Chapter 3

As the hospital room went dead silent, I found myself regretting what I'd done. After all, Kelvin hadn't done anything wrong. He'd been kept in the dark too.

But what was said was said. I couldn't take it back now.

I looked down at my hands. They were still shaking, and it felt like I had a weight on my chest, suffocating me.

My phone buzzed. An email popped up.

"Congratulations, Nathan. Your application for a spot in the Hefalia-to-Adaville training program has been approved. We wish you all the best."

I stared at the screen, my eyes stinging. I'd worked like a horse for this opportunity.

I got up before dawn and worked late into the night every day, pushing myself until I was barely functioning.

But just thinking about how I'd finally be in the same city as Laura and how we wouldn't have to be in a long-distance relationship anymore had made me incredibly happy.

I'd even thought about what I'd do the day I got the offer.

I was going to buy an engagement ring, rush to her office, and give her the biggest surprise of her life.

I never thought she would beat me to it with the shock of my life instead.

At a moment when I should've been jumping for joy, I felt absolutely nothing. I stared at the email for a long time before typing out a reply.

"Sir, can you transfer me to a different city?"

The page had barely refreshed when my phone rang. It was a call from Hefalia Hospital.

The person on the other end sounded frantic. "Mr. Walker, something terrible has happened! Ms. Hartman pulled her medical team this morning. Your grandmother's condition has drastically worsened."

Laura did? How could she do that? Laura and I grew up as neighbors. And she'd eaten more than her fair share of my grandma's cooking.

Both Laura and Grandma share the rare Rh-negative blood type. During the most demanding year of Laura's career, one of her suppliers got her drunk. She went into anaphylactic shock from the alcohol and nearly died.

It was my grandma, sick as she was, who dragged herself out of bed to donate blood and save Laura's life.

Laura had once knelt in front of Grandma and sworn she'd take care of her for the rest of her life.

Later, when Grandma became seriously ill, Laura brought in one of the best medical teams from overseas to care for her around the clock. Without that team, Grandma wouldn't have made it this long.

But now, Laura had dismissed them just like that.

When I got to Laura's company, she was in the middle of a meeting.

I stormed through the door, flipped the table in front of everyone, and demanded to know why she'd done it.

Laura tilted her head and sneered. "What, now you're panicking? Weren't you feeling pretty high and mighty when you were staking your claim in front of Kelvin?

"When you posted that exposé online, did it ever cross your mind that there'd be consequences?"

She stared straight into my eyes. "This is just a little punishment for you. And if anything happens to your grandma, it's on you."

Posted an exposé? What exposé?

I belatedly checked my phone. Apparently, my internet was as slow as I was because I didn't get the notification until the topic had already blown up and hit the trending list.

"Wealthy CEO Ditches Longtime Boyfriend to Marry a Younger Man."

Some of the attached photos were the same ones I saw in Justin's online photo album. Nobody's face had even been blurred. My blood ran cold.

I didn't do this! I hadn't posted a single thing! However, at the moment, Laura was looking at me like I was a psycho.

I wanted to explain, to clear my name, but I didn't know how. That was because the account was verified under my real name. The username was mine, and the profile picture was mine.

Even if I did explain myself, no one would believe me. But right now, the only thing that mattered was my grandma.

I suppressed my rising anger. "Laura, my grandma has done nothing wrong. She saved your life back then. You can't do this to her."

Laura casually scrolled through her phone, acting like she couldn't hear a word I said.

Right then, three more critical condition notices popped up on my phone. My whole body went cold, and I spoke in a quieter voice.

"Laura, I'm begging you. Take it out on me if you want, but leave my grandma out of this! She loves you too."

My eyes were red as I pleaded with her. "Do I have to get on my knees for you to stop?"

When she still didn't react, my knees started to buckle. A flicker of emotion crossed Laura's eyes, and she reached out like she was going to stop me. But right then, the door swung open.

Kelvin stormed in. "Laura, don't listen to his lies! He's just faking it!"