Chapter 7

“Sir, what are you waiting for? Take her to the hospital!”

“She’s been locked up for three days! She can’t take it!”

“Laura, don’t worry! We’re going to the hospital!”

Maria was crying. I smiled weakly. Maria didn’t know Sarah. She treated me like I was Mrs. Anderson, and she was worried about me.

I tried to talk. I wanted to tell her I was okay, not to cry.

But I coughed up blood.

“Laura!”

“Mrs. Anderson!”

I passed out. I woke up in the hospital. Maria was there.

“Mrs. Anderson, why didn’t you tell me you were sick?”

I tried to smile. “It’s okay. Why are you crying?”

“Who would I tell? No one cares about me.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have come back. It’s good that Sarah’s back. It’s better for everyone.”

“You were locked up for three days and unconscious for two. You don’t know what’s been happening.”

Maria told me what had happened. On the third day after Sarah came back, a man showed up, claiming to be her husband.

They found out that Sarah hadn’t jumped off the bridge. She hadn’t been driven to suicide by me, or because Nick married me.

She’d run away with her boyfriend. She’d run away with her boyfriend, and he was the one who drove her to suicide.

When she left, she got married, but he didn’t have anything. Sarah couldn’t take it, so they fought all the time.

Then he beat her and caused her to miscarry. Then she thought of the Millers. She came back, and he followed her, claiming to be part of the family.

I stopped her. “Did Mom and Dad know she had a boyfriend?”

Maria nodded. I started to cry. I tried to stop. They knew Sarah was with him. They blamed me. They never loved me. I started to throw up.

Maria stood there, not knowing what to do. I tried to comfort her, but I couldn’t even comfort myself. Nick ran in and hugged me.

“Laura, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I’ll get a doctor. Don’t worry.”

I pushed him away.

I didn’t want Nick to touch me. I finally calmed down. Maria left. It was just me and Nick. I looked at him.

“Are you divorcing me? Did you bring the papers?”

Nick started crying. “Laura, I’m sorry. Don’t say that.”

“I won’t divorce you. We’re going to be happy together. You’re going to be with me.”

“You can’t leave me. You can’t leave me alone.”