Harry lowered his head, and no one noticed that his eyes had started to redden little by little.
At that moment, the doctor walked in and said, “Is the patient awake?”
Hattie forcefully pulled out her hand and removed the needle from her left hand, saying, “I’m awake. Can I leave the hospital now?”
The doctor, taken aback by her forceful action, said, “You can’t leave yet. You’ve only received two-thirds of the medication. You need to finish the infusion and then undergo a full-body examination.”
“I don’t need a full-body examination. I know my own body, and receiving the rest of this medication is pointless.”
“Absolutely ridiculous!” said the doctor sternly, wanting to lecture Hattie at length.
Hattie remained expressionless. “I used to be a renowned doctor. I truly know my own body.”
“Renowned doctor? In what field?” inquired the doctor.
“I performed surgeries on people.”
“Then your hands…” Understanding the importance of hands for a doctor, Hattie’s disabled hands likely meant she could never wield a scalpel again.
Harry stood quietly beside them, his heart twisting.
Glancing around the ward, Hattie found her clothes, put on a coat, quickly fixed her hair, and was about to leave when Harry blocked her way.
“Where are you going?”
“Home. Didn’t you hear someone on the phone saying they’re waiting for me to come home and have soup?”
“If you want soup, I can have someone bring it here. We have all kinds of soup. Didn’t you hear the doctor say you can’t leave yet?”
Hattie looked bewildered, as if she was looking at a fool. She didn’t believe they could coexist peacefully under the same roof. She feared the soup Harry ordered might be poisoned.
“It’s my body, and if I want to leave, I will. It’s none of your business, even if it ends in my death. Get out of my way.”
Hattie’s urgency only made Harry want to tie her up. He couldn’t help but think that she was so impatient to see Micah.
Living together with a man and a woman, who knew what might happen?
“If you insist on leaving, then you’re coming with me. If you don’t want Dr. Baker’s hands to end up like yours, you better start listening.”
“Are you a pervert or just plain ignorant? No, calling you ignorant is an insult to ignorance,” remarked Hattie. She didn’t doubt the truth of Harry’s words. She knew how her hands had been broken.
It’s too easy to destroy someone’s dream – arranging accidents to ruin a doctor’s hands could ruin the rest of their life. However, to an outsider, it’s just one hand. Even if it resulted in a prison sentence, it would only be for intentional harm.
Ignoring Hattie’s words, Harry said, “It’s just these two choices. You decide.”
“I owe you nothing,” Hattie said. Even by her own previous standards, any debt to him had been repaid during her two years in prison, riddled with injuries.
Hattie could have continued pursuing her dream, made significant contributions to medicine if she hadn’t broken her fingers. Even after leaving prison, she could have made a name in the field. But, for his selfish desires and attachment, he kept her tied to him, using her as an outlet.
Seeing that she couldn’t leave, Hattie knew she had no choice. She didn’t doubt that if she didn’t agree, Harry would tie her up.
“Are you sure you want me to stay with you?” Hattie asked.
“You belong to me,” Harry replied.
“Would your fiancée agree?” Harry had a fiancée who had said she wanted to marry him two years ago, but that plan was disrupted because of Hattie’s situation. After two years in prison, she should have become his wife by now. Or maybe, someone else’s wife. “We’re not married yet, so she won’t mind,” he said.
She would become an old maid while trying to be the perfect wife, just to marry a scoundrel like Harry?
But I mind,” said Hattie. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll poison you or stab you in the middle of the night?”
Harry didn’t respond. His expression exuded confidence, as if he never considered that Hattie could harm him.
Hattie smiled. “You better keep that confidence, Harry. I’ll make sure to add the thirtieth stab wound.”
In the end, Harry brought Hattie back to the old place.
Harry found it bothersome to juggle two relationships and decided to bring his fiancée and his secret lover together under the same roof without considering the potential consequences.
When Harry introduced Hattie to others, he said she was his sister, so it didn’t seem strange for his sister and his fiancée to live together.
But Hattie, once rebellious in spirit, had become wiser. She decided not to seek trouble for herself and instead chose to be a demure woman.
So, when Harry brought her back and she saw Fiona, she put on a smile and pretended to be close to Harry, saying, “Fiona, it’s been so long! I thought I would find you as Mrs. Stewart when I got out. From today on, I’ll be staying here. I hope you don’t mind. I didn’t really want to, but Harry insisted on bringing me here. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. Ugh.”