Chapter 4 Sign or Suffer

I didn't waver and headed straight to the hospital.

After all the admission procedures had been completed, I lay on the hospital bed, cold sweat still beading across my forehead.

…

Early the next morning, I received a message from my lawyer. "The chain of evidence is ready. We can prepare to file the lawsuit."

I had just breathed a sigh of relief when Wyatt called. "Alec, Brooke is at your mother's studio. I can't move her stuff out."

My body jolted. I immediately braced myself against the wall, feeling numbness spreading through my legs.

As if on cue, Noah entered my hospital room, carrying a document. "Alec, don't wait any longer. Brooke has been paying the rent for your mother's studio all this time, so she has the right to have the locks opened."

He paused, the smile at the corner of his mouth growing wider. "All your design drafts and your mother's work are in there, aren't they?"

He smiled as he held out the document. "Sign this first."

I opened it to the first page, and the contents made my entire body go cold.

"Ownership of the company's Project Indigo would be transferred from Alec Gyllen to Brooke Callahan free of charge. Alec Gyllen would have no say in any subsequent derivative designs or iterations."

And the final clause stated that, in the event of divorce, I would voluntarily relinquish all marital assets accumulated during the marriage and leave with nothing.

My hand trembled. "You're threatening me?"

"Not me." Noah waved his hand lightly and held out his phone.

Brooke's calm voice came through the call. "It isn't a threat. It's a transaction. Sign this, and I'll return every single one of your mother's works to you."

The pain behind my eyes was becoming increasingly intense, and my legs began to tremble. "Brooke, when I quit my job, the only thing I asked was that you protect that studio. You promised me!"

She was silent for only a second before her voice remained as calm as ever. "Alec, I love you. You're the one asking for more and more."

I was asking for more and more? I'd spent two years giving everything up for her, and in her eyes, all of that had simply been me being greedy?

Wyatt's hurried voice suddenly came through the phone. "Brooke, get them to stop! Those drawings can't be folded!"

The moment I heard that, my legs could no longer support me. I dropped to one knee, but a pen was simply shoved into my hand.

Noah leaned closer. "Alec, just sign it. Once you've signed it, you can have your surgery and live peacefully. You won't have to worry about anything anymore. Wouldn't that be easier?"

A wave of excruciating pain suddenly tore through me, and cold sweat instantly soaked through my clothes.

I clenched my teeth and forced out the last of my strength. "Brooke… I'm having surgery today."

She paused before her voice turned irritated. "Stop using your surgery to pressure me. Noah showed me your medical records. It's nowhere near as serious as you're making it sound!"

On the other end of the call, Wyatt's voice was becoming increasingly frantic.

Despair completely swallowed me. I gripped the pen with trembling fingers and signed my name. The moment I finished writing, every last bit of strength left my body.

Just then, the nurse on duty rushed into the room and cried out in alarm. "Why didn't you call for help? The patient's condition is critical. Hurry, get him into the operating room! A family member needs to pay the hospital fees!"

Brooke's voice came through the phone, sounding confused. "The operating room?"

Noah quickly took the phone back. "It isn't that serious, Brooke. You know Alec. He always makes a big deal out of everything."

At that, he picked up the agreement and started walking out. I called after him, my voice barely audible. "I signed the agreement. Help me pay the hospital bill."

He stopped. A smug smile appeared on his face. "Sure. Stick to the rules—you submit an application, I approve it."

With that, he turned the phone's speaker back on, and Brooke's unhurried voice came through. "Listen to Noah. No rush."

Suddenly, the world around me fell silent, and all I could hear was her response ringing in my ears—along with the waves of pain that followed, one after another.

Some time later, I heard hurried footsteps approaching, and then Wyatt's tense voice. "Alec!"

The surgical lights blazed above me.

Another wave of unbearable pain surged through my body.

The moment the surgery ended, I lost consciousness completely.

When I woke up, the hospital room was quiet. Wyatt was sitting beside my bed, and my lawyer was there too.

The moment he saw my eyes open, Wyatt spoke. "Alec, the surgery was a success. We also recovered all of your mother's works. I gave the recording you sent me to your lawyer as well. It's enough to prove that you were coerced throughout the entire signing process. Legally, the agreement can be revoked."

The lawyer adjusted his glasses. "The divorce lawsuit, the copyright infringement case, and all the evidence regarding marital infringement have been compiled. Mr. Gyllen, you decide when we file."

My throat was hoarse as I uttered, "Right now."