“She’s a criminal. She should be punished. Don’t bother taking her to the hospital—she’s as strong as an ox. She’ll be fine.”
With that, he hung up.
The officer glanced at me and let out a sigh.
Before I could process what had just happened, a sudden, violent impact rocked the entire vehicle. My body was thrown forward, weightless, as everything went black.
When I came to, the first thing I saw was Alger standing by my bedside, his face full of concern. He was murmuring words of comfort, telling me everything would be okay. But his voice, his expression—everything about him only made my stomach turn.
I had heard everything he said to the police that night. Every single word.
“Alger, what am I to you?” My voice was hoarse, but my anger was razor-sharp. “I had a fever, and you didn’t care. You even told the police not to send me to the hospital. So what’s with this fake concern now?”
For a brief second, guilt flashed across his face. But just as quickly, it was gone. He put on his caring act again and kept rambling about how he’d take care of me for the rest of my life, even if I was disabled.
His words made no sense—until I felt it. A searing pain in my lower body.