Chapter 4

Over the past few days, that cat has been darting all over the villa, leaving white fur on the sofas and carpets.

I saw it all and my nerves were on edge.

Leo was seriously allergic to cat hair.

When he was three, a neighbor's cat snuck into our house, and Leo almost had a severe asthma attack from the allergy, and he could barely breathe.

That night, while Sally was out, I went to find Jacob.

"Mr. Grant, could you ask Ms. Peggy to send the cat away? Or at least keep it in a cage?" I asked.

Jacob was staring at his computer, going over some reports, not even bothering to look up.

"Why?" he asked.

"Leo's allergic to cat hair. It's really serious. It could be life-threatening," I said.

I kept my tone serious, doing my best to keep it professional.

Jacob frowned and finally tore his eyes away from the screen.

Before he could say anything, Sally suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

She was holding the cat, her eyes went red and the tears just started flowing.

She said, "Jacob, this cat... it was the last thing Aaron ever gave me...

"I was scared it would just bring back memories, and I worried you wouldn't like it, so I left it at the pet shop all this time. But a few days ago, the owner called and said the cat wasn't eating or drinking, just missing me. If I didn't bring it home soon, it might not make it.

"Aaron's been gone for years, and this cat is all I have left of him. If I lose it, I honestly don't know how I'd go on."

Aaron was Jacob's best friend growing up, Sally's boyfriend, and he died saving Jacob.

Whenever Sally mentioned Aaron, Jacob would always cave without hesitation.

Sure enough, Jacob's face turned grim, and he dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

"He's not that fragile. Can't a boy handle a little cat hair? Just have him stay away from the cat. If it's really that bad, put an N95 mask on him. Don't bother me with this kind of thing. I'm busy," Jacob said, sounding cold and impatient.

I looked at Jacob's indifferent face, and my anger boiled over.

But I knew, in this house, it was clear Aaron, who was gone, mattered more than Leo, who was still here.

Sally was more important than Leo and me put together.

I didn't say another word. I just turned and walked out of the study.

The next day, I bought an industrial-grade air purifier and stashed it in the storage room.

I picked up a hefty pack of N95 masks for Leo and ordered him to keep one on at all times while he was at home.

But trouble still found us.

On Friday night, Jacob was away on a business trip in a neighboring city.

Thunder and rain were raging outside in the middle of the night.

I was jolted awake by the sound of frantic coughing.

When I flipped on the light, I saw Leo's face turning purple, his mouth open wide as he fought for every breath, his throat sounding like a broken bellows.

I was certain Sally had deliberately put the cat in the storage room when I wasn't paying attention.

I frantically rummaged through the medicine cabinet, only to find the asthma inhaler was empty.

Leo hadn't had an attack in so long, I'd let my guard down and forgotten to check.

"Leo, hang in there! I'm taking you to the hospital!" I shouted, panic rising in my chest.

I didn't even bother with a coat and just grabbed Leo and bolted out the door.

Rain was coming down in sheets, and our villa was perched halfway up the mountain. There was absolutely no way to get a ride out here.

I grabbed my phone, my hands trembling so badly I almost dropped it, and dialed Jacob's number.

He was Leo's dad, and he had a driver. If anyone could can get us to the hospital fast, it's him.

"Sorry, the user you are trying to reach is currently busy..." came the cold, automated reply.

I hit redial, refusing to give up.

"Sorry, the user you are trying to reach is currently busy..." The cold automated voice echoed in my ear.

I kept calling for more than a dozen times. Every single time, the line was busy or he just hung up.

The last time I tried, the message changed: "The number you dialed has been turned off."

My heart dropped to the floor.

Rain poured down my hair, mixing with my tears and stinging my eyes. It was salty, bitter, and cold.

Leo lay limp on my back, his body burning with fever, his breaths growing fainter and fainter.

"Mom... I feel awful..." he croaked, barely able to get the words out.

"Don't be scared, Leo. I'm here, I'm right here..." I whispered.

With Leo, who was over fifty pounds, on my back, I stumbled through the pouring rain, each step sinking and slipping in the mud.

One of my shoes came off, and sharp stones scraped my bare foot, blood mixing with the rain and pooling beneath me as I ran.

That sense of hopelessness was just like back before the divorce, when I begged him for money to pay for Leo's treatment, but he was off celebrating Sally's birthday.

After what felt like forever, I finally managed to flag down a good-hearted driver in a private car.

When we got to the hospital, Leo was rushed straight into the ER.

The doctor said if we'd been five minutes later, not even a miracle could have saved him.

I collapsed on the cold floor outside the ER, drenched from head to toe, like some drowned ghost.

My phone buzzed.

It was a message from Sally, a screenshot of Jacob's latest social media post.

"Even if the rain floods every city, I'll make sure you see fireworks beneath a sky full of stars," it said.

The picture showed the famous fireworks show in the neighboring city, with Sally curled up against him, smiling like she was the happiest woman in the world.

So his so-called "business trip" was really just a romantic getaway with his girl.

While my son was clinging to life, his father was off enjoying fireworks with someone else.

I couldn't take my eyes off that photo, staring at it until the screen finally went black.

The day after Leo was discharged from the hospital, Jacob came home.