CHAPTER 4

Sabrina gasped for air and staggered to her feet, then the world spun around her. The voices in her head screamed in unison to stop what she was doing and to find a way out of her misery. At this point, it would probably take a simple and obvious decision to either give up or keep going. Her body trembled. Weak and exhausted, it took all of her remaining strength to stand up.

Everything hurt; head, chest and feet. The pain subsided at times only to return with a vengeance. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts, or at least enough of them to think more clearly. She was literally worn out. She was tired both from the pain and from having to deal with it, but she didn’t have a choice. It was already seven when she woke up again, and the sun was already bright. How long did she sleep? She was in denial and slept day and night to escape from the reality. When the door opened, she expected to see a nurse or a doctor, but it was her friend, Heather. She smiled at the woman who took care of her these past few days.

“Hi, where have you been?” Sabrina asked Heather and the woman immediately ran towards her.

“I knew it! I knew you will wake up today! So, how do you feel? Still, feeling sick? Should I call the doctor?” Heather asked several questions, but she was really glad that Sabrina was finally awake.

“You didn’t answer my question, Heather,” she complained.

“Oh, wait. Tada!” Heather showed Sabrina a box of fried chicken. “I had a strong feeling that you will be fine today so I bought your favourite chicken and steamed buns!”

“Wow, that’s nice of you, Heather!”

Heather smiled and said, “Just imagine how lucky you are to have me as your friend.”

“Best friend,” Sabrina corrected Heather.

“Yes, we are best friends. I know you are starving, so go and wash your face. I will prepare the table, and later, we can process your discharge from this hospital.”

“Hmmm sure, but I couldn’t find my phone. Have you seen it?” She had been searching for the phone since she woke up but she couldn’t find it. She was certain that Heather hid it for her.

“Later, Sabrina. For now, we have to eat our breakfast first,” Heather said but when Sabrina looked confused, she added, “What do you want it for?”

Sabrina understood why Heather hesitated to give her the phone, but she had every right to check what was going on. “The news on the internet must be shocking, right?”  She asked Heather but the woman’s silence was louder than ever. She left the mansion in a hurry and although Heather didn’t scold her or mention anything about her husband’s family, she realized that the previous incident had most likely gone viral on the internet.

“Let’s eat first,” Heather insisted because she felt bad for her friend.

“So, it’s really bad,” Sabrina deduced.

Heather felt guilty as she looked at Sabrina and sighed deeply before taking out the phone from her pocket. “Some netizens are just stupid and insensitive. They are just going with the flow to vent their anger!”

Sabrina smiled as she accepted the phone and said, “Then, we have nothing to worry about.” However, when she looked at Heather, she knew that her friend was suspicious about something. “Being maltreated by his family is not new to me, Heather,” she stated in a barely audible voice.

"If it hadn't been for you, I would have scolded those fools!" Heather curled her lips before cursing Kenneth and his family.

Sabrina didn’t comment on the matter and just stared at her phone. Isabelle’s incident at the pool was trending online, and the majority of comments criticized her. She was labelled as a vicious woman in addition to being shameless for marrying a rich and powerful man.

“Just read it later,” Heather tried to stop Sabrina from reading all the articles online.

“Right. We should eat the buns and chicken first,” Sabrina agreed.

In the meantime, both women enjoyed their favourite steamed buns and spicy fried chicken. Temporarily, they have forgotten about Sabrina’s issue with her husband’s family. Instead, they recalled their naughty tricks when they were younger. Heather was glad to see Sabrina laugh again even for a short time, but she could still see the sadness in her eyes.

"Go wash your hands. After all, you only have the energy to be sad after you've eaten,” Heather teased Sabrina.

“Thank you,” Sabrina replied.

Inside the washroom, the cold water jolted Sabrina awake. She was in deep thoughts while washing her hand, and she kept on remembering the night when Kenneth pushed her down to kneel in front of his family. Once again, she felt as if her heart had been crushed again! She wasted three years with Kenneth!

“Ready?” Heather asked as soon as she got out of the washroom.

“Yes,” Sabrina replied but suddenly, she heard that some people were gossiping outside, and her eyes widened upon hearing her name. She glanced at Heather, and the woman was also shocked that there were people who gossiped in the hospital’s corridor!

“Isabelle Ortega is truly unfortunate. Her sister-in-law is far too vicious! Her husband died not long ago, and now her child has died as well!”

"That is why we must marry someone from a compatible family! That woman was a commoner and she was obviously taken aback when she married into a wealthy family. She was a nobody compared to Isabelle Ortega! I'm not sure what's wrong with her! Why couldn't she stand an unborn nephew? This woman is far too cruel..."

“Heather, no!” Sabrina immediately grabbed Heather’s wrist when the woman ran towards the door. Knowing Heather, the woman would surely confront the people gossiping outside their ward.

“Don’t stop me, Sabrina! They didn’t witness anything with their own eyes, so how dare they to spread a piece of discriminating information!”

“Shhh, just don’t mind them. Sooner or later, the gossip would just die a natural death,” Sabrina stated a fact.

“Hey, when did you become a pushover? The Sabrina Hart I know was definitely not a pushover and a coward!” Heather complained.

Sabrina bit her bottom lip before speaking, “Don’t worry. I’ve got a plan.”

“A plan? Tell me about it,” Heather pressed Sabrina to tell her about the plan.

Sabrina smirked before moving closer to Heather’s ear and whispered. Then, she laughed at Heather’s expression. She just winked at Heather and curled her lips into a vicious smile. “What can you say about my plan?”

Heather exclaimed, “Wow! It’s awesome, Sabrina!”

“Of course, I know it’s a good plan. Come on, let’s go! I still have to file for my divorce!”