. I\u2019m coming to your room.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hung up my phone. The betrayal was complete. Even presented with her blatant manipulation, his first instinct was to run to her aid.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo,\u201d I said, pointing to the door. \u201cBut know this, Declan. I just sent Sloan an order to officially audit Audrey Snow\u2019s charitable aid application. We finally caught you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He froze in the doorway, the color fully leeching from his skin. He realized, in that singular moment, that this was no longer a marital dispute. It was a corporate and legal execution.
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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