Chapter 3

After a while, the elevator doors opened at the turn of the corridor.

Caleb strode over to me.

I went up to him. But before I could even speak, he paused mid-stride and looked past me with disgust. “So that’s how it is?”

“What?” I froze. Then, I turned around.

I saw Peter smile somewhat flatteringly as he walked over to us.

A wave of anger surged in my chest. “Caleb, what do you mean?”

He smirked. He brushed past me and left.

I chased after him and grabbed his sleeve. “Did you come to the hospital just to take one look and leave? Where’s the money?”

“What money? Don’t embarrass yourself out here!”

Caleb yanked his arm up and sent me stumbling.

He said, “Mom got back from her walk and didn’t see Dad. So she thought something had happened to him and told me to come check.”

I felt as if something had slammed hard into my chest. I steadied myself against the wall. “What now?”

Caleb pointed at Peter. “Since it’s your dad, that’s that.”

I was so furious I almost laughed. “Isn’t my dad your in-law, too?”

“So?” Caleb shot a contemptuous glance at my father’s plain clothes. His expression was filled with disdain. “He’s just my in-law. Meanwhile, my father has been a cadre his whole life. He’s an honorable and dignified man. Your father’s just some sort of farmer who scratches a living out of dirt. How can they be the same?”

I recalled our wedding three years ago when Caleb held my hands and said, “From now on, we’re one family. There’s no difference between us.”

It all felt absurd at that moment.

I did not even want to speak to him anymore.

My father caught up to us, only to watch helplessly as Caleb turned around and got back into the elevator. He did not even spare me another glance.

Five hours later, dawn broke.

The red light above the operating theater finally went out.

I rubbed my tired eyes and rushed over to the doctor. “Doctor, how is he?”

The doctor removed his surgical cap and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “We’ve managed to save his life for now. But his treatment was delayed, so he’s still in a critical condition.”

He looked at me, and his voice was heavy with concern. “The next few days require both care and financial support. As his family members, you have to make up your mind. If you decide to continue treatment, you’ll need to prepare the funds now.”

I understood what he meant.

After asking for an estimated figure, I took Peter’s phone and logged into my banking account.

I wanted to transfer money first to pay the hospital fees.

The moment the page loaded, my eyes flew wide open as I stared at the balance in disbelief.

I had zero balance in my account.

The only person who could have accessed this card was Caleb.

My hands trembled as I used Peter’s phone to call him. But he hung up immediately.

I called again, and he blocked my father’s phone number.

Caleb had withdrawn over a hundred thousand dollars from my account! I had painstakingly saved that money.

I could no longer hold back as I turned on WhatsApp and sent him a voice message.

“Caleb, do you even realize that the one lying in the operating theater is your father, not mine?!”