Chapter 4

"No! You can't!"

I stared at Nicole in utter disbelief. Wayne needed medical treatment every day.

Interrupting his care even for a single day could cause serious harm to his frail body.

"Nicole, Wayne's health is failing, he won't be able to handle that kind of punishment! Please don't do this, it was my fault!"

"Of course it was your fault."

Nicole scooped the little girl into her arms, soothing her gently. "Should I take you to buy your favorite toys later?"

I firmly pulled Wayne behind my back, but Nicole gave a sharp look to Martin and the surrounding bodyguards.

The bodyguards pinned my arms, while Martin forcefully tore Wayne away from me.

I screamed, "Martin, give Wayne back to me!"

"Enough!" Nicole frowned. "It's because of this kind of coddling from you that Wayne has become so spoiled. How am I supposed to hand over Lohan Corporation to Wayne in the future?"

Her tone softened slightly as she looked at me. "Be a good boy, Andy!"

Steve's expression changed slightly, and he purposely pressed down on the little girl's scraped hand.

The little girl let out a shrill cry, "Aunt Nicole, my hand hurt so much!"

Nicole carried the little girl away without looking back, shouting over her shoulder, "Martin, make it quick. If Master Andy tries to stop you, lock him in the room right next to Wayne so he can learn a lesson, too."

As Wayne was being dragged down toward the basement confinement room, I caught sight of him quietly wiping away a fresh nosebleed.

He managed to flash me a smile, revealing a missing baby tooth.

"Don't worry, Daddy, Wayne is brave."

I quickly pulled out my phone and made a call. "When will you get here? I can leave anytime."

The heavy metal door slammed shut from the outside.

I slammed my fists against the door.

"Wayne, are you alright?"

Wayne was only five years old. He was terrified of the dark and needed a dim yellow nightlight to be kept on at night to fall asleep.

"Daddy, I'm okay, I'm not scared," his voice drifted faintly from inside the room, though it was laced with muffled tears.

"Wayne, don't be scared, Daddy will get you out right away."

I called out my son's name and kept up a steady stream of conversation to comfort him.

I reminisced about the anticipation I felt when I first learned he was conceived, to the anxious hours waiting outside the delivery room for his birth.

"Daddy has never regretted for a second welcoming you into this world, not because of your mother, but because you are my son. No matter how many times I had to live it over, I would still welcome you with open arms and a lot of anticipation. So be brave for me, okay?"

The boy's voice was filled with soft sobs. "I'm not scared. Daddy, I love you too. Let's live without Mommy from now on."

"Okay!" I nodded frantically, but the replies from inside grew fainter and fainter.

Eventually... no matter how desperately I called out, Wayne stopped responding altogether.

A suffocating, agonizing pain gripped my chest.

"Wayne! Don't scare me like this!"

I clawed desperately at the crack of the door, my fingertips scraping raw until they were covered in blood.

Even after all ten fingertips were torn open, Wayne gave no further reply.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed behind me.

"Don't worry, Andy. I'm here."