Many people in China and other places see death from different perspectives. Some think of death as the end, others as the beginning of eternity, but to me, death is a thief.
I shot my eyes open; sounds of heels clicking against the hospital floor reached my ears. The sounds of the pulse checker and my hot breath beneath the oxygen mask could not dull the annoying sound. I knew who was coming. My breath grew haggard.
I shot a glance at the intruder, draped in a black jumpsuit and a fitted jacket. It was her again.
"Sister," Xiǎo Lì called. Her red hair cascaded down her shoulders and neck; her sharp features daunting.
"You're awake! Have you been well?" she asked, hypocrisy laced in her words. She took purposeful steps towards my IV drip, the silver needle of a syringe shimmering in her firm grasp.
"It's a pity you couldn't fight back, darling," her lips curled into a devious smile. She injected the substance into my drip. My eyes focused on her, watering. Rage, fear and sadness rushed within me, but I couldn't lift a finger. Why? Paralysis. I've been a vegetable for more than a year.
"You know, your fiancée and I will head for Venice. Also, our honeymoon is fast approaching! Aren't you excited for me?" she mocked. Every word she said stabbed at my heart like daggers. I forced myself to move, but my body wasn't obedient, and I had to stay and listen to her break me chip by chip.
She bent over, trailing her index finger across my sweaty face, beaming with joy at my evident sorrow. I had never desired violence so much in the two decades I've lived, but today I did. I envisioned slapping off her finger, grabbing her by the hair, and putting her in her place. But here I was, sweating all over and reeking of fury.
"I made it clear from the beginning. Hào Rán is mine, but you, bitch, you went ahead to date him and even got engaged; you are so full of yourself, Róng Huá. Anyway, you aren't gonna be a problem anymore. I am already married to Hào Rán, expecting his baby, and we are going on our honeymoon soon. Who got the last laugh, sister? I did!!"
I had never been in so much pain all my life. The pain I felt with every word she spat stabbed at my chest. Not because
Hào Rán was my fiancé for four years. Not because since I was bedridden, he hadn't set foot in my ward to check on me. It was because he decided to settle with nobody else, but my twin sister.
The news of their marriage had spread around like wildfire. Hào Rán was the young COO of a large company, and I happened to be the CEO of a smaller enterprise.
Love blinded me into giving my shares and ownership to Hào Rán to merge with his brother's company. I foolishly believed he would love me the same. But he overthrew his brother and became a renowned businessman in the city and Xiǎo Lì, his wife.
"Don't cry, and happy birthday," she said, wiping the tears that fell from the corner of my eye.
"It's a shame you wouldn't celebrate it," she said, feigning compassion. A light chuckle escaped her lips; she straightened herself, her brown eyes staring at me with pure hate. She pivoted on her heels and left.
The substance was now spreading; my organs flared up as though hot coals burned in them. My internals burned with so much intensity, and my eyes stung as tears flooded the pillow beneath me. The thief was coming.
The cardiac tracker went on, blaring while I forced myself to keep breathing. A doctor and some nurses rushed in to check on me; they tore open my gown and worked on the defibrillator. They were trying to keep me alive. The thief was closer.
I could hear faint scrambling and light feet thudding on the floor as everyone was alert. The defibrillators sent shocking waves into my system, jerking me upwards. My eyes still stung, my mouth dry, most of my senses had died at this point. I looked blankly at a nurse scurrying to get whatever the doctor needed. Her flushed skin, a contrast to mine, and her eyes filled with life as she panicked to do her job well. For a split second, I envied her. I knew death was near, but I was too stubborn to accept it, although I had no choice.
"Ms Wang, please stay with me!" the doctor urged, seeing me drift away.
"I'm trying," I tried to tell him, but my efforts were fruitless. The defibrillators could only jerk me up, but as long as the substance keeps seeping into my body, it is a lost cause.
The life I gave to Hào Rán, Xiǎo Lì, Māma and Bàba was fleeting, and none of them were here to see me die. None of them cared. Only the panicked faces of the doctor and nurses gave me a faint satisfaction.
I couldn't obey the doctor. He called out in panic, but I was exhausted, battling with the thief. Great men couldn't defeat her; I was no better.
I finally closed my sore eyes, drawing in one last, painful breath. The noise in the ward completely faded, leaving only a void and silence.