**Chapter 5: Hospital Stay**
The days blended together in a haze of beeping machines, hospital food and Peter's constant presence. Laila played the part of the dutiful wife, trying to make things seem the same as she if nothing changed, smiling weakly and thanking him for his care. But behind her mask, she seethed with anger and resentment, she knew this wasn't Peter, this wasn't her husband, he was never worthy of being her husband. This was just a man after her money, a man after her father's hard-earned money.
Nina visited regularly, bringing flowers and pretending to care. Laila's responses were polite but distant, her mind racing with plans for revenge.
Somewhere she felt as if she had lost all her emotions, all her feelings of care towards both of them had vanished. All the love and care they showed during her hospital stay didn't change the way she felt about them now.
The days continued to pass and Laila grew stronger, her body healing from the accident. But her mind remained sharp, focused on her goal to expose Peter and Nina's affair and make them pay.
She had stopped crying, her tears non-existent. Besides she knew it, they didn't deserve her tears, they weren't worth a single drop of her tears, so she wouldn't cry for them anymore. Never again.
Today she was going to start her first step into revenge, with questions. Her secretary had come to visit her earlier and she had told her to send the company's financial report when she got back, she had gone through it, only to be met by more surprises. Peter didn't even blink when stealing her money, what he took from the company was two times his normal pay, he had been exploiting her company sneakily without leaving any traces, or so he thought, as Laila was able to find some fishy things about some of the deals and corporations he handled. She knew that if she put in some extra effort to find out she would be able to uncover the things he did behind her back.
In the evening, Peter came in.
"How are you feeling today love?" He asked, his eyes falling on the bandage around her head before his eyes met hers, his face etched with concern like the previous days, that didn't even touch the surface of Laila's already cold heart.
"Better than the previous days," she replied. As Peter sat beside her bed, Laila's eyes locked onto his. "Can we talk?" she asked, her voice soft.
Peter's expression turned concerned. "Of course, what's on your mind?"
Laila's smile was calculated. "I just wanted to thank you for taking care of me. You've been amazing."
Peter's face relaxed, his eyes warm with affection. "I'll always take care of you, Laila. You're my wife."
Laila's gaze never wavered, her eyes boring into his soul. "I know," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I feel so lucky to have you."
But Peter didn't notice. He just smiled, his ego stroking by her words. But then Laila asked,
"Did you recently open an account babe? In my name?" She looked into his eyes, noticing the slight nervousness that formed at her question before he quickly covered it up with a smile,
"Oh yeah, I did, I opened it for charity donations, I opened it in your name so it'll be coming from you, I know how you like to give to the less privileged." He said in all righteousness. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I forgot to, and I know we give to charity already, but I felt it wasn't enough and it wouldn't hurt to donate some more to them." Laila just stared at him with her eyebrows subtly raised, before saying,
"Oh ok then, you know me so well babe, it just makes me love you more." She said in affection. Peter seemed to release a breath of relief that she bought what he said.
"I know, I love you too, just focus on getting better ok, leave the company matters to me for now." He said in advice, as if, Laila thought, internally rolling her eyes but outwardly nodding her head. "The doctor said you'll be discharged soon, I think you should be able to leave by tomorrow evening."
Oh that's good, Laila thought, once she leaves this place, she would make sure to make them pay, besides she would be able to stretch her fingers of revenge more, being in the hospital was limiting her abilities to find out more about what had been going on behind her back.
Today, she had taken one step towards her revenge, she had made Peter confess to being the one that had opened the account in her name, without him knowing that she had recorded their conversation to use against him later. She knew he would deny opening the account later when the truth was out and as the account was in her name it would make it more difficult to prove that he was the one who opened it. But now, this recording would prove her right.
The next day, Laila got ready to leave the hospital, changing into a beautiful ash gown that had been brought for her, the gown was fitted until the hips, then flowed down, covering her ankles, with black shoes to match, her hair was brushed and braided at the sides before leaving the rest to fall in behind. She had healed up completely except for the little scratch on her forehead, the bandage on her head had been removed to be replaced by a little bandaid. A little makeup applied on her face to make it look little less white.
In the evening, she was finally ready to leave, she could walk but Peter refused, saying she needed a wheelchair,
"I promise I can walk," she said, but Peter didn't listen,
"I know, but you're just getting discharged from the hospital so you need to be careful, besides you can't walk down, you know we are on the top floor," he said in concern, Laila frowned at his unwillingness to allow her walk down herself.
"But we are making use of the elevator and-," Peter didn't allow her continue
"It doesn't matter love okay. Now." He insisted.
The nurse came in with a wheelchair and they helped Laila sit on it, they left as Peter pushed her on the chair.
They left towards the entrance of the hospital, as Peter wheeled her out, Laila noticed a young man on suit helping an old lady into the hospital, he looked handsome with sleek black hair and eyes, his lips thin and the look on his face that didn't reveal anything, he seemed to talk to the old woman as he carefully helped her to the hospital.
As if sensing her gaze on him, the man raised his head and they both locked eyes, Laila didn't know why or what happened within the matter of a few seconds but she felt as if something pulled her with the look in his eyes tugging lightly at her heart strings before passing each other. He looked familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before and she couldn't help but wonder where.
As they walked out of the hospital, Laila's eyes scanned the surroundings, taking in the sights and sounds of the outside world. She felt a sense of freedom, being out of the hospital's confines. Peter pushed her wheelchair, chatting with her about his plans for her recovery.
Laila's mind wandered, thinking about her next steps. She needed to gather more evidence, build a strong case against Peter and Nina. She couldn't let them get away with their deceit.
As they approached the car, Peter helped Laila in, buckling her seatbelt for her. Laila's eyes met his, and for a moment, she felt a pang of disgust. How could she have loved this man?
The drive home was quiet, Peter chatting occasionally about his day. Laila's mind was elsewhere, planning her next move.
When they arrived home, Peter helped Laila out of the car, supporting her as they walked into the house. Laila's eyes scanned the familiar surroundings, feeling a sense of unease. This was her home, but it no longer felt like it.
As they entered the living room, Nina was there, smiling and chatting with Peter. Laila's eyes narrowed, her anger simmering just below the surface.
"Hey, Laila, how are you feeling?" Nina asked, her voice dripping with concern.
Laila's smile was calculated. "I'm feeling better, thanks for asking."
Nina's eyes locked onto hers, and for a moment, Laila thought she saw a flicker of guilt. But it was quickly replaced by a mask of concern.
Laila's gaze lingered on Nina's face, her mind racing with plans. She would expose them both, and she would make them pay.