Take My Breath Away

The feigned sadness and weakness disappeared from Megan's face. She smiled at Debbie malevolently. "I love Carlos as much as you do. So how could I leave him alone? Besides, the entire Huo family likes me. They hate you. So it should be me asking you, Debbie, when are you gonna divorce Carlos?"

Debbie wanted to slap her so badly. Carlos' relationship with Megan always bugged her, and every time she was justified. "Um...he's my husband?" It was less a question, and more incredulity that she would even ask. "So what if they like you? As long as Carlos loves me, it doesn't matter if the whole world's on your side."

Megan smiled conspiratorially. "You really think Carlos loves you?"

"Of course." She could feel Carlos' love for her. His every act was drenched in affection for her. Her feelings wouldn't lie. Megan's words couldn't change that.

"If he loves you so much, why didn't he tell you about the birth control pills you took?"

Debbie was puzzled. "What?" Though he'd initially been angry, the two had already made up and put the issue of the morning-after pills behind them. She wasn't the most experienced sleuth, so Debbie couldn't figure it out. Why did she test positive for those pills, when she never took any? In the end, she had thought it was simply because she had a voracious appetite. Maybe she had eaten something that contained the ingredients they tested for. If she ate a lot of it, that would explain the high levels they found.

But now that Megan had brought it up again, not to mention in that weird tone, Debbie knew something was fishy.

"What do I mean? Debbie Nian, you're pathetically naive. Since we're both women, I shouldn't have to tell you that I don't trust men. Carlos may have an open wallet when it comes to you. He may buy you a lot of pretty things. But that's not love."

"Stop!" Debbie interrupted her. "I'm a 22-year-old married woman, you're 18 and single. Why would I think you know anything about men? You're just trying to get between me and Carlos."

Megan was young after all. Debbie could see what she was up to. She'd made it clear plenty of times that her motives were not pure when it came to Carlos.

The younger girl bit her lip angrily and said, "Do you know why the tests came back positive? The pills had been ground up and put in your food. And the Huos did it. Almost every day. As long as Carlos was at home with you in the evening, they made sure you took the pills the next day. He knew it, and said zilch to you. That has to suck."

Every word Megan had said was like a bomb. Debbie felt dizzy now, and the world, which had made sense just moments earlier, didn't. 'Carlos' family slipped me birth control pills?'

That was too hard to take. For a moment she thought her ears were messing with her. Then she saw the smug look on Megan's face. She took a few deep breaths to center herself. And finally visibly relaxed, the tension draining from her shoulders and back. She told herself not to fall into the girl's trap. "Who did it?"

"I'll tell you, but you can't tell Carlos."

Debbie thought about it for a bit. She wondered what harm it would do. "Deal," she said.

With Debbie's promise, Megan laughed weirdly. "Your so-called parents-in-law."

'James and Tabitha.'

Debbie's hands balled into fists. She clenched them so tightly that her nails started to dig into her palm.

She knew James hated her. Debbie could totally believe James was behind it. But Tabitha? She remembered the bracelets Tabitha had given her the first day they met. 'She was always nice to me. She couldn't do that.' "No way. That's not Tabitha's style. First you ruin my relationship with Carlos, and now my mother-in-law? You are such a bitch!"

Megan put on an innocent smile and ignored her insult. "Did you forget what she said about you the other night? I haven't... She said you shattered the peace in that family. Afterwards, she told me she wanted Carlos to get a divorce and would help me become his wife."

Tabitha's accusation from that night was still fresh in Debbie's mind. She hadn't forgotten. It still stung, and it was part of the reason she considered moving out of that house. It had taken Carlos a long time to comfort her. She calmed down, but never forgot.

Debbie's face reddened from the sad memory and the cruel news. Tears welled in her eyes, making the world indistinct. She grabbed Megan's collar, and the younger girl screamed in fear. However, since this was the VVIP inpatient department, nurses and doctors were not allowed to wander around unless absolutely necessary. It was the uber-private wing. So there were only the two of them in the hallway right now.

Debbie forced Megan against the wall, forearm against her throat. "You're just hell-bent on stealing Carlos away from me, aren't you?"

Frightened, Megan turned pale. She stumbled over her next words. "Y-yeah. Everyone deserves to be happy. Carlos makes me happy."

'Makes her happy?' Debbie sneered, "So? You screw me over just to be happy?"

"What's wrong with that? You're nothing to me. What do I care? Carlos used to treat me better than any other. But since you showed up, he's only had eyes for you. It's not fair!" Megan was afraid, but she managed to shout out her thoughts anyway. She was already on thin ice. It wasn't going to do any harm to wound Debbie further.

"Fair? You talk about fair?" Laughing, Debbie tossed Megan aside like a bag of garbage.

"Ah!" Thrown off balance, Megan tumbled to the floor and her forehead struck the bench.

Blood trickled down her face. Feeling the warmth, she reached for her forehead and screamed when she saw the red, sticky liquid on her hand.

In the ward

Debbie leaned against the window, troublesome as a rebellious teen. Defiantly facing the four men in front of her, she remained bold and confident.

Gesturing wildly, Damon paced furiously around the room. He wanted to curse, but he didn't dare to. He stopped once, like he wanted to say something to Debbie, but all he could do is clench his fists and move on.

Wesley had just arrived to visit Carlos. When he heard about what happened, he stared at Debbie gravely. If he could, he would make her a punching bag and strike her repeatedly.

Curtis kept smiling, because Debbie wasn't hurt. He had stuck up for Megan before, but only because Wesley and Carlos were his buddies. But he much preferred Debbie to Megan.

Carlos sat on the bed silently, lips dry and pale. If you looked at him you could feel the temperature drop.

It was Damon who finally broke the silence. "Did you come back to see Carlos or hurt Megan?"

Debbie cast him a sideways look and scoffed, "Yeah right. Because I wanted to hurt Megan. See how important she is to me? I even flew back from England for her. Spent 10 hours in a flying tin can. It cost a pretty penny though. How about reimbursing me for my trouble?"

"Are you high? How could you even talk about that right now? " Damon stared at her with widened eyes. It was obvious he was furious with her.

"Why not? Just think, if I hadn't come back, you wouldn't have had the chance to rush to her rescue. Megan's guardian angels," she mocked. Her tone was exaggerated to make it sound dramatic. Damon's anger grew.

Curtis adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. "Guardian angel? Hardly. Well, maybe for Colleen."

He sounded impartial. But Damon could tell that he was actually on Debbie's side. 'Curtis spoils her too much. Almost like he's her brother, ' he thought.

At this point, Carlos fixed Damon with an icy glance, and warned, "You've stared at my wife long enough." He had been silent not because he was angry at Debbie. He was simply thinking about all the drama she caused. He had only slept for a short time, and she'd already gotten into more trouble.