Chapter 4

I contacted the pawnshop and sold the wedding ring I had worn for seven years for 120,000 dollars.

Then I called my former friends one by one to borrow the rest. Some hung up immediately, while others asked if I was going to scam them and run away again.

Only my university roommate, Julia Summers, transferred all her savings to me without asking any questions.

Late that night, I finally gathered enough money and paid off the hospital bills. When the staff handed Charlie's body to me, they told me that I was still running a high fever.

Then they said, "Should I call the child's father for you?"

"No need." I looked at Charlie in my embrace. "He doesn't have a father."

Before leaving the hospital, I rummaged through Charlie's backpack and found a drawing. It showed a sun, the sea, and three people holding hands.

He'd told me that he hoped to go to the beach with Sebastian and me when he got better.

I folded the drawing neatly and put it in my pocket. "I'm sorry. Daddy's not free. I'll take you to the beach myself."

The sky was still dark when the cab stopped by the beach. The driver looked at me through the rearview mirror several times.

"Miss, bringing your child to the beach so early?"

"He'd always wanted to see the sunrise."

The driver said nothing more. Before I got out of the cab, he handed me an umbrella, but I didn't take it.

"Thank you, but I don't need it anymore."

The wind was freezing as I slowly walked to the shoreline while carrying Charlie.

Last night, after I left the hospital, I went back to Boyd Manor. Even though I'd been married to Sebastian for seven years, in the end, I'd only managed to pack a few things into a small backpack.

It held Charlie's medical records, his awards, and that unfinished family portrait.

I didn't have a lot of things.

Since Sebastian wouldn't let me use his money, I could only buy clothes from roadside stalls, use the cheapest skincare, and even my phone was a model from seven years ago.

They weren't worth bringing along.

I left a signed divorce agreement and the house keys on the living room table.

I decided to leave everything the Boyd family owned behind. I had spent all of my money and sold my wedding ring. I was finally free of it all.

People began jogging along the shoreline. They assumed Charlie was sleeping when they saw me holding him.

I found a sheltered spot on the rocks and sat down. The sky slowly began to lighten. I lowered my head and touched Charlie's forehead. It was still cold.

"Charlie, we're at the beach now. Open your eyes and take a look, okay?"

He didn't respond.

I smiled and unfolded the drawing, but the sea breeze was so strong that the paper kept fluttering in my hands. The three people in the drawing were holding hands tightly, but in reality, it had always been just Charlie and me.

The bodyguard assigned to watch me immediately noticed something was amiss. Not daring to approach, he could only take a photo and send it to Henry.

When Henry noticed that Charlie wasn't moving, he immediately called Sebastian, who was with Maeve while she reshot a sunrise scene.

When the director cleared everyone off the set, Sebastian sat down in front of the monitor himself. The phone rang twice before he answered it, impatiently.

"What is it?"

Henry's voice was frantic. "Mr. Boyd, Mrs. Boyd is at the beach with Mr. Charlie. He's not moving. She looks like she wants to jump into the sea…"