Chapter 5

I yanked my hand out of Jack's grip, taking two steps back like his touch burned.

"Even if I were dying, I'd still be a woman," I snapped. "I'll decide when to see a gynecologist— whenever I feel like it.

"And you? You don't even care if I'm sick? You just think I'm causing trouble? You're a damn ingrate."

The words came out sharp, fueled by pure rage. By the end, I was practically yelling.

I couldn't stop the memories flooding in.

Jack, frail and sickly as a kid, was always in and out of the hospital.

That year he caught chickenpox and ran a fever so high he went delirious. I carried him all the way to the hospital, slipping on the wet road along the way.

God, the pain when I fell... maybe I fractured something. I didn't stop to check. Just grit my teeth and kept going.

And after? I didn't even bother seeing a doctor. Just rubbed ointment on my leg and pushed through.

It still aches every time it rains.

And because of Jack, I never got to see my mother one last time before she passed.

I thought of my younger brother, Chandler, storming into my house, furious.

"You're raising someone else's kid," he'd snapped. "And one day, you'll raise an ungrateful bastard."

He'd called Sebastian a scumbag too. Said he was a heartless bastard who'd never amount to anything.

I'd been livid. Told Chandler he was wrong.

And after that? He cut ties with me completely.

Now?

He hadn't been wrong at all. Isn't this exactly how things turned out?

I yelled at Jack loud enough that people started staring.

Jack — who always cared about appearances — turned a shade darker, his jaw tightening.

Then, forcing a strained smile, he said, "Mom, don't be angry. I was out of line. I was just worried, that's all.

"Gigi's about to go into surgery. Everyone's waiting on you. You're the backbone of this family, after all."

Backbone?

In their eyes, I wasn't the backbone. I was the workhorse. The maid who never complained, who never got tired.

Jack had just gotten married. His paycheck went to car loans and baby savings.

Sebastian was always busy with 'who knows what.'

And his in-laws? Too far away to help.

So who did all the heavy lifting?

Me.

And when I was done taking care of them?

I'd be cast aside like a worn-out machine. No value. No retirement. No rest.

Just die already.

So I wouldn't be a burden.

So I wouldn't waste their money.

"Fine," I said. "I'll go back and find your dad. The money's with him."

Jack froze. His expression shifted to panic as he immediately stepped in front of me.

"You can't leave. You HAVE TO stay here with Gigi. I'll go back instead!"

Then, words tumbled out in a rush, frantic, like he was scrambling to fix a mistake. "Dad called earlier. Told me to go home right away. Maybe... maybe something happened."

Without waiting for my response, he spun on his heel and headed for the door.

But before he could leave, a nurse intercepted him. "Are you Jack Dwight?"

Jack blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Yes... What's the matter?"

The nurse frowned, arms crossed. "Your wife said she sent your mother home to get something. Why hasn't it been brought over yet? It's been ages."

Jack's face went ghostly white. His whole body went rigid.

Slowly, he turned to me. "Mom... you already went back?"

I said nothing. Just met his gaze with a cold, steady stare.

Jack couldn't hold it. His eyes darted away, and the next second, he bolted. Practically ran out of there, like he couldn't get away fast enough.

What a guilty conscience.