Cheating Whore

"You're working so hard just to get your cards unfrozen?" She got down from Zack slowly before standing right in front of me.

Then she lit up a slender cigarette, took a deep hit, and blew a cloud of smoke into my face. The stench of tobacco choked me, and I coughed violently. She knew I hated the smell of cigarettes. The old her never would've done this.

My fury was rising again, but I tried my best to stay calm. "How many times do I have to tell you, they're your parents? Why won't you even see if it's true?"

"Because you're a compulsive liar. Why should I trust you? For all I know, this is another scheme of yours, so you can scam my money out of me!"

I tossed the notice of critical illness in her face. "Then, look at this closely. Tell me, what's the name that's written on it?"

She didn't even look. The woman stepped on it and slapped me. "What an actor. You came in with props. If you have that much time, learn from Zack. If you please me, I'll give you any money you want. You made the wrong move."

Disgusting. I refused to waste another moment on this useless place, and I turned away.

"Tie him up, Zack!"

Zack sneered and approached me. He grabbed my arm and pinned me against the ground. I thrashed around wildly, but it did not work. "Are you mad, Wendy? What are you doing?"

She slammed her heel into my face, and it nearly pierced my skin. "Where do you think you're going? You want money, don't you? I mean, you'd do anything for cash. Why are you acting like you're a saint now?"

My cheeks were burning, and my blood was screaming. It did not want to suffer this humiliation. "Let me go! Why are you even bringing up the past? It's already bad enough you don't want to save your parents!"

Every single word was a hiss. Every single word was filled with my fury and helplessness.

"You're hopeless! How dare you curse my parents!" She drove her heel in harder, and it left a mark on my face.

My face was getting crushed, and breathing itself took effort. Zack was excited, though. He swung a foot right into my belly. I gasped in pain and curled up like a pillbug. My stomach was churning and groaning.

Wendy, however, only watched coldly. There was no sympathy in her eyes.

"So, why are you keeping him tied up, Wendy?" Zack approached Wendy and started sliding his hands around her body.

Wendy smiled nicely at him and wrapped her arms around Zack's neck. She blew in his ear. "Because I want him to see how you can serve me. If we let him go, he might come back with something that'll annoy me more."

I lay on the ground like a man who had lost all hope. All I could do was listen to their filthy conversation. The only thing that filled my heart was despair and rage.

Their flirting was slowly getting more explicit, and my heart died even more with every passing second. My in-laws were still in the hospital, their fates uncertain, yet I was trapped here in hell.

I regretted taking them to Halton on a whim. If they'd stayed at home, at least they'd have a peaceful Christmas. Yet now they were in the hospital. George was pushed out of his ward and left in the corridor because his bill wasn't paid.

The winds were biting and freezing. A man his age could never handle that. The pain in my belly was throbbing and spreading all across my body. I was going to faint.

And then, Wendy's phone rang. She did not like getting disturbed. Impatient, she picked up her phone and turned on the speaker.

"Wendy…" A weak, panicked voice spoke.

That froze Wendy up. She gasped, "Dad? But why are you calling from an unknown number?"