But the Vances had still underestimated howplicated things really

were.

Dr. White’s reputation wasn’t just built on his skill-he was also notoriously difficult to get ahold of.

Beckett had pulled every string he could think of, but he never even got a glimpse of Dr. White, let alone managed to convince him to take the case. Time was running out. Desperate, Beckett called Edith over and over, but she ignored every call. Before long, she’d blocked his number entirely.

Outside the operating room, Heather was seething with rage,shing out one moment at Edith for daring to go against the wishes of the Vance family, and the next at Dr. White for being so high and mighty.

Her tirade went on for so long that the hospital staff kept their distance, until finally Beckett managed to calm her down.

“Mom, we don’t have time for this right now!”

Salome’s cries of pain echoed through the hall, making everyone’s nerves

raw.

Beckett racked his brain for a solution. “Mom, go talk to Mrs. Sullivan. She’s friends with Dr. White-they’ve known each other for years.”

Heather’s first reaction was t-out refusal. “No. Over my dead body. I’d rather die than go crawling to that woman!”

Beckett’s eyes were red, his voice pleading. “Mom, we’ve done everything we can. We can’t let pride and old grudges ruin everything now. Mrs. Sullivan is a generous woman. If you go to her and apologize, I know she’ll help our family.”

He hesitated, then added, “Salome is still part of the Vance bloodline. Mrs. Sullivan wouldn’t have the heart to turn her back on us.”

Heather went from stubborn resistance to reluctant eptance.

12:22

Throughout the ordeal, her resentment toward Edith only grew, until she could barely contain the urge to tear her former daughter-inw apart.

If it weren’t for Edith’s scheming, Salome wouldn’t be in this predicament. And if Salome weren’t suffering, Heather wouldn’t be forced to swallow her pride and beg her old rival for help.

It was all Edith’s fault.

Everything was her fault.

On the hospital bed, Salome’s face was ashen, her slender hands clenching the sheets. Her voice was hoarse from screaming in pain, but her eyes were wide with disbelief as she looked at her husband.

“Did your mother really go to see Mrs. Sullivan?”

Beckett nodded. “She’s already on her way.”

Salome was so shocked, she almost forgot the pain.

Years ago, Heather had be Mrs. Vance by stealing Mrs. Sullivan’s fiancé. She’d been so smug about it, she never even bothered to apologize, spouting nonsense about how “the unloved woman is always

the other woman.”

Mrs. Sullivan had suffered for years because of it, falling ill for a long time before finally moving on and marrying a gentle surgeon.

For Heather to go to Mrs. Sullivan now-if she didn’t apologize, there was no way Mrs. Sullivan would even speak to her. And if she did apologize, it would mean the once-proud Heather had finally lowered her head and admitted she’d been wrong all along.

Even in the depths of pain, Salome couldn’t resist using the moment to twist the knife in Edith.

She looked up at Beckett, her expression fragile and pitiful. “Honey, your mom’s doing everything she can for me, and I’m so grateful, but I can’t help hating Edith even more. How could she-how could she be so cruel? She just wants to see the Vance family suffer. She’s a monster!”

12:22

Tears streaming down her cheeks, Salome buried her face in Beckett’s chest, her voice trembling. “If anything happens to our baby, I swear, not even death will stop me from haunting Edith!”

12:22