The next day when Su Mu woke up, Fu Shinian had long since vanished, leaving the bed next to her as cold as if no one had ever been there. Had she forgotten? When had Fu Shinian ever spent the night? Every time, he would leave immediately after venting his frustrations. Over the years, had he ever really treated her as his wife? To him, she was just a bed partner, summoned and dismissed at his whim.
But what could she do about the hatred she felt? Everything that was happening now was a consequence of her own choices!
Auntie Lin knocked on the door and entered, startled by Su Mu's appearance. Su Mu quickly straightened the quilt.
"Madam..."
Su Mu managed a strained smile, "It's nothing."
Auntie Lin looked at her with pity; Su Mu's face was so pale it was frightening. Her bitten lip was still bleeding. Worried, she said, "I should call Doctor Qiao to have a look."
"No need," Su Mu stopped her. "I'm fine. There's a meeting at the company, I still have to go to work."
Auntie Lin knew that Mrs. Fu, although appearing delicate, was stubborn, and seldom changed her decisions once made. Seeing that Su Mu was insistent, there was not much she could say, so she replied:
"Then I will make you some breakfast first, eat before you go to the office."
To hide the marks on her body, she had no choice but to wear long sleeves and pants despite the July weather. Everyone at the office gave her an extra glance, but she paid no attention to the stares and went straight to her office. The assistant, a bit nosier, asked a question:
"Sister Mu, are you not feeling well today?"
"Yeah, I have a bit of a fever and feel a little cold," she replied.
"Then I'll turn up the air conditioning for you."
All morning, Su Mu felt restless. Her body ached severely, her wrists, swollen and red from Fu Shinian's grip, now felt numb and painful. Signing documents, she was careful not to let the assistant see, for fear she would notice something. Her body was in constant pain, and even her lower abdomen was aching. It was only when she went to the restroom that she realized she was still bleeding.
Perhaps she should learn to be more compliant next time.
As the end of the workday approached, the assistant, concerned for Su Mu's health, went to ask if she should bring back lunch for her, but despite several knocks, there was no answer from inside. When the assistant pushed the door open, she found Su Mu unconscious on the floor.
Su Mu was admitted to the hospital where her friend Jiang Bei received her as the patient. After a quick examination of Su Mu's injuries, Jiang Bei angrily ordered the nurse:
"Call the police!"
The nurse glanced at the multitude of injuries and, taken aback, agreed. She turned to leave but was stopped by Qiao Yu, who was consulting in the emergency room: "Doctor Jiang, please calm down. I think if Su Mu were awake, she certainly wouldn't want to make a big deal out of this."
Jiang Bei wasn't familiar with Qiao Yu, but because of Su Mu, she knew he was Fu Shinian's friend and was just as complicit. Seeing Su Mu in this state only made her more unforgiving:
"Doctor Qiao, this is my patient. How I handle this has nothing to do with you. This isn't your surgical department, please stay where you're most welcome."
Qiao Yu wanted to say something, but Jiang Bei pulled the dividing curtain shut on him. He sighed in resignation, but still instructed the nurse not to call the police for now. He dialed Fu Shinian's number outside the department. When he returned to the emergency room, he couldn't find either Su Mu or Jiang Bei. After asking around, he learned that the patient had a miscarriage and was taken to the operating room.