Love My Friends with Benefits

My mind kept going back to what the nurse had said. I was afraid that if I didn't spend every free moment I had with Grandma, I wouldn't be able to anymore.

There was no way I'd miss a chance to see her.

Later that afternoon, I got dressed and drove to the hospital.

It had only been a few days since I'd last seen Aunt Nancy, but she had lost a lot of weight. She looked exhausted.

When she saw me, she nodded, almost blankly. "You're here."

"Yeah," I replied softly.

Aunt Nancy didn't say anything else. She just sat on the bed and stared into space.

She yawned every now and then, looking like she'd fall asleep at any moment.

A nurse came in with a tray full of medical equipment and gave Grandma an injection. After that, she said to me, "Remember to wipe the patient down and also flip her when she doesn't need to get an injection so that she doesn't get any bedsores."

I nodded.

Aunt Nancy seemed to wake up at the nurse's voice. She rubbed her eyes. "I'll get some hot water."

I stopped her. "No, I'll do it. You get some sleep."

Aunt Nancy yawned again, then asked worriedly, "Are you fine on your own? You're still sick, aren't you?"

"I'm fine, really."

I made her lie down and got a basin to get some hot water.

As I turned the corner, I suddenly saw a white figure flash past the other end of the corridor.

It looked a little familiar.

Why did I feel like it was Phoebe?

After some thought, I went back to the ward and woke Aunt Nancy up. "Did Phoebe come today?"

"Her?" Aunt Nancy snorted. "She couldn't give a d*mn about your grandmother. She was just putting on a show for that fiancé of hers."

So Aunt Nancy didn't know that Phoebe was here?

What was she doing here, then?

I suppressed my worry and forced out a smile. "You're right."

Aunt Nancy asked, "What's wrong? Did you see her?"

She caught the key point immediately.

I shook my head, feeling hesitant. "I don't know whether it was her."

"Let's just worry about that some other time, then." Aunt Nancy frowned. "If Phoebe's here, it could only mean that that young man's here as well."

It was obvious that she was referring to Leonard.

"I don't think that's likely." I don't know whether I was trying to convince Aunt Nancy or myself. "Leonard has nothing to do with Grandma. Why would he come here out of the blue?"

Aunt Nancy gave it some thought, then said, "That's true. Alright, you go get the water while I get some rest."

"Alright," I answered before walking out again.

When I got to the corner, I heard Phoebe's voice.

"My mother still doesn't agree with this."

There wasn't anyone around, so she didn't speak in her usual pretentious, prissy voice. Instead, her voice was full of malice.

I instinctively hid behind the wall and eavesdropped on her conversation.

"She's worried about the old hag." Phoebe stomped her foot in irritation. "You know how it is. She's my father's mother, after all."

She had to be talking about Grandma.

For some reason, I poked my head out to peek at Phoebe's expression.

I didn't expect her to be looking in my direction.

Her head was slightly bowed. Her face was devoid of its usual gentle, shy, and even pitiful expression. It was replaced by ruthlessness and cruelty.

She looked exactly like Gail.

I was shocked and quickly hid behind the wall again.

Phoebe probably didn't see me. She continued to say over the phone, "Yes, it's wonderful to marry a rich person, but I'm not married yet, am I?" She snorted. "My mother's afraid to get on my father's bad side because she's dependent on him. I'm his favourite daughter, though. What do I have to fear?"

She couldn't conceal her delight.

Bell had given Phoebe all of his fatherly love from the moment she'd been born. Over the years, it had become second nature for him to dote on her. It was no wonder that Phoebe was so confident in their bond.

I felt a little bitter.

I don't know what the person Phoebe was talking to said, but it made her laugh daintily.

"Oh, please. I've told you this before! I'm his favourite daughter! Even if something happens to that old hag, he won't really blame me for it..."

Something was going to happen to Grandma?

I was stunned, then came back to my senses.

Phoebe was going to harm Grandma!

The basin fell from my hands and clattered on the floor noisily.

Phoebe stopped laughing abruptly. She hung up and looked around warily. "Who's there?"

"It's me."

I forced the words out and walked out from my corner. I glared at her.

"Oh, Queena, it's you." Phoebe played dumb. "What are you doing here? I didn't even hear you."

"Well, yeah. If you knew that I was here, you wouldn't have spoken your mind, right?" I said coldly.

I stalked towards her.

Phoebe's expression changed. "You heard me? How much did you hear?"

I didn't say anything and walked up to her.

I was blinded by fury. All I knew was that I wanted to rip her to shreds.

"Since you heard me, I don't mind telling you everything." After a short moment of panic, Phoebe regained her composure and sneered, "You people are an eyesore. I've wanted to get rid of all of you for the longest time."

I gritted my teeth.

Phoebe let out a coquettish laugh, the complete opposite of her usual innocent act.

"Queena, you love ruining my things, don't you? One day, I'll give you a taste of your own medicine. I'll destroy the thing you care about the most."

I asked icily, "You want to harm Grandma, don't you?"

Phoebe probably didn't expect me to know about her plan. A sliver of panic flashed in her eyes, then she smiled. "Who knows? It depends on my mood, really." "Your mood?" I repeated. "Fine."

Phoebe was taken aback. "What are you..."

She was halfway through her sentence when her words turned into a tortured scream.

I grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head against the wall with all my strength. It only took a couple of tries for her to start bleeding.

"You f*cking psycho!" Phoebe shrieked. "You're crazy, Queena!"

I didn't say anything. I just continued to slam her against the wall.

I was extremely calm. At this moment, I really wanted Phoebe to die. It wasn't a curse. It was something that I truly wished for.