Chapter 3

Eric's POV

I couldn't even remember leaving Zoey's office, but I didn't go back to the house either. I spent all my time at the psychiatric hospital with Mom. I also didn't contact Zoey at all.

Once Mom was put on the specialized medication again, her condition improved tremendously. Whenever she was lucid, she would hold my hand and cry.

"Eric, I saw Talia in my dreams. I haven't visited her in such a long, long time. I want to see her."

I clutched Mom's frail, bony hands tightly, my heart aching.

I wasn't the only one who'd been suffering all these years. Mom had suffered too. Whenever she was lucid, she would remember the day Talia died.

I crouched in front of her, forcing a smile as I said, "It'll be the anniversary of Talia's death in a few days. I'll take you to her then."

…

On the day of Talia's death anniversary, I pushed Mom in her wheelchair to the cemetery. She had lost a ton of weight. After going so long without sunlight, she could barely keep her eyes open against the glare.

Suddenly, she raised a trembling finger and pointed toward the distance.

"Eric, isn't that... Jared and Zoey?"

My heart lurched, and I immediately looked over. Suppressing the irritation and disgust rising inside me, I tried to soothe Mom. "Mom, why don't we come back later?"

But Jared had already spotted us. He took Zoey's hand and walked over. Before I could react, he dropped to his knees in front of Mom.

"Ms. Morris, what happened back then was my fault. If it weren't for me, Talia wouldn't have died. I've felt guilty about it all these years, but Zoey and I don't want to be guilt-tripped anymore."

Jared tightened his grip around Zoey's hand. She looked deeply uncomfortable and hissed warningly at him, "Jared! Have you lost your mind?"

"I haven't."

Jared looked at me, his expression darkening as he continued, "Ms. Morris, Zoey and I have been seeing each other."

Mom pointed at Jared with a shaky finger before looking at Zoey. "You two are seeing each other?"

I tried to put an end to this, but Mom clutched my hand tightly and looked up at me. "You knew about it?"

She turned back toward them and screamed with all her might, "How could you do this? Have you forgotten what you did to Talia? My daughter wouldn't have died if it hadn't been for the two of you!"

I held her tightly, my eyes red as I stared at Zoey. "You two are doing this on purpose."

Zoey said nothing, while Jared got back on his feet and pulled her tightly into his arms.

"Don't make it sound so awful, Eric. I'm just telling Ms. Morris the truth because I don't want to hide it from her."

At those words, Mom became so distressed that she couldn't breathe. She ended up blacking out.

My head spun, and Zoey panicked as well. She hurriedly called for an ambulance before slapping Jared. "You went too far! Why did you have to tell her today?"

Jared answered calmly, "I just didn't want Eric to keep pestering you."

Mom was rushed to the ER. Zoey stayed at the hospital as well. As I passed her in the hallway, she grabbed my sleeve.

"Eric..."

"Are you satisfied now, Zoey? If you want a divorce, just tell me when you need me to come and sign the paperwork," I said quietly, leaning against the wall after yanking myself free from her.

Zoey's outstretched hand froze in midair before she lowered it and brushed at the hem of her blouse.

Her voice was flat as she snapped, "You think you can just ask for a divorce? I suppose it's a good thing your mother knows the truth after all."

I stared numbly at the closed doors of the operating room. Soon, I was the only one left in the hallway. It wasn't until well after midnight that the doctors managed to stabilize Mom's condition.

…

The next day, I left the hospital for a short while to get some breakfast. When I came back, I saw a crowd gathered right outside the building.

Zoey stood among them, looking shell-shocked and frantic. A wave of unease surged through me. I pushed through the crowd and rushed forward.

"Which floor did she jump down from?"

"Oh, dear. I heard the doctors spent half the night saving her life. Why would she do something like that?"

The voices around me seemed to fade away. My pupils kept flickering as I stared at what was in front of me.

Mom was dead. She hadn't survived the fall.

"Eric, I... I didn't know this would happen." Zoey grabbed my sleeve, her voice tearful.

I simply stood there, dazed. I couldn't tell how much time had passed before the police finally dispersed the crowd. I was ushered away as well.