“I don’t mind being a side piece, why are you so concerned when you’re going to marry him? Right, Harry?” Hattie said confidently, unapologetic about the term “side piece,” and even with a sense of righteous indignation.
With just a few words, Hattie made Fiona cry and run out in frustration.
“Was that intentional?”
“You were taking it seriously, weren’t you? Do you think I did it on purpose?”
However, Harry didn’t feel the need to react violently to Hattie’s words, and he actually liked this side of her. He preferred her fierce and sharp-tongued demeanor over her lifeless hospital self.
Harry was well aware of how insincere Hattie’s remarks to Fiona were when she called out “Harry” in a fake and pretend manner. But even though he knew it was fake, he was willing to listen. Sometimes it’s okay not to take everything to heart and deceive oneself a little. He wanted to believe that Hattie still cared about him.
Quietly watching the entire process, Harry mused, “Where did you learn all this? You weren’t like this before.”
“In prison. You know best what it’s like inside. It turns people into animals. I just changed my appearance, that’s all. Being different is better than being an animal,” Hattie said, glancing mockingly at Harry as she criticized him with the term “animal.”
People can change in just one night, but it took her two years. The fact that she was still alive was already a good outcome. Hoping for her to return to her old self was nothing short of a dream, unless her physical condition improved and her severed fingers grew back.
Harry’s expression tightened briefly, and he couldn’t eat the food on the table. He wiped his mouth, pushed the chair away, and left.
Hattie knew he was going to chase after Fiona. As his nominal fiancée and after being together for so many years, it was only natural for him to seek to soothe her feelings.
Watching Harry leave with a sneer, Hattie’s mind conjured up a scene from a drama. The male lead would explain himself, the female lead would cry and cover her ears, refusing to listen.
And she would be the malicious green tea-rival in the script, a lowly interloper dedicated to destroying the relationship between the male and female leads, ultimately heading towards her demise.
Hattie continued to eat her soup, even getting a second bowl. She no longer wanted to feel sorry for herself.
After filling her stomach and warming her body with the soup, Hattie finally remembered something she had forgotten.
She had forgotten about Micah. He was probably still waiting for her to come back for dinner, but given the current situation, she feared she might never eat his food again.
The doctor’s hands were important, and she had already ruined her own. She couldn’t ruin Micah’s hands too.
Hattie called Micah on her phone, and as soon as it rang, he answered.
“Are you almost home? I’ve already made fish soup and I’m waiting for you to come back and have it,” Micah said tenderly.
Hattie felt a pang of discomfort in her heart, and with some difficulty, she replied, “Micah, I’m not coming back for dinner.”
“Why? Is something wrong? It’s okay, we can have the soup tomorrow. But I have to work late tomorrow night. I’ll wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for you to reheat when you come back. What do you want to eat the day after tomorrow? I’ll be off and I can cook a big meal for you. I remember you like sweet things, and today I saw a video that showed how to make shredded meat and pastry. It looks pretty simple…”
Micah’s voice was soothing, and even though it was pleasant to listen to, Hattie felt like crying. She held back her tears, but her hoarse voice betrayed her emotions.
“Micah, I’m not coming back for dinner tomorrow either.”
“And the day after tomorrow? Hattie, why aren’t you coming back? What’s going on?”
“I won’t be coming back the day after tomorrow either, Micah. I won’t be coming back anymore. You don’t have to make fish soup and dinner for me, or wait for me to come back to sleep, or make sweet pastry and shredded meat…”
“Why? Hattie, tell me where you are.”
A sudden noise came from the phone, as if something had been knocked over. After a while, the line quieted down, and the conversation continued.
“Are you at Harry’s?” Micah’s voice was low and those who knew him could tell he was angry.
Hattie did not deny it. “Yes, I’m at his place.”
“Are you safe?”
“I’m safe. Micah, you really don’t need to worry about me. I won’t be in any danger. I survived the toughest days in prison, so I’m not afraid of anything happening by his side. And I’m here of my own free will. I have things I want to do.”
“Why don’t you discuss what you want to do with me? Don’t you know your situation now, Hattie? How can I not worry? Put yourself in my shoes… if it were me, wouldn’t you worry? When I visited you in prison, you said you were fine, but what happened? You were bullied and your fingers got broken. If I hadn’t found out, were you planning to keep it hidden from me forever?”
Hattie clenched her phone and said in a strained voice, “That’s all in the past. Micah, I’m really safe. I don’t want you to worry about me, but I can’t stop you from worrying. I promise to update you on my situation every day. I really do. Trust me.”
At the sound of the words “trust me,” Micah gradually calmed down. After all the years they had been friends and partners at the same hospital, working together, the most common thing they said to each other was “I trust you.”
“As long as you’re safe. But Hattie, don’t try to deceive me. I don’t want you to end up like Elisa, with me only finding out after you’re gone.”
Mentioning Elisa made Hattie’s heart ache. She forced a smile and said, “I won’t be as foolish as her, using my own death to seek revenge on a scumbag. You know my personality. I’d rather send those who hurt me to hell first than send myself.”
“Take care of yourself.” It was clear that Micah’s voice was heavy with displeasure. He was still upset.
Hattie didn’t know how to comfort him, so she tried to sound as relaxed as possible. “Don’t worry.”
“I’ll trust you one more time.” Micah said and then hung up.
After hanging up, Hattie paced around the room. Just like she had told Fiona, nothing had changed here. There was the small dark room where she had been imprisoned, as well as the small room where she had conducted experiments. Even the study with the books she used to read was neatly arranged.
It was only when she reached her former bedroom that she noticed something different. Her door now had a password lock with a fingerprint scanner.
Since she had never registered her fingerprint, she couldn’t open it. The only possible password she could think of was Harry’s birthday, but it didn’t work.
Could it be Fiona’s birthday? Hattie tried again, but the door remained closed. Hattie even considered the birthdays of Harry’s parents and various other possible numbers that could have been set as the password.
Only in the end did she remember her own birthday. She entered the combination 1027, and with a click, the door opened.
Hattie’s gaze was cold and even mocking, as she derided Harry’s insincerity. Perhaps the thoughts of humans and animals did not align, as she truly couldn’t understand Harry.