Then Evangeline sent another voice message. Clay Farley's voice filled my ear, unmistakable: "Evangeline, don't waste your breath on her. She's just some dirt-poor mother-in-law. Not worth your time. Do whatever you want with the surgery. If anything goes wrong, I'll take the heat."
I didn't waste another second. I booked the first flight out and raced toward the airport, dialing Clay's number over and over until he picked up.
"Clay, your mom is in the operating room at your hospital. She's in critical danger. You need to get there now—"
"Enough. I know what you're going to say." Clay cut me off, his voice flat and cold. "I think Evangeline was right to teach her a lesson."
I couldn't process his words. "What did you just say?"
His tone turned hard, laced with disgust. "Dorothy Simmons, your mother's greed is written all over her face. Everyone can see it. She's using some fake illness to shake me down, and Evangeline put her in her place. So what? She deserved it. Maybe she'll learn not to try milking the Farley family for everything we're worth."
Panic clawed at my throat. "You've got it wrong. She's your—"
"Enough!"
Clay's impatience crackled through the line.
"So what if she's my mother-in-law? Dorothy, we may be married, but your mother needs to learn some basic boundaries. She can't just ride on the fact that you're my wife to squeeze every last benefit out of me."
"My mother is sitting right next to me!" I screamed, my voice cracking. "She's fine! She's here in the Maldives! The woman on that operating table is YOUR mother. The woman who gave birth to you. The woman who raised you!"
Clay erupted. "Stop making up stories for sympathy! When did you pick up this habit of lying? I know exactly what kind of person your mother is. Today she fakes an illness to exploit the hospital. Tomorrow she'll show up at my door demanding a share of the family assets. Evangeline did the right thing. Don't bother about whether she lives or dies."
His words turned the frantic heat in my chest to solid ice.
My mother wasn't a wealthy woman, but she had spent her entire life being kind and honest. She had never taken advantage of a single soul. When it came to Clay, she had only ever given, never asked for anything in return.