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Sweet Subterfuge Chapter 36
Mrs. Hardy's sudden move shocked everyone present.She wrapped her arms around Larissa's legs and shook her entire body vigorously. Larissa had never seen such a scene before. For a moment, she was unsure whether she should turn and leave or help her up first.Mrs. Hardy raised her head and looked at her tearfully."Lari, come with me to the hospital! Just come and see Travis!"Lari?How intimate.This was the first time Mrs. Hardy had called her that.Whatever illness Travis had, it must be serious.And, according to Mrs. Hardy, only she could save him now.Larissa couldn't help but wonder. Could it be that Travis had leukemia and needed her to donate her bone marrow for him? Or—perhaps one of his organs had failed, and he needed an organ donation from her.No matter what it was, her answer was the same. "I'm not going," she told Mrs. Hardy.She wasn't a saint. She wouldn't go so far as to sacrifice herself for someone like Travis.Moreover, she remembered very clearly how the Hardy f
Sweet Subterfuge Chapter 37
Larissa glanced at the collection bills in Mrs. Hardy's hands. The top most one alone was ten thousand dollars. If it all added up—Seeing the hesitation on her face, Mrs. Hardy wiped away her tears and wailed again. "The nurse said, if we don't pay soon, we'll have to bring Travis home. Travis has suffered such serious injuries. It's been a day, and his condition is still critical—if the hospital doesn't let him stay, he'll die! You're his wife! You can't just stand there and do nothing!"Her last two sentences were extremely misleading. Many of the people queuing at the payment counter immediately cast looks filled with contempt and disdain at Larissa.Larissa turned her back on them. She tried to not look at them to reduce the pressure she felt to be responsible for Travis' condition.She had already seen it all—when she had to deal with the Hardy family, saving herself from embarrassment was not an option.She accepted the bills and flipped through them. From her rough calculations
Sweet Subterfuge Chapter 38
Larissa was stunned for two seconds before realizing that he had completely misunderstood her.She explained hurriedly. "No, I don't want to kill him—" Then, she told him about everything that had happened today.On the other end of the phone, Dylan, having realized his mistake, blushed in embarrassment.He covered his mouth with his hand, coughing lightly before regaining his composure."To be honest, I've been handling divorce cases for so many years, but I've never encountered a situation where the husband dies halfway through the court ruling process. Of course, your ex-husband is not dead yet, but in the event that he does, the normal procedure would be to continue the inheritance process. As for how much money you would get from the property, you'll have to wait until the lawsuit is over and settled."The process sounded very long to her. Larissa couldn't help but sigh in frustration.She thought to herself. She must have been really unlucky in this life to have all that misfortu
Sweet Subterfuge Chapter 39
After the doctor examined Mrs. Hardy, he found that other than her fever, there was nothing else wrong with her. So, he arranged for her to receive an intravenous drip on a bed in the ward. He also prescribed a few boxes of cold and cough medication for her.When Larissa returned from the pharmacy, Mrs. Hardy was still unconscious.The nurse told her to remove the wet clothes from the woman's body to prevent her condition from exacerbating. Larissa felt a wave of repulsion from the bottom of her heart.She tried to call Travis, but his phone was still turned off. Then, she tried to contact Andrew, but he was unreachable despite her multiple attempts. She even suspected that Andrew had already blocked her number.As for Mr. Hardy—she never even saved his number in the first place.Helplessly, Larissa slipped a hundred dollar note to the nurse tending to the next bed and had her change Mrs. Hardy's clothes for her.The three bags of IV fluids ordered by the doctor had been administered f
Sweet Subterfuge Chapter 40
The scream was from the patient in the next bed.She shrunk into a corner, her voice trembling as she spoke. "Ma—Ma'am, don't do it!"Mrs. Hardy knelt on the ground, right in the middle of the spilled hot water.In her hands was a silver shard from the shattered inner lining of the thermos, its sharpest end pointed toward her own neck."If you don't come with me to see Travis, I will die right here! Right in front of you! I'll let you feel that guilt for your entire life!" Her bloodshot eyes glared at Larissa, a resolute expression on her face.Larissa had to admit, at that moment, she was truly afraid.She had been so afraid that for a brief instant, she forgot how much Mrs. Hardy feared death, how truly manipulative and shameless she was. In her panic, she agreed to the woman's request.…Travis had already passed the critical period and was transferred from the intensive care unit back to a regular ward in the spinal surgery department.Each ward had three patients in one room, but
Sweet Subterfuge Chapter 41
"You motherfucking crazy bitch! I let you have your way but you just keep pushing my limits!" Mr. Hardy shouted.Larissa was afraid things would get out of hand, so she quickly stepped in and attempted to break up the fight. Mr. Hardy pushed her away roughly."Get out!" He yelled, the motions of his arms never ceasing.The other patient in the room seemed to be used to their fights by now. Wordlessly, they closed the curtains around their bed. Out of sight, out of mind."Dad! Mom! Are you done embarrassing yourselves?" Travis shouted angrily, successfully bringing Mr. Hardy back to his senses.He released his grip on Mrs. Hardy, but her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fainted once again.There was a large, red mark on her forehead, its color darker on her flushed face as a result of her fever. There was no doubt that Mr. Hardy had used a lot of force when he slammed her head against the wall earlier."Could you please call the nurse in or press the call button on my bed for
Sweet Subterfuge Chapter 42
As soon as Larissa left Travis' room and went by the nurses' station, she was stopped by the nurse who'd given her the ice packs earlier."Oh, perfect timing." The nurse beckoned. Confused, Larissa walked over to her."Here!" The nurse handed her a bill. "You can pay downstairs."Larissa looked at the bill in her hands. It was yet another five-thousand-dollar bill."I think you've made a mistake." She smiled at the nurse. "I'm not related to Travis. I think it's better if you have his parents pay for this.""What?" The nurse was evidently surprised. "Aren't you his wife? I heard his parents say he's married, but his wife—" She hesitated, looking embarrassed.Even though the nurse did not say anything else after that, Larissa was well aware that whatever the Hardys had said about her, it couldn't have been flattering."I'm so sorry. You're the only one besides his parents to visit him in the hospital, and you're a woman too, so I just assumed," the nurse apologized awkwardly, blushing
Sweet Subterfuge Chapter 43
Larissa thought he wanted to discuss something important with her, so she immediately replied, "I'm available."She had to work the night shift at the hotel on Thursday night, but after she got off work on Friday morning, she would have the rest of the day as well as Saturday off to recharge."In that case, would you like to accompany me as my plus one to a banquet that night?" Dylan asked.As if he were afraid that she would refuse him, he added, "I'm new to Covenford, and you're the only female friend I have. Everyone else is bringing plus ones, and it would be very embarrassing for me to show up without one." He even added a pitiful emoji at the end.Larissa hesitated.If Dylan had been an ordinary lawyer, she would have agreed to help him without having second thoughts about it. However, he was Microworks Corporation's second-largest shareholder. This banquet must be no small occasion.She wasn't afraid of the business magnates she was sure would be present as well. She was simply