She Died With My Name on Her Lips novel Chapter 5

After the surgery, Louisa was wheeled back to her hospital room.

As the anesthesia faded, pain radiated from her wound, making her shake uncontrollably. She bit down on her lip, determined not to let herself cry out.

While the nurses redressed her wound, they whispered to each other, thinking she couldn’t hear:

“Mr. Barker treats his wife so well. He stayed outside the operating room the whole time, didn’t move an inch.”

“I know, right? He’s rich, handsome, and so devoted. I wish I had a love like that. Ms. Sharp is so lucky.”

Louisa’s tears finally slipped free. Her voice was barely a whisper. “I’m his wife…”

The nurses froze. An awkward silence hung in the air before they hurried out of the room.

The silence returned, broken only by the steady drip of the IV.

Louisa tried to sit up, desperate for the bathroom. But as soon as she stood, her legs gave out and she crumpled to the floor, her wound hitting the bed frame so hard she saw stars.

The door creaked open. Stephen stood in the hallway. He started to step in, but when he saw Louisa struggling on the floor, he stopped cold. He pulled back, turned, and walked away.

His assistant hurried after him, confused. “Mr. Barker, you obviously care about Ms. Thompson. Why—?”

Stephen paused, his voice like ice. “This is her punishment. She deserves it.”

The assistant hesitated but finally said, “But what happened before wasn’t her fault. Her parents are gone. You’ve punished her for five years—hasn’t that been enough?”

Stephen was silent for a long moment. When he finally answered, his voice was flat. “If I let her go, who’s going to let me go?”

After that, Louisa stayed in the hospital. No one came to see her.

Days blurred by, until her phone buzzed, shaking her out of a heavy sleep.

She fumbled for it and saw a text from a number she didn’t know:

Your kidney’s working great for me~ Soon, it won’t just be your kidney. Everything you have—including Stephen—will be mine!

There was a photo attached: a delicate wrist wearing her mother’s jade bracelet.

The last thing her parents had ever left her.

Louisa’s blood ran cold.

She yanked out her IV, not caring about the blood, and stumbled down the hallway to Louise’s room.

She burst in. Louise was lounging against the pillows, smiling smugly. “Well, look who it is—our donor hero. What, checking up on your kidney?”

Louisa’s eyes locked onto the bracelet. Her voice shook. “Give it back.”

Louise stroked the bracelet, her face all innocence. “Why should I? Stephen said it looks beautiful on me. Reminds him of how you used to be. He gave it to me.”

Louisa’s whole body went cold. She reached for the bracelet, but her hands stopped short—terrified she’d break it.

She swallowed her pride. “That bracelet means everything to me. I’ll trade you anything—whatever you want, just say it.”

Louise tilted her head, pretending to think. “There’s only one thing I don’t have—the title of Mrs. Barker.”

Her smile widened. “So, how about you give me your place?”

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