Chapter 3

Tiffany's words made me freeze for a moment.

Suddenly, I realized I was letting the barrage of comments mess with my head.

I kept seeing myself as the female supporting role who'd get tossed aside by Matthew sooner or later, so I'd been subconsciously holding back.

But I didn't see why I should back down.

Even if I was destined to lose, I was going to make those two scumbags pay first.

I took a deep breath, clenched my fists, and was ready to catch them red-handed.

At that moment, Matthew inside the store seemed to pick up on something and suddenly snapped his head toward the door.

When he saw me standing there, furious, his brows furrowed instantly.

[Ugh, Sandra is such a pain. Matthew was grinning ear to ear with Lilith, but as soon as he spotted Sandra, his smile vanished.]

[Whoa, is Matthew helping Lilith pick a diamond ring? Is he secretly planning to pop the question?]

[Poor Lilith. Sandra's about to throw a fit and push her around because her dad's the big boss. But it won't last.

[Sandra's safety net is about to disappear. Once her dad's out of the picture, let's see how she keeps acting all high and mighty.]

What? They said my dad was in trouble.

The anger on my face disappeared instantly. All I felt was panic.

I had no time to catch them. I grabbed Tiffany, who was fuming, and shoved my black card into her hand.

"Max out this card. Buy whatever you want. I've got something urgent to deal with," I said.

With that, I jumped in my car and sped home.

According to the comments, my dad was already feeling unwell, but he brushed it off as normal old-age stuff.

By the time he realized something was seriously wrong, it was too late. He was gone in less than three days.

The thought of losing the dad who'd always spoiled me and held me close since I was a kid made my heart ache.

As soon as I walked in, I saw my dad out in the garden, watering the flowers.

Now that he was retired, he loved puttering around in the yard, taking care of his plants.

"Well, look who's back, my little princess!" he said with a big grin.

Seeing Dad looking so happy, my eyes instantly welled up with tears.

When my mom died giving birth to me, my dad's hair turned white overnight. Years later, everyone around him tried to talk him into remarrying.

My grandma even threatened to end her life, saying I wasn't all there and might be a bit slow, and that he should have another kid so the Turner family wouldn't die out.

But my dad never did. He stuck by me, gave me all his love, and spoiled me rotten.

Remembering the comments, I hurried over. "Dad, when was the last time you had a full check-up?"

"Uh, not too long ago, maybe five or six months back," he replied, his eyes shifting away.

He sounded a bit evasive. "Your old man's still tough as nails. It's the usual cough, nothing serious. Don't worry. I'll be healthy enough to babysit your kids."

I got it instantly. There was nothing left to figure out.

For some reason, older folks hated seeing the doctor. My dad was no different.

"We're getting you checked out. Right now," I said, making it clear I wasn't taking no for an answer.

Seeing my face turn serious and angry, my dad kept quiet and, with a sulky look, reluctantly followed me to the hospital.

Unexpectedly, Matthew showed up during my dad's check-up.

I thought he was with Lilith.

I wondered why he was here.

But right now, I wasn't in the mood to deal with any of that.

Listening to the professor, Kyler Merritt's diagnosis, my tears fell instantly.

Matthew hugged me, and I shoved him away with all my strength.

"This is all your fault. If it weren't for all that drama between you and Lilith, driving me crazy every day, I wouldn't have ignored Dad's health. I would've noticed he wasn't feeling well," I yelled.

But instead of letting go, he squeezed me even tighter. I couldn't break free, so I ended up smearing my snot all over his shirt.

Matthew let out a sigh and gently patted my back. "Okay, okay, it's all my fault. But your dad's got something in the early stages.

"Use some medicine, and he'll be fine. Why are you bawling like this?"

I paused and then glanced up to find Kyler and my dad both giving me teasing, knowing looks.

I was so embarrassed that I hiccupped mid-cry.

While Matthew was off getting the medicine, my dad pulled me aside and said earnestly. "Sweetheart, Matthew might be a quiet guy.

"But I can see he really cares about you. You talk about divorce every single day, and he goes along with it, never once walking away.

"With the kind of status Matthew has now, he could have as many women as he wants, but have you ever seen him cross the line or do anything shady?"

I was about to speak up, wanting to warn my dad not to fall for Matthew's facade.

I wanted to tell him everything I'd seen today, and all those things people were saying online.

But when I caught sight of the gray in his hair, I bit my tongue.

I didn't want to stress him out and make his condition worse.

I would wait until he recovered before bringing it up.

After dropping my dad off at the manor, I kept reminding the housekeeper repeatedly to look after him.

When I turned around, Matthew was still hanging around.

I wondered why he had nothing better to do today.

But I said nothing and hopped in my car.

Neither of us said a word on the drive home.

After a quick shower and getting myself together, I flopped onto my bed and started scrolling through the shopping list Tiffany had sent me.