Chapter 4
Layla hugged her mother's urn tight and collapsed onto her bed, sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm sorry, Mom. I'm so sorry. I dragged you into all of this, and I bowed before the one who killed you. Will you blame me?"
If Layla hadn't fallen for Charles and married him, Olivia never would have deliberately killed her mother.
In the end, it was all because of Charles. He used Olivia as a prop in his flashy displays, had destroyed her family, and left her with nothing.
How could someone like Charles ever truly love a scholarship kid like her? And yet, she was pathetic enough to agree to remarry him. God, she was such a fool.
She stared at the divorce papers tucked in her bag, trying to figure out how she could get Charles to sign them without him realizing.
Suddenly, her phone started buzzing frantically.
Layla answered, and a nurse's voice came through the line. "Is this Layla? Your father is in the ER. He's being resuscitated. Please come to the hospital right away."
Layla snatched up her bag, panic flooding her, and bolted out the door toward the hospital.
Her dad got kidney disease when he was still young, and her mom spent everything they had on his treatment. That was how Layla ended up as a broke kid.
But after Charles gave her dad a kidney, his health actually started getting better.
When Layla got to the hospital, her dad was already in the ER, fighting for his life.
The nurse told her, "The person who donated your dad's kidney needs to give blood. Their blood's a close match, so there's way less chance of rejection. If we can get it, your dad has a good shot at making it."
Layla's hands trembled as she dialed Charles's number.
She called three times in a row, but nobody picked up.
Layla was frantic, stomping her foot hard. "Come on, pick up. Please, pick up."
On the fifth try, the call finally connected. Before Layla could say anything, a voice came through on the other end.
"Yeah, that feels incredible, Charles. You're as good as ever," Olivia moaned.
The only response was Charles's heavy, ragged breathing.
Olivia gasped, her tone playful and breathless, "Charles, am I any different from a few years ago?"
Charles's voice was thick with satisfaction, low and husky. "You'll always drive me crazy."
Layla felt her blood run cold, her whole body freezing up.
After a few seconds, she finally found her voice, barely above a whisper, pleading, "Charles, my dad's in the hospital. He's being resuscitated. He needs you. Can you please come now?"
There was no answer. Layla's voice cracked with desperation. "Charles, I'm begging you, my dad's life is on the line. Please, come to the hospital and save him."
Wasn't it pathetic? Her husband was off with another woman, and here she was, begging him to show up.
Layla shouted as loud as she could, desperate, but halfway through, the call was cut off.
She tried calling again, but his phone was switched off.
Layla was going crazy. Every second that passed felt like it was draining her father's life away.
She called the housekeeper, but Charles wasn't home.
She tried his assistant and his friends, but none of them knew where he was.
Layla was freezing inside and out. She wanted to run out and hunt Charles down, but she couldn't leave her dad alone.
Her heart felt like it was being ripped apart, split right down the middle.
Every second felt like a year, and Layla was about to lose it.
Layla lost track of time. By the time Charles finally arrived, the ER doors burst open.
The doctor came out, pushing her father's body, hidden beneath a stark white sheet.
"Dad," Layla cried out, her scream tearing from her throat. She threw herself forward, but couldn't make herself pull back the sheet.
Charles placed his hand on her shoulder, sounding all apologetic. "My secretary told me you were looking for me. Sorry, I was tied up with an important contract and didn't see your calls."
Layla felt goosebumps rise where he touched her, and a wave of nausea rolled through her stomach.
Her dad was fighting for his life, and Charles was busy hooking up with the woman who murdered her mom.
Now he was lying to her face, not a flicker of guilt in his eyes.
Layla pushed him away hard, then suddenly spat blood and crumpled to the ground.
When Layla woke up again, she found herself in a hospital room.
Remembering that her father was gone, Layla finally broke down and sobbed uncontrollably.
She bit her lip so hard that it started to bleed, but nothing could dull the pain. It was like someone had ripped her heart out of her chest while she was still alive.
Layla's hands trembled uncontrollably as she took the divorce agreement out of her bag.
She was leaving Charles once and for all.
When Charles came in, Layla was already calm and composed.
He offered a few comforting words, and Layla handed him a stack of documents to sign.
Charles didn't notice the divorce papers hidden among them. He signed everything absentmindedly.
After her father's funeral, Layla interred her parents' ashes together.
She stood at the airport. From then on, in this vast world, she was all alone.
Layla closed her eyes, silently saying her farewell in her heart. She hoped that they could never cross paths again.