Chapter 6 The Exposed Lie

Her plan had been simple; fake the illness, frame Francesca, make her lose her kidney, and then get her out of the Landon family. But now, Francesca's move had completely turned the tables, and Suzanna was in deep trouble. Suzanna's face darkened as she realized just how messed up things had gotten. She had no idea where Francesca had found the kidney, but if Oliver really did the surgery, her whole plan would fall apart, and she might even die. "No, I don't want surgery! I don't want a kidney transplant!" Suzanna suddenly screamed, her face going pale as panic set in. Benedict and the doctors were taken aback by her outburst. They didn't know what had triggered it, but they understood that if Suzanna didn't agree to the surgery, they couldn't do much. "Suzanna, calm down," Benedict tried, his voice soft. "This surgery is to save your life. You don't have to be this scared." "I don't want surgery! I don't want a kidney transplant!" Suzanna screamed again, tears pouring down her face. "I wanna go home, I don't want to be here!" Francesca wasn't moved. She shot back coldly, "Suzanna, what place do you think this is? It's a hospital. People come here to get better, not a hotel where you can just leave whenever you feel like it." Her words just made Suzanna freak out even more. She tried to get up, but the doctors and nurses had to pin her down. "Let me go! I want to go home! I don't want to stay here!" Suzanna shouted, her voice full of fear. Francesca snapped, "What are you waiting for? Give her the sedative and get Dr. Stanley ready for surgery when he gets here!" Suzanna completely lost it. As the nurse reached for the tranquilizer, Suzanna scrambled off the bed and hid behind Benedict, crying, "Benedict, no! Don't let them do surgery ..." "Hold on, Suzanna, you can actually get out of bed and walk?" Francesca acted surprised, watching the whole scene unfold. Benedict stared at Suzanna, confused. He remembered the doctor saying she was too weak to even get out of bed, that she could barely do anything without help. She had needed someone to assist her just to go to the bathroom. But now, here she was, walking around. He wondered if they were really lying to him this whole time. Suzanna realized she couldn't keep up the act anymore and dropped her head in silence. Even if Benedict wasn't the sharpest, he could tell something was off. He grabbed the doctor, frustration boiling over. "Tell me the truth. What's really going on with Suzanna?" "Miss Mitchell ..." The doctor glanced nervously at Suzanna, but she was too defeated to say anything. She couldn't protect him at all. Benedict's gaze turned cold, his voice sharp. "I want the truth, now." The doctor trembled, realizing he had no choice but to come clean. "It was Miss Mitchell's decision, not the hospital's fault. She said you agreed to it, so we were just following her instructions. We won't do it again, Mr. Landon." Benedict's anger surged, wondering if he had been too soft with her all this time. He looked at Suzanna, still with her head down, acting all weak. His voice was icy. "Is that true? Why are you pretending to be sick?" Suzanna slowly raised her head. After a brief shock, she seemed to steady herself. Her eyes filled with tears, and she looked away from him. "I... I just wanted you to spend time with me. You're always so busy, and I didn't want to bother you. Ever since Jack died, I've felt so scared being alone." When Benedict heard that, he sighed. The coldness in his eyes faded. Jack Sanders was the man who had taken a bullet for him, and whenever he thought of him, Benedict couldn't stay angry. Jack had asked him to look after Suzanna, like she was his own sister, and make sure she never suffered. Now, with all that had happened, Benedict felt torn. He knew he needed to punish Suzanna, or it wouldn't be fair to Francesca, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. On one hand, he had a promise to keep to his comrade. On the other, he had his wife. That whole situation made Benedict sigh again. Suzanna saw his reaction and knew she was off the hook. She breathed a sigh of relief. Francesca, though, couldn't help but sneer. "So, since Suzanna isn't actually sick, are we still going to go ahead with this kidney swap?" "Francesca..." Benedict turned to her, his face going back to neutral. "I know Suzanna messed up, but she's still young. Don't hold it against her. I'll deal with it, don't worry. "As for the divorce, it's not worth it over something like this. You can keep the money I gave you before. Go home now. My mom's still angry about yesterday. You should apologize to her." His tone was calm, almost as if he was doing her a favor, like he was forgiving Francesca out of the goodness of his heart. Francesca clenched her fists, taking a deep breath, trying not to snap and punch that perfect nose of his.