Overdue Repentance

My husband's first love and I were both painters, and we were both diagnosed with corneal cancer.

Yet, my husband devoted all his attention to his muse.

He even forcibly transplanted the cornea my sister had donated to me before her death to his first love.

He dismissed my paintings as worthless, unaware that all of his first love's works were actually painted by me!

1.

I curled up in the darkness, desperately tearing at the bandages on my head.

A deafening silence surrounded me.

"Mrs. Harrison, what are you doing?"

A nurse burst in from the hallway, stopping me.

"Why was the transplant surgery canceled?"

It had been two hours since the surgery was supposed to start.

Outside, a few nurses passed by, their conversation booming in my ears.

"Mr. Harrison is so good to Miss Walsh. He gave the only transplant opportunity to Miss Walsh. I heard he even brought in an expert from abroad."

My mind went blank, but that was the cornea my sister had donated to me before she died!

"What right does he have to change my sister's wishes? Where is Chris? I need to find him!"

I pushed the nurse to the ground, and it was too late for her to stop me.

My hysterical voice reached the hallway.

"Scarlett! Haven't you caused enough trouble? If you want your mother to run out of medication and become a complete vegetable, keep it up!"

Hearing Chris's words, my earlier bravado disappeared in an instant.

"I... "

Chris's words left me speechless.

My eyes, strained by my actions, began to bleed, numbing my nerves with pain.

"Ah!"

Chris gripped my jaw with such force it felt like he would crush it.

2.

Thinking of my mother who was barely clinging to life in the ICU, I felt a wave of helplessness was washing over me.

"Chris, Chris, where are you?"

Hearing Lily's voice, I froze, sitting on the hospital bed, at a loss.

"Why did you come out on your own?"

Lily rushed in, nestling tightly in Chris's arms.

Chris's worried voice was piercing in the room.

"I'm so scared."

"Don't be afraid, I'm here with you. Everything will be alright."

"Give me back my sister's cornea."

My tearful voice echoed in the room.

"Chris, is that Scarlett's voice?"

Hearing Lily's question, Chris felt a moment of panic.

If it weren't for Scarlett's existence, his Lily wouldn't be falsely accused of being the other woman, living in constant fear.

It was all Scarlett's fault!

"Chris, I'm so afraid that even after the bandages are removed, I still won't be able to see. Will you come with me?"

Chris reached out to stroke Lily's hair, the two of them pressed closely together.

"Alright."

The door slammed shut with a "bang" in my ears.

I struggled to fall off the bed, crawling towards the door.

The nurse, unable to resist, had to take me to Lily's room.

The nurse removed Lily's bandages.

"Congratulations, Miss Walsh, the surgery was a success."

"Lily! Why do you love taking things so much? Taking my husband wasn't enough, and you took the cornea my sister donated to me!"

Ignoring Chris's attempts to stop me, I rushed to Lily and slapped her hard.

Lily covered her face, looking pitiful.

Chris's face turned ashen.

"What's gotten into you! This is a hospital. if you have something to say, do it at home."

Overwhelmed by anger, my legs buckled, and I fainted.

3.

Chris arranged for a driver to take me back to Harrison's house.

When I woke up, I slumped on the sofa, repeatedly dialing Chris's number.

The busy signal echoed again and again, a wave of helplessness engulfing me.

Soon, the sound of the door closing and a woman's voice gave me a fright.

Chris had brought Lily home.

"Why are you alone in the living room?"

Chris's face was full of disdain when he saw me disheveled on the sofa.

I grabbed a pillow and threw it, followed by Lily's startled cry.

Chris frowned, shouting at me.

"Scarlett, what's gotten into you again? You're becoming more and more unreasonable."

"Who's unreasonable? That was the cornea my sister donated to me. What right do you have to give it to her?"

I pointed at Lily, loudly questioning.

"Sign the divorce papers when you have time."

I threw the previously drafted divorce papers in Chris's face.

"You like Lily, then I'll give her the position of Mrs. Harrison."

"Scarlett, there's nothing between Chris and me, don't be angry."

Lily stood between Chris and me, looking understanding.

Chris gently shielded Lily behind him, his face full of impatience.

"She's a world-famous artist.

You should know Lily needs this opportunity more than you do.

Scarlett, the hospital will eventually have a matching cornea. What's the harm in waiting?"

Listening to Chris, I burst into laughter.

4.

"Chris, am I worth so little to you that even if I died, I wouldn't compare to Lily?"

I felt my body tremble as I harshly questioned the man I had been married to for five years.

Chris's voice was filled with irritation and disdain.

"Scarlett, Lily is still here, stop causing trouble!"

Afraid I would scare Lily with my impulsiveness, Chris gave me a hard shove.

I fell heavily to the ground, a sharp pain radiating from my abdomen, and a pool of blood forming beneath me.

Chris's face changed dramatically as he let go of Lily.

Chris carried me to the hospital in his arms, and I was hooked up to various medical machines.

"Mr. Harrison, the child in your wife's womb... is gone."

Chris held my cold hand, his brow furrowed with a hint of guilt.

It was the first time Chris acted like a husband, patiently comforting me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were three months pregnant. I didn't mean to push you."

Chris paused, then continued, "This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been against Lily."

In the end, Chris was still speaking up for Lily.

Too tired to argue, I lowered my eyes and touched my belly, my throat tightening suddenly, and I burst into tears.

Chris raised his hand to wipe away my tears, but I turned my head to avoid him.

"Don't forget to sign the divorce papers. "

"Scarlett! You just had a miscarriage, and you can't be without someone to take care of you. Listen to me, let's not fight anymore, okay?"

5

Before I could respond, Lily arrived.

"Scarlett, it's my fault, I caused you and Chris to lose your child."

"Why don't you just leave us alone! Why don't you go die!"

I screamed at Lily with all my strength, my voice raw and strained.

"Chris, it hurts."

Lily said, covering her swollen eyes, looking aggrieved at Chris.

Worried about Lily's eyes, Chris quickly left the room.

The empty room echoed with my cries, while outside, thunder and lightning roared.

I knew Chris had once again left me to be with Lily.

The rain tapping on the window echoed my heartache, making it hard to breathe.

"I'm sorry, my child... "

I murmured, touching my belly, the thought growing stronger in my mind that Chris and Lily must pay the price this time!

I had a phone call with a friend.

"Help me arrange for a reporter. I want Chris and Lily's reputations ruined."

Several days passed before Chris appeared before me again, his tone filled with urgency.

"Lily's eyes are experiencing a rare rejection."

After so many days, finally some good news came, and I let out a silent laugh.

It must be that my sister couldn't bear to see me being bullied by Lily in heaven.

"Scarlett, did you secretly replace the cornea?"

I was stunned that Chris would suspect me for Lily's sake.

6

"Chris, how can you say such cold words?

Our child is gone, and you're still thinking about her!

Do you even have a heart? Have you ever cared about me at all?

Besides, even if I did replace it, so what? It was my sister who donated it to me, and it was mine to begin with!"

"Enough!"

Chris slapped me hard, causing me to fall off the hospital bed.

He seemed unsatisfied, raising his hand again, but a nurse on duty rushed in and stopped him.

"Mr. Harrison, please calm down."

The phone in his pocket kept ringing. After giving me a fierce look, Chris answered it.

"Mr. Harrison, the internet is flooded with negative news about you and Miss Walsh."

Hearing his assistant's anxious voice over the phone lifted my spirits.

"Did you hear? It's all over the internet. That Miss White who is being treated in our hospital is Mr. Harrison's mistress."

"And that poor Mrs. Harrison, not only did her sister's cornea get taken, but she also had a miscarriage because of her husband and his mistress."

"Exactly, it's tragic. If you ask me, Lily's eye rejection is karma."

The noise from the hallway filled the room.

Chris threw his phone to the ground in anger, the screen shattering instantly.

As Chris hurriedly left the room, I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

7

The hospital was suffocating, so I forced the doctor to discharge me.

As the nurse led me out and past a room, I heard Lily's cries and stopped.

"Chris, what do we do, what do we do? Do I really have to die for Scarlett to forgive me? I really didn't mean to ruin your relationship. I'm not a mistress... I'm not."

Lily's small frame nestled in Chris's arms, her sobs almost breaking my heart.

"They're all lies, don't listen to them."

Chris said, covering Lily's ears, his voice full of tenderness.

"I'll handle those things soon. Your eyes haven't recovered, so don't get emotional."

I stood there, stunned by Chris's gentle tone.

He had never spoken to me like that.

In five years of our marriage, Lily's shadow was everywhere in Chris's world, never fading.

I sat in the taxi, listening to the rain tapping on the window, feeling inexplicably at peace.

Suddenly, the car shook violently, and I clung tightly to the seatbelt.

The airbag pressed against me, making it hard to breathe, as the sound of firefighters and the crash of cars filled my ears.

The blurred figures before me moved back and forth.

I thought I could see clearly now?

To confirm, I used my blood-stained hands to pry open my eyelids.

I couldn't tell if it was a dream or reality.

My consciousness gradually faded...

"Beep, beep."

The sound of the monitor echoed.

"Director, the patient's brain has been completely cleared of blood stasis."