Katherine could hardly contain her displeasure as she listened. She could clearly hear the jealousy in Linaâs words.
âHave you been building up that thick skin all these years? Bold of you to assume everything my boyfriend did was for you. Take a look at yourself, wonât you? Usually, I let such shamelessness slide, but coming from you, I canât seem to overlook it. You think so highly of yourself that it pisses me off.â
âI donât see a reason for you to regard me like this, Miss Nash,â Lina retorted, not backing down. âYou canât hold a grudge against me just because Iâm Shawnâs ex.â
âYouâre wrong,â Katherine stood in front of Shawn, facing Lina squarely. âAs Shawnâs friend, I feel sick at your utter betrayal. As his girlfriend, I wonât let you use or hurt him again. Those were enough reasons for me to hate you, so donât act so shocked that Iâm hostile to you.â
Lina knew she had lost the moral high ground to indict anyone. She had acknowledged her past mistakes, from which she had forfeited everything good in her life.
Her marriage had been miserable, and following the divorce, she found herself saddled with a huge debt. She had a daughter to raise and a mother who was gravely ill. When she was already so wretched, why did these people continue to hold on to her past? Couldnât they find it in their hearts to forgive her after her near-death experience today?
Lina believed that Shawn still had a soft spot for her deep down. They said a man would never forget his first love. She was Shawnâs first love, so she knew he hadnât completely erased her from his life. Her leaving him must have broken his heart, but it surely became a life lessonâone that he would remember for the rest of his life.
âCanât we be friends, Shawn?â Lina asked.
Shawn shrugged.
âMy girlfriendâs opinions and words are also mine.â
As his words cut deep into Linaâs heart, she masked her pain with a more disingenuous smile. Anyone who didnât know better might think she was the victim here.
âEven if I died, you wouldnât care?â
Katherine snickered. âHave you lost your mind? Do you really think that threatening to die will erase what youâve done?â
âI did nothing wrong!â Lina snapped, glaring at Katherine with angry tears streaming down her face. âEven if I did, I was already heavily punished for it. Why canât you let it go? Do you need to witness my downfall to feel satisfied?â
She grabbed a pillow from behind her and threw it to the floor begrudgingly, her hair falling into disarray like that of a resentful madwoman. The sudden outburst reminded Katherine of something she had learned recently.
When one had a happy, stable family and life, it was wise to step back in the face of provocations or conflicts rather than confront them head-on. After all, one could never truly understand the twisted mind of someone who had harbored grudges for a long time, nor could one anticipate the desperate actions they might take next.
Shawn wasnât going to waste any more words. He took Katherineâs hand and left the hospital.
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