The doctor froze. This hospital was owned in half by Larissa, while I owned the rest of it. She had always said she wanted to keep me safe.
“Miss Hamilton is upstairs, with-”
He then stopped. Only then did I learn that Richard had been admitted to the same hospital. Even when there was nothing wrong, he always found reasons to bother Larissa.
“Sir, I should have told you earlier … but Miss Hamilton would not allow it.”
The doctor looked ashamed. He told me Richard had been treated here several times for lung cancer. He also said Larissa’s abortions had been done secretly in this hospital, with a professional medical team. I felt numb at the revelation. Larissa had hidden all this from me for years.
The doctor left quietly, reading the room like a man who had said too much. I tore the IV from my arm and forced myself out of bed in a thin hospital gown. I walked upstairs, but Richard was not in the ward.
My phone buzzed. It was the cemetery manager.
“Mr. Russell, please come quickly. Someone is digging the late Mrs. Russell’s grave!”
My heart froze. I drove to the cemetery as fast as I could. When I arrived, there he was. Richard stood up with his hands on his hips, as if he belonged there.
Richard was directing several workers.
"Dig this grave. This land has a good view. It’s perfect for burying my dog. He'll be reborn as a human in his next life!"
"Richard, what are you doing?"
Without further ado, I rushed over and punched him hard. However, Richard wasn’t surprised at my punch. Instead, he smiled.
"You've arrived just in time. We can dig out your mother's bones later so we don't have to throw them in the trash, polluting the environment."
With a slight nod, he began digging the grave with shovels.
"No!"
I was about to stop him when the bodyguards around me pinned me to the ground.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
The bodyguards looked embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Russell. Miss Hamilton says that her brother is ill, so his wish should be prioritized."
"Him? Prioritized?"
"But those are my mother's ashes! Let me go!"
"Shut up!" Richard shouted as he stepped on my fingers, squeezing them hard.
The louder I screamed, the harder he stomped on me. I watched helplessly as my mother's bone fragments were dug out and scattered to the ground by the wind. Meanwhile, I was struggling to scrape the ground with my fingertips so badly that I left a trail of blood.