Part 3When I Finally Put Myself First

"You're sick? Why didn't you tell me?"

The color completely drained from Joey's face the second he saw me. He practically sprinted to my bedside.

His fingers gently supported my bruised arm, his voice thick with undeniable heartache. "How did it get this bad? Why didn't you call me?"

I let out a cold, sharp laugh. "Your nurse has absolutely no idea what she's doing, and then she blames the patient for her own incompetence. Is this the standard of care at your hospital? Tell her to expect a formal complaint."

Sophie's eyes instantly welled with tears. She bit her lip hard.

"Sienna, I know you despise me. You are a wealthy, privileged girl. You could never possibly understand my struggles."

"The hospital is voting for the 'Nurse of the Year' award right now, and this is incredibly important to me. I am entirely alone in this city. I have no one to rely on. I have to earn every single penny with my own blood and sweat. Every path I take, I have to carve out myself..."

I cut her off, thoroughly exhausted. "What does any of your sob story have to do with me?"

Joey instructed another nurse to bring an ice pack and some warm towels. He carefully began treating my bruised arm.

But the words coming out of his mouth chilled me straight to the bone.

"The bruising looks worse than it is. It will fade in a week, and it definitely won't scar."

"Her technique is actually perfectly fine. She was probably just nervous today. If you file a formal complaint, all her hard work for the year will be completely ruined."

"It really isn't easy for a young girl to survive alone in a big city. Just let this go. Be good for me."

Sophie reached up and wiped away a tear.

She tilted her chin up slightly, looking exactly like a martyr who had finally received divine justice.

In the past, if I got a tiny papercut, Joey would hover over me in distress for half an hour. He would meticulously apply a bandage while cursing the paper for being too sharp.

But now, he was pouring all his empathy onto the person who had actually hurt me.

I curled my fingers into tight fists. My chest felt like it was packed with wet cement, but my voice came out ice-cold.

"Call your department head. I am filing a formal complaint against both of you."

Sophie's face hardened with righteous fury. "I take full responsibility for my own actions. Do not drag Dr. Wright into this! Even if you are his girlfriend, you have no right to bully people like this!"

She threw her hands up dramatically.

Her arm caught the open bottle of iodine on the medical cart. The dark brown liquid splashed directly onto the eight-thousand-dollar custom suit resting on the edge of the bed.

Silence blanketed the messy room.

I looked at the ruined fabric and spoke slowly. "That was my outfit for a major client meeting. You just destroyed it."

Sophie froze for a split second before stiffening her neck defiantly. "If you hadn't been intentionally making things difficult for me and Dr. Wright, I never would have panicked and knocked it over. When you really think about it, this is your own fault."

I calmly picked up my phone. "You can explain that logic to the police."

"Wait!"

Sophie looked away, her tone dripping with a bizarre, condescending kind of forgiveness. "At the end of the day, you are the one in the wrong, and you know it. But you are using my livelihood to threaten me. I do not have your money or your power, so I have to swallow this injustice."

"It is just a piece of clothing. I will pay you back. How much is it?"

I leaned back against the pillows, watching her with a perfectly calm expression. I enunciated every single syllable.

"Eight thousand dollars."

Sophie's righteous indignation shattered instantly.

Total panic washed over her features, her voice pitching into a shrill shriek.

"That is impossible!"

"How could a piece of fabric cost that much! Who are you trying to scam!"

"You rich people are all exactly the same. You just use your money to crush normal people..."

I cut her off smoothly. "Are you paying, or am I calling the cops?"