Chapter 4

I felt awful, so I went back to the hospital.

Just as I was preparing to leave, a major commotion erupted at the hospital entrance.

My parents were there. They grabbed Brandon and slapped him across the face.

"You homewrecker! How dare you bully my son? How shameless can you be, going after a married woman?"

It turned out Natasha had brought Brandon to the hospital because he'd gotten a small cut on his foot. Neither of them had expected to run into my parents.

The scene quickly descended into a barrage of curses and insults. "What a shameless bastard. And he looks so respectable, too."

All the color drained from Brandon's face. He stubbornly ran up to the rooftop.

The red handprint across his cheek only made him look more vulnerable, like some fresh-faced young man who had just entered the workforce.

Natasha, who had gone to get his medication, hurried after him.

She had eyes for no one else. Not me. Just Brandon. She kept calling out to him and begging him not to do anything stupid.

She soothed him the same way she'd once comforted me. "Brandon, I'm your strongest support. Don't do anything stupid. I'm here. We can solve anything."

Brandon sobbed as he confessed his feelings for her. He looked utterly broken and pitiful. "Ms. Simpson, I'm sorry. I really do love you. I can't control how I feel, but I've already buried those feelings deep inside.

"I feel so ashamed. Please don't stop me. I'm sorry for ruining your family. I hope Mr. Jones won't be angry with you anymore."

My parents sneered.

"Since when does a homewrecker get to threaten people with suicide?"

For the first time, Natasha showed them no respect. She turned on them and shouted, "Stop saying that! Will you be happy if you drive someone to their death?"

Natasha tried to comfort Brandon and promised she'd agree to whatever he wanted.

He bit his lip without saying a word and merely stared at my parents in fear.

Natasha wanted to make him happy, so she turned around and directed her anger at my parents. She ordered her assistant to destroy my parents' company immediately.

Their company was in the middle of a transition and especially vulnerable. Its cash flow depended heavily on Natasha's company.

I stared at her in disbelief.

I couldn't hold myself back any longer. I rushed over to stop her. "This company is their life's work. Natasha, have some decency. Do you remember how good they were to you? They treated you like their own daughter."

Natasha shoved me aside without a second thought. "Callum, stay out of this. Nothing is more important than a human life.

"If their company goes under, I'll find a way to help them rebuild. Besides, Brandon is my employee. I shouldn't be so heartless toward one of my own employees."

I grabbed her by the collar. "Natasha, don't be so arrogant. The market they've spent all these years building can't just be recovered overnight. Do you have any idea how cruel this will be to my parents?

"I'm telling you again. Don't do it. If you want to comfort him, I'll step aside. You two can get married."

Natasha hesitated. "Callum, that's not what I meant."

My in-laws arrived as well and tried to stop her.

"Natasha, we're family. Don't act recklessly. You can't destroy the relationship between our two families."

Brandon took another step toward the edge of the roof. A gust of wind swept past him. For a moment, he looked as though he might fall at any second.

Natasha stopped hesitating. "Make Brandon happy first. I'll handle everything else."

…

On the way down, someone collided with Natasha and struck her in the stomach.

Blood immediately began to pour out, but she forced herself to keep reassuring Brandon. "I'm fine. We can always have another child."

A few minutes later, my parents' company suddenly ran out of cash and went bankrupt.

My father couldn't catch his breath and collapsed from a heart attack.

My mother burst into tears. She cried over everything she'd sacrificed for the family. "What have I done to deserve this? How did I ever choose a daughter-in-law like her? She doesn't even care about her own child."

I frantically rushed both of them to the ER.

I'd bitten the corner of my mouth so hard that the skin had split open.

Natasha took Brandon's hand and slowly led him to safety. She ignored everyone's stares and embraced him in relief.

I watched them coldly as I called my lawyer. "Amend the agreement. I want Natasha to leave this marriage with nothing."