Chapter 2

My whole body was shaking.

I couldn't tell if it was the brutal side effects of the chemo, or something else entirely.

My son, Leo, sat up on the hospital bed, crossing his legs. He looked like an entirely different person. The empty, lifeless eyes he had carried for five years were now burning so bright I could barely look at him.

"Mom, listen to me. We still have time."

His voice was raspy from the high fever, but every single word was sharp. There was none of the slurring or repetition typical of autistic children.

"That divorce agreement isn't legally binding yet. To finalize it, both of you have to sign the final notary papers with the lawyers at the courthouse. He’s coming to pick you up tomorrow morning."

"Do not go."

I opened my mouth, but my lips were so dry they cracked and bled. I couldn't make a sound.

"I don't know how long I can stay clear-headed like this, so you must remember three things." He reached out and squeezed my finger. His hand was burning hot.

"First, when he registered his company, Apex Bio-Tech, back in March 2019, you were the co-founder with a forty percent stake. He made you sign a stack of papers, telling you it was just standard procedure. One of them was the operating agreement. Six months later, he forged your signature and removed your name from the registry."

I remembered that stack of papers. Shortly after Leo was diagnosed, Logan said he wanted to start a medical device company. He piled those documents on the dining table, and I just signed wherever his finger pointed.

"Second, the money Grandma left you—all eight hundred and twenty thousand dollars. On March 12, 2019, it was transferred from your personal account directly to Apex Bio-Tech’s corporate account. He claimed it was a loan, but he never mentioned it again."

Eight hundred and twenty thousand dollars. That was everything my mother had left me when she passed away.

"Third, there’s a firm downtown called Cole & Associates. The lawyer’s name is Marcus Cole. He specializes in corporate equity disputes and high-net-worth divorces."

"How... how do you know about him?" I gasped.

He fell silent for a few seconds.

"In my past life, I was dumped into a terrible state orphanage. When I was nineteen, I saw him on TV. He won a case almost identical to yours. That woman was luckier than you—she survived."

As he spoke, his eyelids began to flutter heavily. His little body went limp, sliding back down onto the pillow. Drool began to pool at the corner of his mouth, and his fingers started twitching rhythmically against the blanket. He was back to the Leo I had known for five years.

He had slipped away again.

The heart monitor beeped steadily. Down the hallway, a metal cart rattled past.

I sat in the dark until four in the morning, then grabbed my phone and searched: *Marcus Cole, Cole & Associates.*

The top search result popped up immediately: *Marcus Cole, Senior Partner. Areas of expertise: Corporate equity disputes, marital asset division.*

I called. It went straight to voicemail.

"Mr. Cole, my name is Chloe Vance. I'm currently undergoing chemotherapy, and my husband is trying to force me into a divorce with zero assets. But I believe I own forty percent of his company's shares... Please call me back."

After hanging up, I stared at the ceiling, wondering if the cancer had finally crawled into my brain and made me lose my mind.

At 5:03 AM, the door to my room was pushed open.

It wasn't a nurse.

A young woman in a tailored designer suit stood at the door, clutching a leather folder. She glanced at Leo curled up on the bed, her brows furrowing in disgust.

"Mrs. Carter, Logan sent me to collect two things. The copy of the signed divorce agreement, and your health insurance card."

She checked her gold watch.

"He needs them by eight at the latest."