Chapter 4

Once everything was done, I checked the time, called a cab, and took Adam straight to the airport.

That night, as I watched his tiny silhouette disappear through the gate with the flight attendant, I finally let out a breath I'd been holding for days.

The next day, when Adam made it safely to my parents' place, there would be nothing holding me back here anymore.

I didn't sleep a wink that night. Just as I got into the cab to head back to the city, the hospital called.

The nurse sounded frantic. "Are you Ryan's family? He's awake and really agitated. You need to come right now."

When I got to the hospital, the VIP ward was in complete chaos.

As soon as Ryan saw me, his eyes turned bloodshot, like a furious beast gone mad.

"It's you! You evil stepmother! You bribed the doctors to ruin me!"

Without a second thought, he grabbed the glass from the nightstand and hurled it at me with all his strength.

"I'm going to make my dad destroy you! I'll make sure he sends you and that quack doctor straight to jail!" he yelled.

The head nurse was holding him back, but she couldn't help but say, "What nonsense are you spouting, kid? Your dad already filed an internal report; they're calling it an accident. Emily isn't getting in any trouble."

Another young nurse muttered under her breath, "Yeah, Dr. Carter vouched for her himself. He said it was just a mistake, so no one's going to hold her accountable..."

"No way! You're all lying to me!" Ryan wouldn't believe a word, thrashing around even more wildly.

He pushed the nurse away, snatched up a metal thermos from the table, and launched it straight at me, putting everything he had into it.

I didn't move fast enough; the thermos crashed hard into the side of my forehead.

My head spun, and warm blood trickled down my cheek.

The nurses rushed over, pinned Ryan down, and gave him a sedative shot.

Finally, the world went quiet.

The head nurse helped me out of the room and sat me down on a bench in the hallway. She opened the first aid kit and started cleaning my wound.

"Try not to take it too hard, Mrs. Carter. He just learned the news, so it's only natural for him to freak out," she said gently.

I didn't say a word, just gritted my teeth and endured the sting of the antiseptic swab.

Two figures burst out of the elevator in a rush.

It was James's parents.

When James's mother saw the gash on my forehead, she didn't even bother to ask if I was okay. Her face turned sour and she started in on me right away.

"Seriously? You can't even handle a kid! Getting yourself hurt in the hospital. How useless can you get?"

She looked me up and down like I was some kind of disappointment, her eyes full of criticism.

"I told you to quit your job and just stay home, take care of your husband and kids, but you just had to ignore me, didn't you? Now look what happened!" she snapped.

James's father chimed in, "Seriously, you can't even handle the basics. James said it was just a routine surgery. How did you manage to mess it up? Clearly, you weren't paying attention!

"Lucky for you it wasn't Ryan who got hurt this time. If anything had happened to Ryan, you'd be in for it!"

They kept taking turns putting me and Adam down, every word full of disdain.

"I heard all about Adam's little accident Just because you gave birth to him doesn't mean you know how to raise him. Kids like that need to learn a lesson and now you're dragging my son into your mess!" James's mother sneered.

The head nurse, who had been listening nearby, finally couldn't take it anymore. She frowned and cut in, "This isn't just a minor injury. It's permanent damage. It's going to have a huge impact on him for the rest of his life."

James's parents' faces froze instantly.

The next second, James's mother shrieked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Permanent damage? What do you mean?"

She shoved me aside, her face twisted with disgust. "The Carter Family can't have unhealthy descendants! Olivia, you're a total jinx!"

I let her shove me around, pressing the gauze to my still-bleeding wound, and laughed softly at her words.

"You're right. The Carter Family is all about the bloodline. That's why I'm getting a divorce and brought you two here, to let you take care of your precious grandson."

"Why should we have to take care of your kid just because he's got problems?" James's mother shot back without a second thought.

I looked at her face, all twisted up with anger, and shook my head with a faint smile.

"Who ever said the kid lying in that hospital bed is my son?"