“Honestly, I was watching them earlier and I got so jealous,” she said, her eyes lighting up. “They look like such a perfect couple!”
I didn’t move.
“Mr. Hayes was so attentive,” she continued, almost dreamy. “He kept holding his wife’s hand and talking to her softly. You wouldn’t even guess he’s someone so powerful.”
Each word felt like something pressing deeper into me.
“And the way he looked at her,” she added, smiling. “Gosh, it was so sweet. I mean, you can really tell he loves her a lot.”
I closed my eyes slowly.
“Even when the doctor came out, he didn’t leave her side,” she said again, laughing quietly. “He kept comforting her, like she was the one who just went through surgery. If I had a husband like that, I’d never let him go.”
I let out a small breath. So that was how it looked from the outside. A loving husband. A devoted man.
And me? What was I?
I forced a small smile, even though no one was looking.
“…That’s good,” I murmured. “As long as she’s okay.”
…
I lay there staring at the ceiling, my hand hooked to the IV, the slow drip the only thing keeping time. My body still felt heavy and numb, like it didn’t belong to me anymore.
The nurse had just left when the door opened again.