Chapter 3

David finally crawled out of his cozy little hideaway with Emily.

When I answered his call, his tone was sharp. He was clearly pissed. "You haven't been home for days. Where have you been?"

"What kind of home is that?" I shot back. "The father was out screwing that bitch while Jack was in the hospital. Shouldn't I be here with him?"

"Olivia, watch your mouth. There's nothing between me and Emily. Don't read things into stuff with your nasty imagination," he snapped. "I went to Jack's room, and there was no one there. You lie without even thinking it through."

"If you're sulking, just say so. Don't use Jack as a shield," he added.

I sneered, "Jack was moved to the city hospital days ago. Besides Emily, what else do you even know?"

"You moved him? He was fine where he was. Why are you making such a mess out of nothing? You really think some city hospital doctors know Jack better than I do?" David shot back.

"You? David, you actually have the nerve to brag about your skills? Do you know Jack nearly didn't come off that operating table because of you?" I spat.

"Enough. You've fooled yourself for long enough. Olivia, you're just impossible," he said, losing patience.

I'd had it with him. "Why did you call me? If it's nothing, I'm hanging up."

"You hurt Emily. She's threatening to take this further. I had to talk her down. Can you just not make things worse for me for once? Go apologize to her, and this whole thing will blow over. She won't press charges if you make amends," he said.

I screamed into the phone. "Apologize my ass! Let her drop dead!"

Then I hung up and blocked his number.

When I returned to the ward, Jack was sitting up in bed, playing with a brand-new set of Transformers.

He looked up at me, his big, round eyes full of curiosity. "Mom, I've been in the hospital for so many days. Why hasn't Dad come to see me?"

For a five-year-old, the truth was unbearably cruel.

But if I didn't tell him, I had no idea what else David might pull on him down the line.

I pulled him into my arms and gently told him everything that had happened over the past few days.

Jack's eyes widened in disbelief. "But why would Dad do that? Isn't he my dad?"

Seeing how sad he looked, my heart ached. I swallowed my sorrow and asked softly, "If one day, your dad and I split up, who would you want to stay with?"

Jack felt aggrieved. "I don't think Dad likes me. The last time Emily came over with Ben, he saw one of my toys and started crying because he wanted it. I didn't want to give it to him. But Dad said I was selfish and didn't know how to share. He got angry and hit me several times, then gave my toy to Ben.

"But Ben didn't even like it. I saw him from the window when he walked downstairs and just threw it in the trash can.

"Dad said if I kept being selfish, I'd be a bad kid, and he'd throw away all my toys.

Jack looked up at me. "Mom, I don't want to live with Dad. He only likes Ben. He doesn't like me. I want to stay with you. Please don't leave me, okay?"

I couldn't hold back anymore. I hugged him tight, tears pouring down my cheeks. "I will never leave you, sweetheart. Never."

That afternoon, I went to a nearby restaurant to buy Jack's favorite vanilla pudding.

The moment I pushed open the door to his ward, I saw David scolding him. "How many times have I told you? You should learn to share with your brother. It's just a toy. Apologize to your brother, now."

Jack, still in his hospital gown, looked lost and helpless. The moment he saw me, tears streamed down his face. "Mom..."

That was when I noticed Emily and her brat standing in the room. The kid was holding Jack's Transformer.

Emily rushed over the moment she saw me, grabbing my arm. "Olivia, I'm so sorry. I had no idea Dave was in the middle of Jack's surgery that day. Ben hit his head, and I panicked. That's why I called Dave.

"Thankfully, Jack's fine now. If you're angry, just take it out on me. Please don't blame Dave."

I slapped her hard across the face. "Take your bastard and get the hell out of here!"

Emily covered her cheek, and tears streamed down her face instantly. "Olivia, you can hit me all you want. I won't hold it against you. But there's nothing between Dave and me. We're just friends. We're innocent. If you end up divorcing him because of me, I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life."

David jumped in front of Emily, shielding her. "Olivia, what's wrong with you? Emily's trying to apologize and even said she wouldn't press charges. Is this how you repay her kindness?"

"Kindness?" I snapped. "Am I supposed to thank her—for almost killing my son?"

I snatched the toy out of Ben's hand. "This is my son's toy. I would rather toss it than let this bastard have it."

Ben burst into tears on the spot.

Seeing her precious baby cry, Emily flared up. "It's just a toy. Jack's the older brother. What's wrong with him letting his little brother play with it?"

David pointed at Jack in the hospital bed and let loose. "You just keep coddling him, and look at the mess he's become. He hasn't got an ounce of respect or consideration for his younger brother. If I don't set him straight, he's going to turn into a drain on society."

I shoved him hard, making him stagger. "Get lost. My son doesn't need a lowlife bastard like you schooling him. You're not even worthy to be Jack's father."

"He just had surgery, and you're already babying him. Can't you see you're actually ruining him?" David snapped.

I snatched Jack's medical record from the drawer and slapped it right across his face. "David, look at the fine job you've done."

He irritably picked up the folder from the floor. He only glanced at it, but then his eyes were glued to the document.

He clutched the record, poring over it again and again. "This can't be... This is impossible..."

"Impossible?" I snapped. "Do you know that your assistant wasn't even qualified to be in the operating room? He tried to clean up your mess, and not only did he make a complete hash of things—he nearly killed my son."

I ripped the record out of his hand. "David, I'm taking this all the way. Get ready to face the music and lawyer up."