Chapter 5
That was the call about Bella's life.
"No." A cruel smile curved his lips. He let his fingers go.
The phone hit the marble floor. The screen shattered into a spiderweb and went black.
In that instant, my whole world shattered with it.
"Nathan!" A desperate scream tore from my throat. I launched myself at him, grabbing his collar. "If anything happens to her, I swear to God, I'll kill you..."
A sharp slap cut across my face, cutting off my scream.
It wasn't Nathan. It was Lillian.
"Hannah, have you lost your mind? How dare you hurt Nathan?" Lillian stood in front of him, playing the protector.
My head snapped to the side. My ears rang. I tasted blood.
But I felt nothing.
All I could hear was that nurse's voice. "Cardiac arrest."
Bella was waiting for my signature. Bella was waiting for me to save her.
I shoved Lillian. Hard. She stumbled backward, crashing into a champagne tower.
Glasses exploded everywhere. Champagne sprayed.
Lillian shrieked. "Ah. My face. Nathan, help me."
The place was chaos.
Nathan's face went gloomy. He grabbed my wrist, squeezing so hard that I thought my bones would break.
"Hannah. You're dead," he snarled.
"Let go of me." I didn't know what came over me, but I just lunged down and sank my teeth into his wrist.
Blood filled my mouth. He yelped and let go.
I spun around, grabbed my broken phone, and stumbled toward the door.
Nathan's furious roar followed me. "Stop her."
Two guards blocked the entrance.
I grabbed a vase from the console table, smashed it against the wall, and held a jagged shard to my own throat.
The edge bit into my skin. Blood trickled down my neck.
"Anyone comes near me, I swear I'll do it," I screamed.
My eyes must have been terrifying.
The guards flinched, stepping back instinctively.
Nathan caught up. When he saw me, his pupils contracted sharply.
"Hannah, are you insane? Put that down," he shouted.
"Nathan." I stared him down, tears and blood mixing as they fell. "If my daughter dies, I will make sure every single one of you burns with me."
With that, I shoved past the bodyguards and ran out into the dark, rainy night.
I ran down the road until I finally flagged down a cab.
"The First Hospital. Please, hurry," I begged.
The driver took one look at my bloody clothes, floored it, and didn't ask questions.
By the time I reached the emergency room doors, the red light was still on.
My legs gave out. I slid down the wall and crumpled onto the floor.
Bella...
I didn't know how long I sat there. Finally, the doors swung open.
The doctor pulled off his mask, his face grim. "Family of Bella?"
"Me. I'm her mother." I scrambled to my feet.
"She's stable for now, but it's not good. The heart failure is progressing. Without a transplant soon... she might not have more than a month."
The words "one month" hit me like a verdict.
"A transplant... how much will it cost?" I asked, my voice shaking.
"Surgery plus post-op anti-rejection treatment... at least three hundred thousand dollars. And that's assuming we find a suitable donor."
Three hundred thousand dollars.
I was so desperate that I almost laughed.
Then footsteps echoed down the hall.
I looked up. Nathan was striding toward me, his face dark.
His assistant trailed behind him, holding a file.
"Hannah." He walked over to me, looking down at me like I was dirt. "Pay for the damages. And Lillian's medical bills."
I stared at the man I'd once loved. It was almost absurd.
My daughter was fighting for her life in there, and he'd followed me to the hospital to demand money.
"Nathan." I gripped the wall and slowly pulled myself up, my eyes hollow. "How much?"
"Not much. One hundred thousand dollars," he said coldly.
"I don't have it," I said flatly.
"You don't have it?" A cold laugh. "Then go to jail. Assault. I'll make sure you rot in there for years."
"Fine." I nodded. "I'll go. As long as you save the little girl in there."
Nathan froze.