Chapter 2

"Family of Warren Delgado! Is anyone here for Warren Delgado?"

Nadia Henson stood two steps behind me.

Hands in her pockets. She didn't even turn her head.

Ivor Fox tugged at her sleeve.

"Nadia, the nurse is calling for Warren's family."

"You should go check on him."

Nadia laced her fingers through Ivor's.

"Don't bother with him."

"He just paid off the nurse to put on a show for us."

"The whole crying, screaming, throwing-himself-around act. He's been running it for three years."

"I'm not buying it."

The nurse ran up in front of us and blocked the officer.

"He can't leave!"

"The patient is in severe kidney failure. His blood barely clots."

"He's already showing signs of heart failure."

"He needs to be admitted for dialysis right now, with a resuscitation team on standby."

"He walks out that door, and whose life is that on?"

The nurse turned to Nadia.

"Ms. Henson, a man's life is at stake here."

"Go pay the deposit and get him admitted first."

"Everything else you can sort out afterward."

Nadia let out a cold laugh and stepped up to the nurse.

"How much did she pay you?"

"To go along with this cheap little performance of his?"

"He's built like an ox. There's no way he's in end-stage kidney failure."

"I keep him fed and comfortable every single day."

"He just wants to con money out of me to prop up that broke family of his."

The nurse's face went red with anger. She slapped the report straight against Nadia's chest.

"See for yourself!"

"His creatinine is over eight hundred!"

"A normal person would've been on dialysis long ago!"

"He's held on this far on willpower alone."

"Are you even a woman? You'd throw your own husband's life away?"

Nadia didn't so much as glance at the report. She threw it on the floor.

And stepped on it.

"I already told you, he's faking."

"And even if he really is sick, that's because he never took care of himself."

"I kept telling him to exercise. He wouldn't listen."

"Now something goes wrong and suddenly he expects me to cover for him."

"Why should I be the one paying for his laziness?"

Ivor bent down, picked up the filthy report, and carefully wiped it clean with a tissue.

"Nadia, don't say that."

"Warren might really be in a bad way."

"Look how pale he is."

"Just think of it as... earning some good karma for my sake."

Nadia snatched the report from him and tore it to shreds.

"Ivor, you're just too soft-hearted."

"That's your money too, money you worked hard for."

"Why should he get to waste it?"

"Today he dares to steal a necklace for a deposit."

"Tomorrow he'll steal the deed to the house and sell it."

"He needs to learn his lesson."

"If anything happens to him, I, Nadia Henson, take full responsibility. I won't come after any of you."

That was the last straw for the nurse.

"Ms. Henson, this is criminal abandonment!"

"Your husband is in critical condition right now."

"If you refuse your duty to get him treated, you're legally liable!"

Nadia wasn't shaken in the least. She took out her phone.

Dialed a number.

"Jackson Chavez, bring your people to Riverton General right now."

"There's a nurse here interfering with how I handle my own family affairs."

"And trying to force me to hand over money."

"Yes, bring the media too."

"I want everyone to see how our police officers these days conspire with thieves to extort people."

She hung up.

Nadia looked down at me.

"Warren Delgado, did you think this would make me give in?"

"Let me tell you, I don't care who shows up today."

"I'm not paying a cent. You like stealing, don't you?"

"Then go do it slowly in a cell."

A sharp pain tore through my abdomen, like something inside me was sinking down.

I clenched my teeth as cold sweat rolled off my forehead in heavy drops.

"Nadia, let's get divorced."

My voice was faint, but every word was clear.

"Sign the papers."

"I'll walk away with nothing. I'll sign the consent for my own surgery."

Nadia froze for a second.

Then burst into loud, mocking laughter.

"Divorce?"

"You think a divorce lets you dodge the law?"

"You think a divorce lets you keep all the money from my necklace for yourself?"

"Warren Delgado, dream on. Not only am I not divorcing you."

"I'm going to make you carry the name of a thief for the rest of your life."

Ivor stepped forward and gently touched my arm.

"Warren, stop saying things you don't mean."

"Nadia loves you, she really does."

"She's just angry that you stole."

"Hurry up and apologize to her. Promise you'll never steal again."

"She'll definitely forgive you."

I shook his hand off.

A hot stream surged up the corner of my mouth.

Drip.

Drip.

Dark red blood spread across the white tiles.

The nurse screamed.