chapter 2

After Sean left, Sarah returned to her seat in the hospital corridor. Her mind was still filled with worry over Rain's condition. Although her son had received the blood donation he desperately needed, she couldn't truly feel at ease until she heard that he was out of critical condition.

She clasped her hands tightly together. Every now and then, she wiped the tears still streaming down her cheeks. All she wanted was to return to the hospital room and stay by her son's side.

However, she had barely sat down when someone suddenly grabbed her arm roughly.

"Are you still not done trying to get my fiancé's attention?"

Sarah flinched. She quickly got to her feet and turned around to see who had dared to treat her that way. Her eyes widened the moment she saw the woman standing before her.

Bela? Sarah thought to herself.

The woman who was now Sean's fiancée.

Sarah hadn't even had time to react when a sharp slap struck her cheek. Her head snapped to the side. She stood frozen for a moment, struggling to process what had just happened.

Bela showed no sign of remorse. Instead, she glared at Sarah with pure hatred in her eyes.

"Why have you shown up again? It's been so long, Sarah. What are you after? He's my fiancé now. Who do you think you are to approach him like that?"

Bela demanded to know why Sarah had returned to Sean's life. Hadn't their relationship ended a long time ago?

Sarah shook her head. She tried to explain that her presence had absolutely nothing to do with wanting Sean back. She had only needed his help to save Rain.

I didn't mean anything by it. I just... I just wanted to save my son. He's in there, and—

But Bela refused to let her finish.

"You'll always be nothing but his past, Sarah! Do you remember why Sean was so angry back then? You begged his mother for money to give to your lover! Even though you knew Sean never liked Hans. You always went against him... making it perfectly clear that your relationship with Hans was more than just a cousinly bond."

Bela brought up Sarah's past once again. She called Sean's former wife an ungrateful woman and reminded her of how she had supposedly cheated on him, leaving Sean utterly devastated.

Sarah immediately shook her head vehemently.

I never cheated on him! When did I ever do that?

The accusation wasn't true. She had never betrayed Sean the way everyone believed she had. There had been a terrible misunderstanding that she had never been able to clear up. But how could she explain everything when no one was willing to listen?

Her hands began to move. Sarah used sign language to deny Bela's accusations. She even pointed at herself before shaking her head repeatedly, hoping the woman would at least understand that the cheating allegations were false.

Unfortunately, Bela had no idea how to understand sign language.

"Stop it! Whatever explanation you have, it'll only sound disgusting, Sarah!"

Seeing Sarah continue to move her hands only made Bela more irritated. She assumed the woman was simply trying to justify her past mistakes.

Just let me explain! Why are you saying all these things and making everything sound worse than it is?

Sarah finally remembered the small notebook she always carried with her. In a hurry, she took it and a pen out of her bag before beginning to write a few sentences.

She wanted to explain everything in writing.

But Bela had no interest in reading a single word.

Just as Sarah was about to show her what she had written, Bela snatched the notebook from her hands. Without a second thought, she threw it onto the floor, causing several sheets of paper to come loose from its binding.

Sarah stared at her little notebook lying on the floor. That simple object had always been one of the ways she communicated with other people, especially those who couldn't understand sign language.

She quickly bent down to pick it up.

"I already told you that explaining yourself is pointless, Sarah. I'm only going to warn you to stay as far away from Sean as possible! The past deserves to be forgotten, don't you think?"

Yet Bela continued to corner her. She demanded that Sarah stop bothering Sean and never bring up their past relationship again.

Sarah slowly raised her face. Her eyes began to fill with tears.

She wanted to tell Bela that she had never intended to win Sean back. She didn't even have the time to think about romance when her own son's life was hanging in the balance.

But all those explanations remained trapped inside her mind.

She picked up her little notebook again. Carefully, she gathered the scattered sheets of paper and straightened them before clutching the notebook against her chest.

She didn't want to cause a scene.

I have to get back to Rain.

It wasn't because Sarah felt guilty. Her mind was simply too exhausted. All she wanted was to return to Rain and make sure her son was all right.

However, before walking away, she briefly glanced back at Bela.

All she wanted was for her son to stay alive. And if enduring one humiliation after another was the price she had to pay for that chance, Sarah believed she could bear it.

Meanwhile, as Sarah hurried down the hospital corridor, Sean remained where he stood, making no attempt to follow her. He simply clenched his fists as he watched how Bela had treated Sarah.

"I may share the same blood type as that child, but I need solid proof. Make sure you get a sample from Rain. I want a DNA test," Sean instructed his personal secretary.