The Choices We Make (Revenge)

Confrontation

IGM Hospital, Malé

Victoria looked impatiently at her gold watch as she paced nervously back and forth along the hospital floor. She was not used to wait, and since she had done that for more than half an hour, her nerves were more than tense. What is the doctor doing in there for that amount of time? She asked herself. A normal ward round never lasted that long. After she had entered the hospital and had received Emily's room number at the reception desk, she had immediately gone upstairs. But to her displeasure, she had had to realize that someone was already in the room. She had eavesdropped for a moment, but then had preferred to remain hidden and just wait. She wondered what Conrad was doing now, her husband, the coward, who had preferred to wait in the rental car. Again she looked at her watch and sighed. More than ten minutes had passed again. Maybe it was better to come back later. But just as she turned around and went back to the elevator, the door opened and the doctor came out, who also went to the elevator quickly without taking any notice of her. She breathed a sigh of relief. Her way was finally free. She tugged at her costume before she finally stepped over to Emily's room door and, without knocking, pressed the door handle and entered unsolicited.

For a moment she stopped and stared at the bed where Emily was lying. She had lost weight, she noted after a closer look. Her face was pale, and her curls, which had been carefully trimmed in the past, hung limply. There was an infusion tube in her arm and a patch on her forehead, above the left eye. When the young woman lifted her head and Victoria saw the sparkle in her eyes, presumably from tears, she actually felt something like pity. But it was not any young woman. It was Emily Thorne, who had betrayed her family for years.

"Yes, please? Can I help you? Did you choose the wrong room?"

Victoria shook her head mechanically while she was still staring at Emily. She saw her wiping her eyes and then taking a brown envelope and placing it on the bedside table.

"I can call a nurse, if you like. She can show you the way to the room of your relative."

Victoria noticed Emily's frown and her questioning look. She plays the amnesia patient really convincingly, she thought. No wonder she had wrapped Daniel around her finger again. She took a step towards her. "You can stop playing games!" she said accusingly. "We're among us, Emily. You can't reason with me." She saw how Emily turned pale, her fingers clenching the bedspread.

"Who are you?"

"You know exactly who I am! Don't pretend you can't remember!" She laughed mockingly. "After all, I was the last person you spoke to before you were shot and went overboard."

"You ... know who shot me ...?"

The look that hit Victoria made her pause for a moment. A mixture of disbelief, panic and confusion. For years she had been able to study Emily's different facial expressions. This expression was new to her.

"Oh God ... I'm getting sick ...!"

Victoria watched Emily bending to the side, reaching for a bowl, which stood on the side table, and heaving helplessly.

It was the maternal instinct that urged Victoria to hurry to the bed. She sat down, lifted Emily's hair up, and waited patiently for her to stop vomiting.

"Who ... who are you?"

Victoria noticed the sweat beads on Emily's chalky forehead, the tears that ran down her cheeks, and how her chest lifted and lowered much too quickly. She instinctively grabbed the call button and pressed it.

"The doctor is coming soon," she said in a low voice, as she hurriedly jumped up. Startled, she looked at the small, slender hand, which clasped her arm.

"No ... please ... stay with me!"

She broke free and retreated to the door. When she looked back, she just saw Emily pulling the infusion needle out of her arm and trying to get out of bed. She had to get out of here! When she opened the door and ran out, she bumped into the nurse.

"What happened?" She asked alarmed, looking at Victoria, skeptically.

"Take care of her!" Was the last thing she said before she pushed past and ran to the elevator as quickly as possible. Her breath went jerkily when she finally arrived downstairs.

"Victoria?" Conrad looked worried at his wife as he saw her haggard expression.

"Let's go back to the hotel!" She ran a trembling hand through her hair, breathing heavily.

"What happened?" He demanded. "Have you seen her?"

She nodded as if stunned. "What did I do ...?" She stammered. "Daniel will never forgive me!"

Conrad looked at her, frowning. "What happened?" He repeated.

Exhausted, she dropped into the passenger seat and turned to him. "She didn't lie," she said in a low voice. "Emily really has amnesia." She shook her head slightly as she stared straight ahead. "What did I do ...?" She repeated again and again.

Conrad raised his eyebrows in astonishment. It was probably the first time that his wife had lost control. And he could tell from her facial expression that she didn't know how to deal with it. Hesitantly, he put his hand on hers and was amazed that she didn't push it off as usual. "We can do this together," he said reassuringly. "You're not alone." He started the engine and drove out of the parking area towards the hotel.