Chapter 4

"No." Jane’s expression darkened, her tone rigid and unyielding.

"Oscar, I won't feel at ease unless you get checked out."

Theo stepped forward, a flash of malice glinting in his eyes. "Ms. Fraiser, I don't think standard checkups will reveal anything at this point. We need to perform a bone marrow biopsy immediately.

"We can't risk going to a hospital where rival families might track us down. For his own good, we should do it right here. You'll just need to help me hold him down."

Jane was hyper-sensitive to the word "rivals".

Driven blind by her obsession to "protect me", she didn't hesitate.

"Fine."

Together, the two of them forced me back into the medical room.

"Jane! Let go of me! Are you two crazy?! Argh!"

A thick needle drove deep into my hip without a trace of numbing agent, forcefully gouging out a sample of bone.

Jane's face was right in front of me.

She let me scream in agony, her face full of heartbreak and distress, yet her hands never loosened their grip by even a fraction.

I couldn't believe she missed the absolute despair in my eyes, but in her arrogance, she genuinely believed she was saving me.

As the needle was pulled out, she even patted my cheek, as if comforting a pet. "There, all done. Why are you suddenly being such a crybaby?"

Before I could open my mouth to curse at her, Theo callously shoved a thick endoscope tube down my throat.

My vision blurred as Jane’s face twisted in the dim light, every last shred of my dignity stripped away.

I lost track of how long that torturous examination lasted.

The moment the weight holding me down was lifted, I mustered every drop of strength I had left, rolled off the table, and drew the pistol hidden in my coat.

A gunshot shattered the air. Theo shrieked in pain, collapsing to the ground while clutching his bleeding thigh.

These past few years, I guess I had loved Jane too much, playing the sweet angel behind her back. So much so that they had forgotten I was once a feared mob enforcer who fought alongside Jane through oceans of blood!

Without a second thought, I raised the barrel, aimed straight at his head, and pulled the trigger.

A muffled grunt echoed.

Jane threw herself in front of Theo, clutching her bleeding arm.

She stood locked between us, shielding him just like she used to shield me all those years ago.

"Move," I hissed through gritted teeth.

Jane didn't budge. She stared at me, her eyes filled with sorrow and disappointment. "Oscar, what's going on with you? You swore back then that you'd never kill an innocent person! How are you any different from our enemies right now?"

Innocent?! I wasn't trying to kill an innocent person!

He was the one sleeping with my wife!

He was the one who knew my days were numbered and deliberately tortured me under the guise of a medical exam!

I stared at her, at a loss for words.

Jane shifted her gaze away guiltily. "I'm sorry, Oscar, but I have to save him."

As she ordered her men to carry Theo away, I raised the gun once more, aiming straight at the back of her head.

Just as my index finger was about to squeeze the trigger, my son, Lucas, suddenly sprinted out, throwing his arms wide open to protect them.

My hand trembled violently.

With a bang, the final bullet exploded at Jane's feet.

All that remained before my eyes was the stubborn, hatred-filled glare of my own son.

I watched helplessly as they left, watching the child I had risked my life to protect follow after them.

"Mr. Burke, the ceremony is ready."

Father Grant, who had been waiting in the shadows, stepped out with deep pity in his eyes.

…

At the hospital, Beck was crouching outside the consultation room.

"Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to have your team guard Oscar?!"

A sudden surge of panic hit Jane. There were too many people targeting my life; she had never allowed my security detail to be pulled back.

"Oscar’s gone."

"What?"

Jane’s face drained of color instantly. She grabbed Beck by the collar, the fabric creaking under her grip.

"While you were spending time with your side piece, Father Grant helped Oscar annul the marriage. Oscar took a boat and left."

Beck looked coldly at her. "He doesn't want you anymore, Jane. You hear me?"