When the Fog Clears, No One Loves You

"Lila, since you're already here, drop all that talk about divorce."

"You drive home first. Myra's pregnancy is unstable and she needs to stay in for a few days. I'll be here at the hospital looking after her."

Watching the two of them, all I felt was nausea.

Playing brother and sister, while carrying on an affair, and a pregnancy.

I looked at Myra, my voice cutting.

"Myra, you've got the nerve to seduce a man, so why did you also make my husband steal my USB drive?"

"What is this, your special talent? Being a professional mistress?"

The two nurses pushing open the ward door stared at Myra, aghast.

"So you two aren't married. Then isn't it inappropriate for this gentleman to be staying overnight..."

"And I actually thought they were a devoted couple. I even praised him for knowing how to take care of his wife. Turns out he brought his pregnant mistress to the hospital?"

Myra froze on the spot, her eyes flooding with tears in an instant.

The two nurses hurriedly swapped in the new IV bottle and left the ward with their tray.

Myra immediately threw herself into Sean's arms, sobbing until she couldn't speak.

"Sean, Lila is humiliating me on purpose!"

"I only kept that USB because it had a lot of storage. I wanted to make more records of the baby, that's all. You bought her so many USB drives, why does she have to curse at me like this?"

"Those two are my new coworkers. I just started at this hospital. How is everyone going to talk about me behind my back now?"

Sean patted her back gently, the flame in his eyes flaring up.

"Lila, I'm the one who gave the drive to Myra. What are you losing your temper at her for? These things are everywhere. Do you have to blow it so far out of proportion?"

"Besides, the pictures on it were blurry and ugly anyway. Keeping them was a waste. Just take new ones later, problem solved."

"It's not case files. How important could it be?"

Sean's words came off completely indifferent, his gaze contemptuous.

Beyond furious, I struck at his face, my accusation almost a cry of despair.

"Important, of course it's important! I can never take another picture of Cassie again!"

"When you were with your precious sister showing off her ultrasound scan in the family group chat, ignoring my calls and telling me to leave the group, Cassie was already gone!"

Sean shoved Myra away and suddenly stood up, staring at me, dumbfounded.

"How is that possible? How could Cassie..."

Before Sean could finish, Myra suddenly rolled off the hospital bed.

"Lila, how could you push me?"

"It's just a USB drive. I'll buy one myself. Here, take it back!"

She scrambled up off the floor and flung the drive from the cabinet. It landed in the trash can in the corner.

"How could Cassie be gone? I saw her outside the preschool just yesterday!"

"A woman like you, cursing your own daughter over jealousy. You'd love to strap a monitor on your husband, wouldn't you? How low can you get!"

The trash can was full of filth.

Fluid dripping from a discarded syringe fell onto the drive. Not a single one of the pictures Cassie left behind was left.

The rage and pain twisting together in my chest nearly swallowed me whole.

I walked to the bedside and seized Myra by the collar.

My other hand rose to strike her across the face.

Then someone gripped my wrist, and Sean shoved me away.

My forehead cracked against the cabinet, the sound landing heavy in the silent ward.