Chapter 4

"Jason!" Marjorie's voice had gone hoarse. "After you got married, she worked overtime until midnight every day just to earn more money, to buy a house sooner and live a better life with you. She was so tired, but she never told you because she didn't want you to worry!"

That, too, I remembered.

She always came home late at night.

She opened the door gently, showered gently, climbed into bed gently, and hugged me from behind.

Sometimes I pretended to be asleep, and she just held me there without moving.

For a long time.

Then she would whisper, "Honey, wait a little longer. We're almost there."

"Jason!" Marjorie clutched at me, her whole body trembling. "I'm begging you. We only have this one daughter!"

I lowered my head.

I looked at the blood and tears covering her face.

My mind was filled with Hannah.

In the sun, she ran toward me with a steaming serving of pot roast in her hands.

On the sports field, she secretly held my hand, her palm sweaty.

At the school assembly, she read her apology, but her eyes stayed on me.

Late at night, she hugged me from behind and whispered, "Honey, wait a little longer. We're almost there."

Enough.

I closed my damp eyes.

When I opened them again, they were filled with coldness.

"I'm not saving her."

Those three words stunned everyone.

"What did you say?" Marjorie glared at me, her face covered in blood. "What did you say?"

"I'm not saving her." I took a step back. "I remember that she was good to me, but I don't want to save her."

Marjorie went mad.

"Jason Cole! You're not human! You're not human! Then don't blame us for being ruthless!"

All of a sudden, a group of fierce-looking people rushed in through the doors.

I looked closely. They were all relatives of the Hayes family.

When Marjorie saw them, she burst into tears.

"You're finally here! Thank God! This bastard won't save Hannah! He spent all the money buying his mother a house!"

A man rushed over, grabbed my hair, and slapped me so hard my vision went black.

Then two people, three people, and even some of the furious onlookers surged forward and started kicking and punching me.

Someone kicked my chest.

Someone yanked my hair.

Someone slapped my face.

Someone pinched my arms.

I curled up on the ground and covered my head.

Pain.

Pain everywhere.

My ears were ringing and I couldn't open my eyes.

All I could hear was the dull thud of fists landing on my body and the curses growing louder one after another.

"Animal! Ungrateful bastard!"

"You'll die a terrible death! Someone has to make this right!"

I closed my eyes.

I gritted my teeth and endured it all.

Hit me. The harder, the better.

Suddenly, a clear male voice rang out over the chaos.

"Stop!"

His voice cut through all the noise.

"All of you, stop! Do you really want the Hayes family line to end?

"The egg sample for Hannah's IVF with him is still on him!"

Marjorie froze, then suddenly realized what he meant.

She threw herself over, pushed the relatives away, and crouched in front of me.

"Jason! Jason! Is the sample all right?"

Richard pounced over too.

"Quick! Take it out and give it to the doctor. That's my daughter's last hope of having a child!"

The man lowered his head and looked at me. His gaze was like a knife, ready to tear me apart at any moment.

Then he turned to the doctor.

"I'm Hannah's friend. I'll pay all her medical expenses. Please operate immediately."

I lay on the floor, my head covered in blood, my whole body injured.

I tried to raise my eyes to look at him.

Blood blurred my vision, and I couldn't see his face clearly.

A smile slowly tugged at the corner of my mouth.

He had finally shown himself.

At that moment, shards from the broken tube in the inner pocket near my chest pierced into my flesh, sending a sharp pain through me.

My vision went black, and I passed out completely.