Chapter 3

He glared so hard his eyes were bloodshot, like he was looking at an enemy.

I covered my burning cheek and stared at the man I'd shared a bed with for years, unable to believe this was really him. "Kevin, are you really this heartless?

"Have you forgotten that when you had nothing, I stayed by your side no matter what? Even if you won't think about me, at least think about our daughter."

His face was full of contempt. "You've got some nerve bringing up the past. Helen was way better than you back then, and I still married you. So who's the heartless one here?

"If you're not here to help, then get lost."

I was frantic. My daughter was still lying in that hospital bed, and the money in Kevin's hands was her last and only hope.

I swallowed my humiliation, bent my knees, and dropped to the ground right in front of him. "Kevin, I'm begging you. Our daughter really needs the money. Please give it back to me. I have no other way left..."

Every word I've said is the truth.

That money came from everyone I knew. I had begged, pleaded, smiled through humiliation, and borrowed from anyone who would listen. I had even given up my dignity and knelt in front of that other woman.

All of it was for the chance of waking even a shred of conscience in him. But my pleading and surrender only disgusted him more.

His tone carried an edge of threat. "If you don't get the hell out now, don't blame me for what happens next.

"You love saying our daughter is dying, right? Fine. If she's dying, then let her die. With a mother like you, she never would've grown up right anyway."

After saying that, he tried to shut the door, but I threw myself forward and braced against it with all my strength. My fingers were crushed in the door until blood ran down them, yet I still refused to let go.

This was my only hope. There was no way I could give up like that.

"What the hell do you want?" Kevin roared. He didn't dare actually crush my hand, so all he could do was yell.

"Give me the money," I said, glaring at him. "Give it back, and I swear I won't bother you again."

Kevin stared at me for a long moment before finally telling the truth. "That money's already gone. I used all of it to pay off Helen's debt."

He said it so lightly, like it was nothing at all.

I felt myself going mad. "All of it? You paid off all of it?"

He snapped, then changed his tune completely. "And whose fault is that?

"If you hadn't made such a scene before, would Helen have gotten upset enough to run off to a casino in Kingsport?

"She's the one who lost a ton of money and ended up buried in gambling debt, and at the end of the day, that's on you.

"I'm your husband. I couldn't stand by and watch you make that kind of mistake. If those debt collectors had beaten her to death, do you think you'd have had no responsibility?"

Without hesitation, he shoved all the blame onto me, as if I were the one who had forced Helen to gamble and borrow money. My anger surged, but looking at how little he cared, it curdled into suffocating grief instead.

I gave up. I let go and watched the blood drip from my fingertips. Kevin froze, and the second I stopped fighting.

His expression turned complicated. "All right, enough. Once I finish helping Helen move, I'll come home. Isn't that enough?"

Then he added, "Helen's feeling awful right now. She needs me. Instead of wasting time here with me, go home and teach our daughter not to pick up crooked tricks like yours."