Chapter 2: Hospital Bills

Miranda’s P.O.V

“The injury wasn’t as bad as it looked; she simply dislocated her mandible, or lower jaw, from the temporomandibular joint. You rushed her over just in time for manual reduction to put it back into place. I placed some elastic bands to prevent her from moving her jaw too much. As for medication, I wrote a prescription for NSAIDs to help relieve the pain and some muscle relaxers. Over exertion of the jaw, as in yawning, should be avoided and try to eat soft foods. Apply ice to the area occasionally,” the doctor droned in a professional tone, clip board in hand.

I felt like shit to say the least.

It was early morning the next day after Michael had brought me to the hospital. I had blacked out as soon as we got here and woke up with a bandage around by jaw and head, plus an excruciating pain on the lower part of my mouth. The worst part about this is I couldn’t talk too much or yell at Michael after he had so blatantly humiliated me last night.

He sat by my bed, having discarded his tux jacket and he looked rather unkempt. The mere sight of him made me want to throw up but I settled with a glare instead. Once the doctor finished off with us, he left the room to attend to other patients. An uncomfortable silence permeated in the air until the bastard decided to break it.

“How are you feeling?” he asked lowly, but his face emotionless.

I gave him a pointed look and scoffed. “F—king peachy,” I growled aggressively and he rolled his eyes at me. “How do you think I feel? I dislocated my damn jaw and I saw you banging Jason’s wife…I’m doing great!” I semi-yelled, extra cautious not to inflict any more pain on my injury.

He groaned and then pulled at his hair. “You weren’t supposed to see that,” he muttered, seemingly angry with me for having caught him in the act of adultery.

I almost launched out of the bed and smacked him across the face. “You’re not even going to try to deny it? Unbelievable!” I said in disbelief. I wasn’t angry at the fact that I’d caught him red handed, but more so that he was being so damned arrogant about it.

He raked his hand through his chestnut-coloured hair. “Why would I deny it when you saw us. I think you should also know that we’ve been having an affair for quite some time now and I don’t regret it in the slightest,” he voiced confidently, looking me square in the eyes.

I tilted my head to face the ceiling and placed my head on the pillow. My head was beginning to spin with the harshness of the situation. So, he has been cheating on me for a while? With Camille freaking O’Connor! That is his boss’s wife! I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and blinked back my tears. “Why?” I queried in a choked sobbed.

He shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “Sleeping with Camille will get me further up the ranks at work. She will give a good word to her husband and I’ll be a senior partner sooner than you think. That, and the fact that she knows very well how to please a man,” he replied honestly; it was so brutal that anybody else would have been gobsmacked.

My eyes widened at his callous words. But why was I surprised? His ambition and greed were out of this world and the other part…well, Michael always had a sexual appetite I could never quench no matter how hard I tried. What the hell kind of marriage did I get myself into?

A nurse strode into the room with a friendly smile on her face. She held a bouquet of roses in her hand that she handed over to me. “Ma’am, somebody just dropped these over for you,” she spoke in a sweet tone. I frowned but took the flowers nonetheless. There were so many that I couldn’t even see what was in front of me when I held them up.

“Who the hell bought you those?” Michael demanded. I ignored him and pulled out the small card from amongst the red roses.

It’s rather unfortunate that we couldn’t talk more but I guess that will be even harder now since you hurt your jaw. Wishing you a speedy recovery. Hopefully we will meet again soon.

There was no information alluding as to whom had sent them but I knew exactly who it was. It was that mysterious hunk I’d met last night at the charity event. A smile quirked at my lips as I read his cryptic yet somehow kind words. I wonder how he knew I got injured! Realisation dawned on me; he must have been the sparkling apparition I’d seen in the parking lot. That means he’d seen everything that had happened…oh gosh! My face paled at the thought.

Michael snatched the note from my hand and read it out loud. His fury filled orbs landed back on me. “What is the meaning of this? You have a lover now?” he seethed through gritted teeth.

The nurse cleared a throat, clearly trying to dissipate the tension brewing between Michael and I. “Also, I came to tell you that your medical bills have been cleared. I’ll be back shortly with your discharge papers,” she said and then made her leave.

“Answer my question, Miranda. Who is the person who sent you these flowers and then paid your bill?” he shouted at me, but I gulped in fear. How could I possibly answer the question if I myself had no idea who had done all of this?

“Sir, please lower your voice. This is a hospital,” the young nurse reprimanded, saving me from receiving another earful. “If you don’t mind, please head over to the reception to sign the discharge papers so your wife can be let go,” she added bitterly. With one last glare, Michael stormed out of the room.

I exhaled a breath I didn’t even know I was holding and pinched the bridge of my nose as I shook my head in disappointment. “Ma’am, the man who bought you these flowers and paid for your medical bills told me to give you this,” she said in a low voice and brought out a white envelope from her pocket. “Make sure your husband doesn’t see it,” then she handed it to me and briskly walked out of the room as well.

Grasping it in my hand, I examined the neat white envelope, curious as to what was inside. Just when I was about to open it, I heard footsteps approaching and quickly hid it in my hospital gown. “Get dressed, I need to drop you at home so I can go to work. Hopefully I won’t get fired for this shit,” he gruntled in agitation and placed a bag of new clothes at the edge of my bed.

I sat up and then peeled the sheets off my body, being cautious not to move my jaw with any movement. “You probably won’t get fired since you’re banging your boss’s wife,” I huffed under my breath and covered it up with a cough so he wouldn’t catch my drift.

Successfully out of the bed, I held the gown to my chest so that the parcel I had stashed away in my bust wouldn’t slip out. God forbid something like that happening, otherwise a stern talking to would be the least of my worries. I snatched the bag and paced over to the ensuite bathroom. Turning on the tap in the sink, I wetted one of the towels. I took out the letter and placed on the counter top before wiping myself clean.

Once done, I pulled on the matching underwear set, threw on the white ruffled blouse and slid on the denim jeans. After that, I put on the white flats and look at myself in the mirror. The skin of my lower face was puffy and purple; I looked absolutely terrifying, like someone who had walked out of a horror movie. I took the white envelope in my hand once more. Finally giving into my intrigue, I opened it up and found a letter inside.

Dear Miranda,

Last night, when you ran off from me, I couldn’t stop myself from going after you. You might have not noticed, but I saw everything. What your husband has been doing to you behind your back, and for so long…it’s unacceptable. I continue to ask myself why such a lovely and kindred soul like you is mixed up with the likes of Michael Whittaker.

I know you wouldn’t appreciate me meddling in your issues, but I cannot help but feel like you’re trapped in this marriage. I feel it is only a matter of time before something goes terribly wrong and when that happens, I want to you to come find me. My number is --- --- ---.

I’ll be waiting for your call.

And just like that, I still had no idea what the name of this guy is. I chewed on my lip in apprehension. It was like he knew me so well, and that frightened the living daylights out of me. I was more worried about him being right because Michael was indeed a ticking time bomb. It’s only a matter of time before he puts my life in real danger.

I curse the day that my parents and his arranged this marriage. My parents had always wanted to control pretty much every aspect of my life and when Michael’s mother, Roxanne, had come up with the absurd notion of us tying our families together, I was done for. What my parents didn’t know was that Roxanne, who had also influenced her son to be just as greedy and ambitious, had a hidden agenda of her own.

And the worst part is, my parents died whilst I was in college and left me with the burden of the huge trust fund that I could only acquire after getting married to Michael. So, in a way, I needed him to access the money but now it seemed like it was more of his money than it was mine. He used it to finance his lavish lifestyle, and whenever I need to buy something, even the bare essentials, he scolds me severely for it. Something about me wasting our future children’s money. He also bought ridiculously expensive stuff for his parents, who were basically mooching off of us.

My life is a living hell because of it. I cannot seem to escape this cruel reality due to the fact that Michael keeps me tied on a very short leash. One wrong move, and he will punish me accordingly. As things are going, it is only a matter of years before he squanders all of it, living me penniless. And to think, I had dreams of starting my own marketing agency with that money but all my hopes and aspirations went to naught.

“Could you hurry up, goddammit. I have meetings to attend!” he yelled as he banged the door loudly. I clumsily dropped the letter as his booming voice, but hurriedly picked it up, folded it and slid it into my bra. I tidied up the bathroom before taking my leave.

Michael was on his phone, talking to someone in a composed voice; something he never did with me. Noticing I was done, he gestured towards the door and then I exited first before he followed suit. We reached the reception area, where I saw that nice nurse conversing with a co-worker. Upon noticing me, she nodded discretely and turned her attention back to her fellow nurse. I stepped out of the clinic and into the sunlit morning of Huntsville, Alabama.

A cold hand slid onto the small of my back and guided me towards the parking area where our familiar Escalade was parked. However, the person standing next to it made my blood run cold. Michael ended his call. “Oh, my mother heard what happened and volunteered to help you out with your recuperation. Hope you don’t mind,” he said nonchalantly and went over to the driver’s side.

Roxanne rushed over to me, dressed in some elegant floral jumpsuit and a floppy sunhat that covered her greying chestnut coloured hair. Her cold and calculating blue eyes were hidden behind a pair of Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses, perched on a crooked nose. Her red coated lips stretched into a wide, yet somehow ingenuine smile as she wrapped her noodle arms around me.

“Miranda, my darling, mummy is here to help,” she cooed lovingly and patted my back. I stood like a dead fish in her arms, mentally crying at my stroke of bad luck. Once she let go of me, she cupped my chin not so gently with her claw like hand, making me grimace at the sudden pang of pain that surged through. She tsked. “Next time, be more careful dear,” she said with a smirk.

Good God, what have I gotten myself into?