Chapter 45
Despite the delicious food, Solomon felt uneasy throughout the meal. He finished eating and quickly excused himself. The apartment fell silent.
As Miranda cleaned up, Tina's words echoed in her mind: Gastric perforation. Distracted, she dropped a plate, shattering it on the floor. She bent to pick up the pieces and cut her hand on the porcelain shards. Miranda hissed in pain, tears streaming down her face.
Six years, not six days or six months. Some habits were deeply ingrained. When she heard Hansel was hospitalized, she'd immediately worried and felt an urge to visit him. Fortunately, she'd resisted. Miranda knew she would eventually stop worrying and crying over Hansel. Their relationship, once vibrant, had devolved into weariness, culminating in their separation.
She couldn't pinpoint when the cracks appeared. Perhaps it was his first broken promise, or his first lie. Looking back, she only remembered fragments. Six years could create an epic romance or an insignificant memory.
Tina stomped downstairs in her high heels, furious. She tripped over trash in the hallway, cursing loudly. "What kind of place is this? It's stinky and filthy! I'm infuriated!"
Her phone rang. "Hans, why did you call? Didn't the doctor tell you to rest?" Despite her anger, she remembered he was a patient.
(The following section appears to be a jumble of unrelated sentences and possibly a different scene. It has been removed for clarity.)
She discreetly glanced at the door countless times. Finally, unable to contain himself any longer, he called Tina.
"Where are you?" he asked.
"I'm outside," she replied vaguely.
"How long until you get here?"
Since Tina hadn't brought Miranda, she didn't want to return to the hospital and face Hansel's frustration. So she said, "I might not return to the hospital. I'll go home first and get the chicken soup Mom made for you. Then—"
Hansel sensed something was wrong and interrupted. "Is Miranda not with you?"
Tina reluctantly admitted, "No."
Hansel tightened his grip on the phone. "Who told you to look for her? What does my being in the hospital have to do with her? Don't you understand what a breakup is? Mind your own business!"
"Fine! I'm a busybody! I'm annoying and bothersome! You're both so self-righteous, you don't care about each other anymore!" Tina snapped. How dare they treat her like a doormat?
"What do you mean?" Hansel asked.
Tina sneered. "Miranda said your problems are none of her business. Whether you're sick or dead, it doesn't matter to her. She's unwilling to visit you! Are you satisfied now? Hello? Hans?"
There was no response. Tina saw the call had ended.
In the ward, Martha watched Hansel's darkened expression and the shattered phone on the floor. Another phone destroyed! She instinctively clutched her own phone; she'd just gotten a new one and couldn't afford to lend it to Hansel again.