Chapter 4

The moment I arrived at Seaville, I received a call from my mom’s nurse. She informed me that my mom’s condition had relapsed and was sent to the emergency room.

“Are you coming back? Your mom is in grave condition. I’m not even sure if she can make it past tonight. I’m being honest with you on account of how long we’ve known each other,” the nurse said, sounding worried.

I knelt in the middle of the road and broke down in tears. My mind went blank, and it could no longer register what the nurse was saying.

When it rains, it pours.

“I don’t know… I don’t know! What can I do?”

I held the phone in my hands and cried out loud, unable to decide on who to give up on. One was my mom, while the other was my child whom I raised.

I had also just given my son 5,000 dollars, which meant I had to go around borrowing money for my mom.

I made many calls, praying hard in between each one that my mom would be fine and that I would be able to rush back to see her. When I finally borrowed enough money and was about to call the nurse, she beat me to it and called me first.

My heart leapt to my throat. It took me a long time before I finally hit the answer button.

“I'm sorry, but your mom just passed away. You probably won’t need the money anymore.”

At that moment, I felt as though I was struck by lightning. Tears fell down my cheeks as I sobbed helplessly, my phone still clinging to my ear.

Just then, my son appeared with a few friends by his side. They started laughing derisively at me when they saw me in tears.

“Shawn, your mom really loves you very much. Look at how much money you have now! My idea worked like a charm, didn’t it?”

Their smug laughter made me suddenly realize what was going on. They had been lying to me all along. News about his car accident and lies about his attempts to find work were just ruses to fleece me of my money.

Being the fool I am, I believed every word of his and even lost the chance to see my mom for the last time.

“Go to hell, you bastard!”

I suddenly stood up and throttled him so hard, he couldn’t shake me off. All his friends were frightened by my sudden outburst, but quickly recovered and hurried over to pull me away.

However, I had gone berserk. No one was able to stop me.

When my in-laws heard about my son getting into an accident, they immediately rushed over from home which was miles away.

The first thing they saw was the crazed, murderous look in my eyes as I tried to attack my son.

They immediately pulled me away and stood in between me and my son.

It was always like this. The moment I tried disciplining my son, they would stop me for fear that I would harm their darling grandson.

I scoffed and said coldly, “This grandson of yours is the reason why your son is still in the hospital. He even looted us of all our money and belongings just to complete his graduation project.”

Upon hearing that their son was in the hospital, my in-laws could no longer remain calm. They looked at their grandson in their arms, but continued to stop me from scolding him.

“That’s our own business. It has nothing to do with you, an outsider!”

My father-in-law had always placed much importance on blood ties and rebuked me, his jawline cold and hard.

My son started acting aggrieved the moment he saw someone speaking up for him. He buried his face in his grandmother’s embrace, complaining tearfully.

They knew how wicked their grandson was, but simply couldn’t bear to say a harsh word to him.

My son looked at me with a smirk and said, “Mom, I’m underaged. You should be giving me money! Grandpa and Grandma are both here today, so you have to give me the money I need even if you don’t want to!”

I burst out laughing. “I should be giving my biological son the money, if I had any!”