Hobby Got sick 2

Chapter 2

They both stared at me, waiting.

I gave them a soft, practiced smile. “Yeah… I’m selling the house. We should hear back soon.”

Then I added, almost like an afterthought, “My mom managed to borrow about fifty thousand from some relatives, too.”

Olivia and Jack exhaled in unison, like they’d been holding their breath.

“That’s amazing,” Olivia beamed. “There’s only three days left. You better move fast. Everything else is set, we’re just waiting on the surgery now.”

If I hadn’t heard what I did yesterday, I might’ve believed her.

We’d grown up together, inseparable since kindergarten. She was my best friend, practically my sister. I trusted her with everything.

But now?

Now I knew when she said everything was set, she wasn’t talking about the surgery.

She meant their little scheme.

Watching the two of them laugh so casually, so damn comfortably, while pretending they weren’t sleeping together behind my back? It made my skin crawl.

Still, I kept my tone light.

“Hey, Olivia… I’ll be out the next couple of days, sorting the paperwork and meeting with the buyer. Can I ask you a huge favor?”

She tilted her head, all concern and sweetness.

“Of course. What do you need?”

“Can you keep an eye on Jack while I’m gone? I can’t afford a nurse, and I don’t really know anyone else here. I’d just feel better if someone I trust was around.”

Her eyes lit up, just for a second. But I caught it.

“Of course!” she said quickly. “Jack’s basically like family to me. I’ll check on him every half hour. And I’ll let the nurses know too. Don’t worry, I’ve got him covered.”

“Thank you,” I said, smiling like I meant it.

Then I turned and walked out.

But I didn’t leave.

I ducked into the hallway, just around the corner from Jack’s room, and waited.

Ten minutes passed.

Then I crept back, silent as a shadow.

The door wasn’t fully closed.

And the second I got close, I heard it.

“She’s finally gone. God, I thought she’d never leave. You said we had no time alone? Guess the universe just gave us a green light.”

“Jack…” Olivia’s voice was breathy.

“Don’t say that. What if someone hears?”

“So what?” he chuckled. “I missed you. And so did this little guy.”

She giggled, a sound I’d once thought was innocent.

“Be gentle. The baby’s still tiny, okay?”

Then came the unmistakable sound of kissing. Wet. Sloppy.

I felt sick.

I backed away, heart thudding so hard it echoed in my ears.

Once I reached the nurses’ station, I spotted her immediately, Nurse Carla. Olivia had complained about her more than once, said she was cold, difficult to work with.

But now? That just told me she had a backbone.

“Hi,” I said, putting on my worried-wife voice. “I’m Jack’s wife. I’ll be out the next couple of days, handling the house sale. Could you maybe keep an eye on him when you can?”

She nodded right away.

“Of course. I’ll make sure he’s looked after.”

I reached into my purse, pulled out an envelope.

“I really appreciate it, please, just a little something for your trouble.”

She glanced at it, then shook her head.

“No need. I’m happy to help.”

I smiled, even though my throat felt tight.

We exchanged contact info, and I finally left the building, for real this time.

With Jack’s full medical file tucked safely in my bag.

They thought they had it all figured out.

The lies. The manipulation. The fake illness. The fake kindness.

But they missed one critical detail.

Jack wasn’t pretending to be sick.

He actually was.

Just not with kidney failure.

The scan results were clear.

Stage IV liver cancer.

He was dying.

And they didn’t even know it yet.

But I did.