Pearl clutched her cheek in disbelief. “Bitch! You dare hit me?! Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Quincy?”
“What’s going on?” a masculine voice asked.
The hospital room door swung open. Quincy stood there, his eyes shifting between the two women.
Pearl deliberately turned her face toward Quincy, revealing the swelling on her cheek as tears welled in her eyes. “Miss Alannah suddenly hit me…” she whimpered, her voice trembling.
Quincy immediately stepped forward to shield her, opening his mouth to speak. But the moment his gaze landed on Alannah’s deathly pale face, he faltered.
Her eyes were vacant, fixed on the shattered opal in her palm.
He had never seen her so fragile before. For the first time, an uneasy feeling crept into his chest.
Sensing his hesitation, Pearl clung to his hand, her tone quivering. “Quincy, you said you’d protect me for my sister’s sake. Now that your wife’s hit me, are you really going to do nothing?”
Ignoring the faint unease in his heart, Quincy answered without hesitation. “What do you want me to do to vent your anger?”
Pearl gave a cold laugh. “I want her to slap herself. At least ten times!”
Quincy turned to Alannah, his voice low and cold. “Do it. Otherwise, your mother’s ashes…”
After all, Alannah only cared about money. Once he coaxed Pearl back into a good mood, he could always make it up to Alannah later.
Alannah stood motionless, her expression numb. When she finally looked up at Quincy, her eyes were lifeless, like a well gone dry.
“It was her,” she said quietly. “She broke my mother’s keepsake on purpose.”
Pearl cut her off sharply. “That’s not true! You were the one who grabbed the pendant and dropped it yourself!”
She turned to Quincy, tears glistening in her eyes. “Quincy, who do you believe—me or her?”
His gaze darkened, as if looking right through Alannah. After a long silence, he turned to Pearl and finally said, “Of course, I believe you.”
When he turned back to Alannah, he coldly urged, “Alannah, start.”
A bitter smile twisted Alannah’s lips. Without the slightest hesitation, she raised her hand and struck herself.
She slapped herself again and again.
After ten slaps, blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. Her voice was so faint it was almost inaudible. “There. Are you satisfied now?”
Quincy’s eyes flickered with guilt. His lips parted slightly, but in the end, he said nothing.