I took a step to follow them into the ambulance, but Evelyn turned sharply, her tear-streaked face blazing with hatred.
"Stay away from him!" she snapped, her voice shaking. Lucia blocked my path as well, stepping between me and the open ambulance doors.
"Don't even bother. You're useless. I've had enough of you," Lucia snapped coldly. Her face was twisted in disgust.
"Why are you still here?" Evelyn shrieked, her voice cutting through the air like a knife. She stomped towards me, her eyes bulging with fury. "Do you want him to suffer more?" She shoved me hard, her bony hands digging into my shoulders.
"You're just here to hurt him more, aren't you?" she spat, her breath hot on my face. "I won't let a viper like you anywhere near my son again!" Her chest heaved with rage as she continued, her voice reaching a near-scream, "I will see to it that my son divorces you. We're done with you. Get away from us!"
I glanced at Harvey, lying unconscious, then met her gaze, my face expressionless. My voice was low and even. "That's not up to you, is it? And you might be surprised what your son wants."
Evelyn's face twisted into an expression of pure fury, her cheeks blotchy and red. Her eyes widened. "What did you just say?!" she screeched, her voice cracking. She took a step forward, but Lucia held her back, whispering something into her ear, though her sharp glare never left me.
Nearby, several bystanders gathered closer, their phones still raised, capturing every detail of the confrontation. The red and white lights of the ambulance reflected on their faces, making their expressions of ridicule and judgment look even more exaggerated.
"Did you hear what she just said? How can she be so sure her husband won't divorce her?" someone muttered loudly.
"Does she think her husband can't live without her?" another voice chimed in, dripping with sarcasm.
"Ugh, shameless. How dare she say something like that?"
"Maybe she's got some dirt on him? That poor man is probably being blackmailed into staying with her," a man said, shaking his head disapprovingly.
Their words blended together into a cacophony of scorn and judgment, but I didn't flinch. I met their stares head-on. What did their opinions matter? They were just bystanders—strangers who thrived on spectacle. The storm of accusations and rumors they'd help spread didn't frighten me. In fact, it was exactly what I wanted.
***