The Marriage She Turned into War novel Chapter 12

The devastating news made my scalp prickle, and my eyes widened in shock. It was as if every ounce of strength had drained out of me in an instant.

I collapsed to the floor and clutching at my chest while gasping for air.

Beside me, Sophia reached out, her eyes filled with tears as she gently grabbed my arm. "Samuel, please… calm down…"

But how could I possibly calm down?

I struggled to get up, to go see Kayla, but George held me back, wrapping his arms around me to keep me from moving.

"Samuel, you have to stay strong. She went peacefully. Don't make Kay worry about you."

Tears poured down my face, soaking my clothes. I curled up on the floor, my whole body shaking as I sobbed uncontrollably.

It wasn't until later that I learned the truth… Kayla had already passed by the time I collapsed at the gym.

George had tried calling me several times, but I hadn't answered.

If only I hadn't wasted so much time fuming over that brooch Abigail had given Joshua… I wouldn't have missed my last chance to say goodbye to Kayla.

It was all my fault. I'd let her down.

I wept until the world around me blurred, until I was utterly spent, lying on the floor in a heap.

Sophia and George stayed close, watching over me, afraid I might do something drastic in my grief.

Eventually, I took a deep breath, raised my swollen, tear-streaked eyes, and waved them off. "Please… just go. I need to be alone."

Sophia and George exchanged a worried glance, hesitating.

"I'm not going to do anything stupid," I said, forcing my voice to sound steady, knowing what they feared.

"Alright. Just… take care of yourself. I'm sure Kay would want that," Sophia replied softly.

With that, they finally left the room.

Lost in my grief, I didn't even notice when Abigail entered.

She stood there, looking down at me with a cold, detached expression as if I were nothing more than a pathetic, abandoned dog. Without a word, she tossed a check onto my chest.

"Don't say I'm heartless. That's two million. Consider it payment for the blood she donated to me," she said icily.

Through my blurry vision, I looked down at the check, and something inside me snapped. In a fury, I tore it to shreds and hurled the pieces back at her.

"Get out! I don't want your filthy money!" I screamed.

Abigail froze, then pointed at me furiously and yelled, "Weren't you the one asking me for money? Now that I'm giving it to you, why are you throwing a tantrum?"

I didn't respond. Just being in the same room as Abigail felt suffocating.

Struggling to my feet, I stumbled toward the door, desperate to get out of the hospital room.

But when I pushed it open, I came face to face with Joshua, standing there with his arms crossed, looking at me with a mixture of annoyance and impatience.

"Samuel, could you stop acting out with Abigail already? She's been pouring money into a new project, and the second she got the final payment, she came straight here to give it to you. She's busy as hell, and yet she still took time to bring you money. What more could you possibly be upset about?"

Joshua's words dripped with accusation as if I were the one being unreasonable.

I took a deep breath, a bitter smile spreading across my face as I locked eyes with him. "No money, huh? So, that brooch she gave you… Did she steal it?

"Joshua, you really are something. You've managed to make her splurge on you while my sister's life was on the line. Bravo."

Joshua bit his lips, glancing uneasily over my shoulder at Abigail. She stepped out from behind me and positioned herself firmly at his side.

Her face was hard as she snapped, "Joshua came to see you out of kindness. Can you stop jumping at every chance to humiliate him?"

I was humiliating him?

I laughed at that.