I opened my mouth. My throat felt like sandpaper.
"Where's Derek?"
"That bastard!" Ryan's jaw clenched. "I called him, and he was eating."
The hospital room door slammed open.
Derek rushed in reeking of alcohol, exaggerated tear tracks streaking his face.
"Lexi! You scared me to death!"
He threw himself at my bedside, sobbing like he couldn't breathe. But his hand—silently, carefully—pressed down on my IV tube.
The tube flattened. The medication stopped flowing.
I caught the viciousness flash through his eyes. My stomach turned.
"Derek, get away from my sister!" Ryan tried to shove him back.
"Ryan, what do you know!" Derek roared. "I'm worried about her!"
My mother-in-law shuffled in behind him, dabbing at her eyes while stealing glances at me. That look—like she was checking to see when I'd stop breathing.
I swallowed the bile rising in my throat and weakly reached for Derek's hand.
"I'm sorry… I was careless… I knocked over the washbasin…"
Derek froze.
Wild joy nearly spilled from his eyes.
"Lexi, don't say that." He instantly switched to his devoted-husband mask. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have left you home alone."
"I'll never do it again."
My mother-in-law chimed in: "Exactly, exactly. Lexi, your health is fragile—I'll take better care of you from now on."
Watching their performance, I sneered inside.
If they thought I was an idiot, fine. I'd keep playing one.
As long as I stayed alive, he wouldn't see a single cent of that insurance policy.
That was his weakness.
"I want to go home," I said softly.
"Go home?" Ryan's voice pitched with alarm. "Alex, you still need observation!"
"The hospital's too expensive." I looked at Derek. "I don't want to be a burden."
Hesitation flickered across his face. But he quickly arranged his expression into one of anguish. "Money doesn't matter. Your health comes first."
"But…" I let myself cough. "I want to recover at home. With you taking care of me."
That did it. His guard dropped completely.
"Okay. Whatever you want."
He tucked my blanket in gently, but his gaze drifted toward the window.
I knew exactly what he was thinking.
Too many doctors and nurses here. He couldn't make a move.
Home was his territory.
While handling the discharge paperwork, Ryan pulled me aside.
"Alex, are you insane? That bastard almost killed you!"