Chapter 4

Dr. Stanley was silent for a few seconds.

"Mrs. Harding, given your current condition, the success rate of the surgery is actually very high."

"My current condition?"

"Yes." He pushed up his glasses. "When you first came here three years ago, your hearing loss was indeed very severe. But after these three years of treatment, your hearing has actually been recovering."

"It's just..."

He paused, as if hesitating over whether to say it.

"Just what?"

"It's just that one of the ingredients in the medication you're taking suppresses the repair of the auditory nerve."

I froze.

"What ingredient?"

Dr. Stanley took a test report out of the drawer.

"Three months ago I happened to notice something was off, so I quietly kept some of your medication and had it analyzed. There's something added to it called an auditory nerve blocker. Taken long-term, it causes hearing to keep declining, even permanent damage."

"This kind of drug can't be bought here at all."

I looked at the report, my hands trembling slightly.

My hands were shaking so badly I couldn't hold the paper. Dr. Stanley pressed it down for me, and only then could I read those five characters: auditory nerve blocker.

"Who prescribed it?"

"The prescription is in my name, but I didn't write it." Dr. Stanley looked at me. "Mrs. Harding, who usually handles your medication?"

I thought of Effie Henson.

After she moved in, she'd taken it upon herself to prepare my medication.

"Dr. Henson is an expert. You can rest easy leaving it to me."

That's what Eugene said at the time.

I didn't go home.

I went straight to Harding Group.

The receptionist knew me and didn't stop me.

I took the elevator up to the top floor and walked toward the CEO's office.

The door was ajar.

Through the gap, I saw Effie Henson sitting on Eugene's lap, the two of them looking at something.

"Once she signs the share transfer agreement, your shares will be over fifty percent," Effie said with a smile. "By then all of Harding Group will be yours."

Eugene kissed her ear.

"Thanks to you, coming up with such a perfect plan."

"Of course." Effie wrapped her arms around his neck. "Once she signs, she can die in an accident. A deaf woman getting hit by a car crossing the street—perfectly normal, right?"

Eugene let out a laugh.

"You," he said. "You're really cold-hearted."

"Me, cold-hearted?" Effie poked his chest. "Don't you want to get rid of this burden too? You only married her three years ago because of the shares her father held. Now that you've got the shares, what's the point of keeping her?"

I stood outside the door, watching their lips.

Word by word, they spelled out the day of my death.

I pushed the door open and went in.