Chapter 3

"MOM!!!"

I went completely berserk, lunging forward.

The crowd scrambled back in shock.

Sean's mother turned pale, stammering, "That has nothing to do with us! She fainted on her own!"

"Don't you dare try to sue us for this!"

With a hard shove, she pushed my mother and me out into the hallway and slammed the heavy door shut.

My fists trembled, a white-hot fury burning through my veins. But I didn't have time for revenge. I scooped my mother into my arms and sped to the emergency room.

The doctor said her condition was critical. I sat by her bed for three agonizing hours before she finally opened her eyes.

I stepped out for a moment to buy her some soup, but when I returned, Chloe and Sean were walking into the room carrying a basket.

My voice turned ice-cold. "Get out. I don't need your fake sympathy."

Chloe glared at me. "Do you have any shame left?"

"If you hadn't brought your mother into this, would things have escalated like that? I came to apologize. Whether you accept it or not is on you!"

Rage exploded in my chest. "Apologize? By bringing a basket of funeral flowers and expired milk?!"

"Chloe, you don't want to apologize—you want my mother dead!"

Sean immediately put on his trademark puppy-dog face. "Ethan, please don't blame Chloe. We really came to make amends."

"It's all my fault. If Chloe hadn't agreed to help me, she wouldn't have gotten the abortion."

My mother, lying on the bed, froze. It took her several seconds before her voice came out, trembling.

"What... what did you just say? My grandchild is gone?"

"How could this happen? I already bought clothes for all the stages growing up... I had an engraved silver bracelet made... and you... you..."

Before she could finish, my mother clutched her chest in agony, her face turning paper-white.

The heart monitor beside the bed erupted into a shrill, piercing alarm.

Panic hit me like a freight train.

"Mom! Doctor! Someone help!"

With tears blinding my eyes, I shouted and sprinted toward the door.

Mockery danced in Sean's eyes, yet he stepped right in front of me, blocking my path.

"Ethan, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I had no idea your mom would react like this!"

"Move!" I roared, my eyes bloodshot. "If anything happens to my mother, I swear I'll ruin you!"

Chloe frowned, scolding me, "Sean is genuinely trying to apologize. Why do you always have to be so damn petty?!"

My entire body shook with fury.

"Get the hell out of my way! I don't have time for your games!"

Seeing my desperation, a smug smirk crept onto Sean's lips. Suddenly, he dropped to his knees right before me, sobbing theatrically.

"Ethan, if you won't forgive me, I won't get up!"

"I'll just stay on my knees until I die!"

Chloe's heart broke for him, and she rushed to pull him up. "Sean, why are you kneeling to him? Get up!"

Then she turned and glared at me. "Ethan, you forced Sean onto his knees! What more do you want?!"

I gritted my teeth until they nearly cracked. "I don't have time for this circus. My mother is dying!"

I shoved Sean out of the way.

I barely used any force, but Sean dramatically threw himself across the floor, crashing loudly.

Chloe exploded, grabbing my collar to hold me back.

"Ethan, you ungrateful bastard! How dare you hit him?!"

"Apologize to Sean right now, or we're getting a divorce!"

At that moment, the shrill beep on the heart monitor flatlined into a continuous, deafening tone. My mother went completely limp, her breathing vanished.

I froze in shock for half a second before tearing myself away and throwing myself over my mother's bed.

"Chloe! Not only are we getting a divorce, but I am going to make every single one of you pay for what you did to my mother!!"