Chapter 3

Before William Carter could even lose his temper, the doors to The Asclepius Society were slammed open once more.

A horde of reporters, lugging all sorts of cameras and microphones, stormed in.

Flashbulbs went off like crazy, so bright that people could barely keep their eyes open.

At the front of the crowd was William Carter's mother, my bitter and sharp-tongued ex-mother-in-law.

She stormed in, pointed her finger right in my face, and shouted, "Everyone, come see! This is the vicious witch!

"She pretended to be dead, leaving our whole family grieving for four years!

"Now her nephew is on the brink of death, and she has the power to save him, but she refuses to lift a finger!

"A heartless woman like her doesn't even deserve to be called human!"

The reporters swarmed me like sharks smelling blood, their microphones nearly poking my nose.

"Ms. Hamilton, why did you fake your own death?"

"Did you do it to cheat for compensation money?"

"Do you have anything to say about the accusation that you let someone die without helping?"

"Are these two kids really your illegitimate children?"

Under the flashing lights, my daughter was shaking like a leaf, hugging my leg for dear life.

My son was scared too, but he stepped in front of his sister, facing the crowd and yelling, "You leave my mom alone!"

My heart was torn apart. I quickly pulled my kids behind me, shooting a fierce glare around the room. "If anyone snaps another shot of my kids, I'll make sure you never touch a camera again!"

The Asclepius Society's truly intimidating—my glare made a few reporters shrink back, too scared to keep going.

But my ex-mother-in-law was clearly ready for this. She dropped herself onto the floor, slapped her thighs, and put on a dramatic scene for everyone to see.

"Why is my life so hard!

"My son married a walking disaster! She's brought nothing but trouble to our family!

"And now she's back with two illegitimate kids, trying to fight over our inheritance! She’s trying to drive us to despair!"

She kept crying, signaling William Carter with her eyes, and he immediately understood what she wanted.

He was always a pro at crafting his public persona in front of the media. With a dramatic thud, he dropped to his knees and started weeping for the cameras.

"Grace, everything is my fault! If you want to hate someone, hate me—but this child means everything to Olivia! For the sake of family, please, save him!"

His display of heartfelt emotion instantly moved the reporters.

The media's narrative shifted to their side in a heartbeat.

"Grace is just so cold-hearted!"

"Exactly, we're talking about a human life here!"

"Her ex-husband is on his knees, and she's still acting all high and mighty. That's just disgusting!"

Olivia, seeing how things were going, shifted her eyes and suddenly suggested something even more vicious.

“Grace, since you won’t lift a finger to help, how about lending us your kid for the procedure?”

"The doctors said if we get bone marrow from a close relative, Max could be saved!

"Your twins are related to Max, so there's a good chance they'll be a match!

"It only takes a little bone marrow, and Max can live! Please, I'm begging you!"

Extract bone marrow?

Extract my kids' bone marrow to save that illegitimate brat who nearly killed us?

I couldn't believe my ears. How vicious did she have to be to say that?

"No way!" I snapped, my voice cold. "My kids have nothing to do with that brat! Even if they did, I'd never allow it!"

My ex-mother-in-law jumped up from the floor. "How could they not be related? They're all Carter blood! You poisonous witch! You won't save him yourself, and now you won't even let your kids help out?"

She turned to William, barking orders. "Will! Stop begging her! They're Carter's kids—we get to make the call! Take the kids, get their blood tested, right now!"

William's expression turned steely, clearly having made up his mind. He stood up and signaled his bodyguards. "Take the kids to the hospital! Grace is unstable—restrain her first!"

Several burly bodyguards immediately closed in on me.

I shielded my kids, backing away step by step, rage burning inside me. "William, I dare you! These are your own children! You're really going to take their bone marrow just to save that bastard? Have you lost your humanity?"

William stared at me, his eyes cold and empty. "Max can't wait any longer. If it means saving him, what's a little sacrifice? It's not like donating bone marrow will kill them. Consider it your way of atoning for your mistakes."

At William's signal, the bodyguards roughly dragged me aside, showing no mercy.

"Mom! Mom!" My kids screamed, their cries tearing at my heart.

I struggled with everything I had, but they pinned me down, and I could only watch helplessly as my ex-mother-in-law and Olivia, like kidnappers, forced my sobbing children into the car.

In that moment, the last bit of sanity inside me shattered. 'William, I want you dead!' I thought, my rage boiling over.