Chapter 2

I wouldn't let Kate and Jack get away with it this time.

…

The door to the hospital room swung open, and in walked my future mother-in-law, Heidi Ford.

She carried an enormous thermal flask as she entered.

The moment she saw me, she rolled her eyes without even trying to hide it, then forced a smile to play the role of the benevolent mother figure.

"Natasha, your surgery is tomorrow. I made some chicken soup specially for you. Drink it first thing in the morning to build up your strength for the procedure."

I stared at the chicken soup, lost in thought.

In my previous life, she'd also brought chicken soup for me. At the time, I'd been genuinely touched, but because of the pre-surgery fasting rule, I hadn't touched it.

I'd naively thought she didn't understand hospital regulations and had even patiently explained it to her.

However, when I declined her soup, she flipped out and called Jack to complain that I was disrespectful.

Wait a second—didn't she mention back then that Kate would be the surgeon?

Technically, at this point, I shouldn't know that yet. Nonetheless, if I could steer the conversation to make her reveal it herself, I'd have the perfect excuse to refuse the surgery altogether.

I repeated the same refusal I'd made in my previous life, and predictably, Heidi reacted the same way.

"Mrs. Diller, I can't eat or drink anything before the surgery. Otherwise, I won't be able to proceed with the surgery. How about I drink it after the surgery?"

"So you're looking down on the soup I worked so hard to make, huh? Fine, you're a spoiled princess. You've got plenty of people pampering you. Who needs me?"

Heidi slammed the thermal flask on the table, grabbed her phone, and stormed out of the room to call Jack.

I calculated the time and prepared to "accidentally" stumble upon her secret. However, before I could leave, a young nurse walked in.

…

The nurse was small in stature but big in attitude. As soon as she spotted the flask of steaming chicken soup beside me, her expression soured.

"Didn't anyone tell you you're having surgery tomorrow? You're supposed to be fasting!"

Then, she marched over, took the thermal flask, and stashed it in a cabinet on the balcony.

"Just hold out for one night. I've hidden it for now. You can drink it after the surgery."

I started to panic.

Heidi was probably halfway through her phone call by now, and I needed to hurry. If I didn't catch her in the act, I'd lose my excuse to make a scene.

But when the nurse saw me climbing out of bed with a grim look on my face, she assumed I was trying to retrieve the soup.

"Are you really that desperate? It's just one night! You're an adult; you—"

"I just need to use the bathroom," I said flatly.

Her face turned bright red, and she quickly stepped aside.

"Oh… well, I'll keep an eye on you just in case."

Unfortunately, Heidi had already finished her call and returned.

My frustration deflated me entirely as I sat back on the bed, brooding.

Now that the opportunity was lost, how was I supposed to stir things up?

The nurse watched me with concern. After hesitating for a while, she couldn't help but ask, "Did you… not manage to hold it in?"

I blinked at her in confusion.

She looked guilty as she said, "Don't be embarrassed. Things like this happen all the time in hospitals. It's partly my fault, too. How about I help you change into fresh clothes?"

When I noticed her glancing repeatedly at my lower half, I finally understood what she meant and quickly waved my hands to refuse her help.

"No! I didn't wet myself. It's just… I, uh, passed some gas earlier, and it really helped."

"Oh…"

The nurse's face turned even redder as she nodded hurriedly, flustered. Then, seeing Heidi approaching, she darted out of the room.

…

Heidi scanned the room and raised an eyebrow upon noticing the soup was gone.

She began to chastise me, "Natasha, where's the chicken soup? Even if you didn't want to drink it, you shouldn't have thrown it out!"

Before she could spread my so-called "misdeeds" throughout the entire hospital, I hastily cut her off.

"The nurse took it away earlier. It's on the balcony. She said I'm not allowed to drink it."

Heidi gave me a sidelong glance, her skepticism written all over her face.