Chapter 1

"Millie, Dad, hang in there!" I shouted.

The doctor pushed my daughter, Millie Grant, and my father-in-law, Phil Grant, toward the ER, moving at a dead run.

Despair washed over me as I stumbled to keep up. I could only watch as the doors to the ER slammed shut behind them. My legs went weak, and I dropped to my knees in the hallway.

That night, Millie's asthma had suddenly flared up. The medicine hadn't helped at all. I'd panicked and yelled for my wife, Janice Grant, wanting her to come with me to take Millie to the hospital.

But the bedroom had been dead silent. There hadn't been any response at all. All I'd seen was a text message on my phone screen. "The system gave me another mission. I have to stay with Bruce all night."

My hands had shaken with rage as I'd stared at that message. I might've put up with it on any other day, but just a few days ago, I'd specifically told Janice that Millie's condition was getting worse and that her asthma could deteriorate at any time. I'd begged Janice to stay home and keep a close eye on Millie.

She'd agreed without hesitation then, yet she'd still ditched Millie to go be with her childhood sweetheart, Bruce York.

Now, Phil and Millie were both in surgery and fighting for their lives. When I'd called Janice earlier, she'd actually thought I was lying to her.

My hands trembled as I unlocked my phone again, only to see a flood of photos from Bruce. In every picture, he held Janice close to him, the two of them clinging to each other like lovers.

A sharp pain tore through my chest. My vision swam and went completely black as I collapsed to the floor. Through the haze, I heard a nurse shouting urgently, "His heart condition is acting up! We need to resuscitate now. Where is his family?"

Family?

I smiled bitterly. What family did I have left?

The nurse grabbed my phone and called Janice at least ten times, but all calls went unanswered. She cursed, "Her husband and kid are both in emergency, and she's nowhere to be found? We have to activate the emergency protocol and proceed with surgery first."

I was half-conscious as I listened to her, and tears leaked from the corners of my eyes.

When I woke again, my throat felt like sandpaper. I pushed through the discomfort and croaked, "How's my heart?"

The nurse looked at me with open pity. "Your heart was recovering pretty well, but it was damaged again because of how worked up you got. You can't do any intense physical activity from now on, or…"

I stared blankly at her for a moment before finally giving a tired nod.

She left the room for a bit. When she came back, her expression was even more sympathetic. She sighed and said, "Mr. Stark, your daughter's out of danger. She's been moved to a regular room. As for your father-in-law… I'm sorry, but he's not going to make it. Do you want to see him one last time?"