Chapter 3

My father had been kicked out of the hospital.

By the time I rushed over, he was lying on a gurney in the hallway.

The caregiver, Maria, told me that a woman claiming to be my wife had come to transfer him to another facility.

But the moment the discharge papers were signed, she abandoned my dad in the hallway and vanished.

Maria had tried calling me multiple times, but the calls wouldn't go through.

She wanted to talk to the doctors to readmit him, but they insisted that only immediate family members could handle the paperwork.

There was no doubt about it. Chloe did this.

Right now, my dad's face was turning purple.

I didn't have time to confront Chloe. I ran straight to the doctor's office to get him admitted.

But when I walked in, the doctor shook his head and told me my dad's condition was too severe for them to handle.

I lost my temper. "What do you mean too severe? Last night you told me he was stabilizing and ready for surgery! How can you not take him now?!"

The doctor shrunk back, terrified. "Mr. Miller, please calm down. A patient's condition can fluctuate. He was fine last night, but it's completely normal for it to take a turn for the worse today."

I demanded, "If he was in such a critical state, why did you let someone discharge him in the first place?!"

The doctor shrugged. "Your wife insisted on the discharge. We have to respect the family's decision."

After a few exchanges, it was clear as day.

Even an idiot could see someone powerful had pulled strings. Otherwise, no doctor would dare do something so reckless.

I stormed out of the office and called Chloe, demanding to know why she did it.

"To teach you a lesson, of course," Chloe said bluntly. "Ethan, Mia was right. I've been too nice to you, which is why you think you can walk all over me. You did such horrible things to me; why shouldn't I get even?"

I snapped. "If you want revenge, take it out on me! Why target my dad? Chloe, have you forgotten who took you in when you were literally begging on the streets?!"

I couldn't believe Chloe would actually hurt my father.

When she was ten, her family kicked her out. She almost froze to death on the streets in the dead of winter.

It was my dad who brought her home and fed her.

At the mention of the past, Chloe seemed to waver. She muttered, "Fine, then…"

"Chloe, are we really just going to let this slide?" Tyler's voice cut in. "Don't forget our actual goal here."

Chloe went silent for a few seconds before her voice turned cold again. "Ethan, if you want your dad back in a hospital bed, come sign the divorce papers."

"No way!" I roared. "Chloe, five years ago, you put my dad in the hospital. You promised him then that the only way this marriage ends is if one of us dies! If I divorce you now, even if my dad wakes up, the shock will kill him!"

"What does that have to do with me?" Chloe's words felt like a bucket of ice water poured over my head. "Either you sign, or your dad dies."

She hung up. When I tried calling back, her phone was switched off.

I had no time to waste on her.

I immediately began trying to transfer my dad to other hospitals.

But after several major hospitals in the city rejected him one after another, my assistant sent me a background check on Tyler. That was when I finally understood what Chloe meant by "letting him die."

Tyler's father was Harrison Vance, the CEO of the country's largest pharmaceutical conglomerate. They partnered with almost every hospital in the city.

Without a doubt, Tyler had blacklisted my father.

My years of experience as a lawyer told me that in front of massive corporate power, ordinary citizens like us were nothing but dust.

Even if they broke the law and we found evidence, they could easily find someone else to take the fall.

Just as despair was swallowing me whole, Maria's panicked voice screamed.

"Mr. Miller! Come quick! Your dad stopped breathing!"