Then Evangeline sent another voice message. Clay Farley's voice filled my ear, unmistakable: "Evangeline, don't waste your breath on her. She's just some dirt-poor mother-in-law. Not worth your time. Do whatever you want with the surgery. If anything goes wrong, I'll take the heat."
I didn't waste another second. I booked the first flight out and raced toward the airport, dialing Clay's number over and over until he picked up.
"Clay, your mom is in the operating room at your hospital. She's in critical danger. You need to get there now—"
"Enough. I know what you're going to say." Clay cut me off, his voice flat and cold. "I think Evangeline was right to teach her a lesson."
I couldn't process his words. "What did you just say?"
His tone turned hard, laced with disgust. "Dorothy Simmons, your mother's greed is written all over her face. Everyone can see it. She's using some fake illness to shake me down, and Evangeline put her in her place. So what? She deserved it. Maybe she'll learn not to try milking the Farley family for everything we're worth."
Panic clawed at my throat. "You've got it wrong. She's your—"
"Enough!"
Clay's impatience crackled through the line.