Chapter 6

It took a week for Eli's knee injuries to heal. Every day, while taking care of Zachary, he packed up the few belongings he had and waited for the divorce to be finalized.

On Zachary's birthday, Eli took Zachary out to the mall again to get him a birthday gift. When he came back to the house, he found Jason and Christina in the living room.

His guard went up at once. "Why are the two of you here?"

Christina's already-tense expression darkened instantly.

"Are you that opposed to seeing me?" she snapped, her voice frustrated.

Jason had to give Christina a consoling look before she pursed her lips and explained flatly, "It's Zach's birthday today. As his mother, isn't it a given that I should be here?"

Eli tightened his grip on the document folder in his hand, finding her words ridiculous.

"You don't have to. You left him outside in the cold all night because of Jason, and now you're pretending you care about his birthday?"

He marched up the stairs, only for Jason to come bounding over. Jason threw an arm over Eli's shoulders, acting like they were best buddies.

"Eli, although you deliberately caused my allergic reaction the other day, I don't hold it against you anymore.

"How many times has Christina come over and humbled herself to appease you? You're a man, aren't you? You're being way too petty. Even if you want to play hard to get, you should know when enough is enough."

The moment Jason's arm pressed against him, Eli felt as though a cold, venomous snake had wrapped itself around him. He frowned and tried to break free.

"Let go of me!"

Instead of releasing him, Jason tightened his grip. He was smiling, but his eyes were filled with malice. He leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"Eli, what's so special about you that Christina keeps lowering herself for you, over and over again?

"Everyone in the Foley family has urged her to divorce you, but she's never agreed. She always uses the excuse that you already have a child together and that she can't let the kid grow up without a father. Well, let's see how she's going to protect you this time!"

After saying that, Jason shoved a small dagger into Eli's palm. With a crazed smile on his face, he squeezed Eli's hand tightly and drove the blade into his own abdomen.

Jason let out a blood-curdling scream before abruptly shoving Eli hard in the shoulder. He'd specifically stood at an angle that blocked Christina's view. Therefore, she didn't see the dagger. All she saw was Eli, with Zachary in his arms, losing his balance and tumbling down the stairs from the second floor, his body banging against each step.

Horrified, she hurried toward him in a panic.

"Eli! Zach!"

Up on the second floor, Jason clutched his abdomen and cried out for help, his face deathly pale.

"Christy, help me! Eli… He tried to kill me!"

Only then did Christina notice the dagger embedded in Jason's abdomen. Blood had already spilled all over the floor. She rushed upstairs and helped Jason up.

"Jason…"

Jason leaned weakly against her, his face contorted in pain. "Christy, I was just telling Eli that I wouldn't bother you anymore. I was trying to convince him not to keep arguing with you. I never thought he would actually try to kill me.

"He even said that since you two already have Zachary, you wouldn't actually do anything to him no matter how angry you got!"

Christina pressed her hand against the wound in Jason's abdomen, her fingers trembling.

"Eli! Have you lost your mind? This is murder!"

Eli had hit his head several times in the fall. His entire head was spinning. Face pale, he desperately shook his head.

"He staged the whole thing himself, Christina! I didn't… I really didn't…"

His body trembled as he held Zachary tightly against his chest. Zachary had only cried out once when they first fell. After that, he lay completely motionless in Eli's arms.

"Zach… Zach…"

Christina's eyes were bloodshot with fury. "Jason has always been scared of pain. How could he possibly stab himself and risk his own life just to frame you? When did you become such a vicious, heinous man, Eli? I'm so disappointed in you!"

She hurried downstairs with Jason. As she passed Eli, he desperately reached out and grabbed one of her legs, pleading with her, "Christina! Zach is unconscious. He's not responding to me at all! Please take us to the hospital. We can't let anything happen to our son…"