chapter 4

Sean grabbed Sarah's arm as she tried to pull away. He wasn't going to let her leave so easily now that he had discovered the truth she had kept hidden from him all this time.

"Stop avoiding me. Do you have any idea what I've missed over the past five years, Sarah?"

Sarah pushed his hand away before responding in sign language. "That's your problem!"

"It affects my son, too! Did you ever ask him if he wanted to meet his father? Are you so sure you can take my place as his father?"

Sean believed he had every right to be involved in his son's life. He wanted Rain to live with him and have everything a child deserved from his father.

"I'll do whatever it takes to make sure he forgets you, Sean."

She pulled her arm away and signed rapidly.

"We were over the moment you divorced me. We're no longer husband and wife, and we're not a family. Rain only has me in his life."

She reminded Sean that their relationship had ended. They were no longer husband and wife, nor were they a family. Sean had no right to suddenly show up and interfere in Rain's life after ignoring their existence for years.

"I'll compensate you for donating blood to my son. Just tell me how much you want." Sarah didn't want to owe Sean anything.

Of course, Sean refused to accept that.

He stared at Sarah, his jaw tightening. To him, the blood he had given Rain wasn't something that could be repaid with money. He had done it because the boy was his son, not because he expected anything in return.

"Are you insulting me?" Sean asked.

"I just don't want anything to do with you anymore. I only did it yesterday because I had no choice!"

Their conversation ended without reaching an agreement. Sarah returned to Rain's hospital room, while Sean remained standing in the hallway, his thoughts growing increasingly troubled.

He couldn't possibly allow his son to keep living under those circumstances. Rain deserved a better life, and Sean had more than enough resources to provide it.

But how could he convince Sarah to bring Rain to his home?

---

A few days later, the day of Rain's discharge from the hospital finally arrived.

Sarah had already packed all of her son's belongings. She helped Rain get dressed, made sure he was well enough to go home, and then completed the discharge procedures.

However, as they stepped out of the hospital building, a car was already parked not far from the main entrance.

Sean stood beside it with a calm expression, as though he had deliberately been waiting for them all along.

He's so stubborn, Sarah thought.

She immediately stopped walking. Her instincts told her that the man was definitely planning something.

"Dad! You came to pick me up—"

Sarah quickly covered Rain's mouth with her palm when he called Sean that.

Sure enough, Sean immediately approached them. He took Rain from Sarah and handed him over to one of his bodyguards before turning back to face her.

"Give him back! Do you want me to report you to the police for kidnapping a child?" Sarah signed frantically.

"Kidnapping? Fine. Then I'll take you with me, too."

Before Sarah could react, Sean bent down, slipped one arm beneath her knees, and supported her back with the other.

In an instant, he had lifted her into his arms.

Sarah was utterly startled. She instinctively wrapped both arms around Sean's neck to keep her balance, while her injured leg prevented her from putting up a fight.

She immediately began signing frantically, demanding that Sean put her down. However, the man paid no attention to her whatsoever.

Sean strode toward the car and placed Sarah in the back seat. After making sure Rain was already inside, he got in as well and shut the door.

"How dare you! Let me out of here!" Sarah signed again.

"You're both getting out of this car once we arrive at my house."

Sarah stared at him in disbelief. She immediately reached for the door, but Sean had already instructed the driver to start the car.

This time, Sean had no intention of letting Sarah take Rain away again. He was going to bring them home. No matter what it took.

---

The black car finally entered the grounds of Sean's mansion. Sarah, who had been sitting tensely all along, immediately turned to look out the window. She recognized the place. It was the house where she had once lived before everything between them fell apart.

Sean took her to a private room. The moment the door closed, the atmosphere between them grew tense. There was no Rain around to distract them from the conversation anymore. Only two people who had once loved each other remained, now carrying far too many wounds.

Sean's personal secretary opened a suitcase that had been prepared beforehand and placed it in front of Sarah.

Inside were stacks of cash.

Sarah frowned. She glanced at the suitcase before looking back at Sean, her expression filled with disbelief.

"This money is for you. Once you accept it, you can leave. Rain will stay with me." The man explained that the money was his offer to Sarah.

However, Sarah had absolutely no interest in it.

She immediately shook her head and pushed the suitcase away.

"So you're the crazy one who thinks a child can be exchanged for money, Sean. Do you expect me to accept this and sell my own son?" Her hands moved firmly, making it clear that Rain was not something that could be bought or sold. She would never give up her son just because Sean had plenty of money.

Sean let out a long sigh. He had expected Sarah to refuse, but that didn't make it any less frustrating.

"Then what about the second option?"

Sarah looked at him.

Sean stepped closer and presented what he considered a much more reasonable alternative.

"The second option... come back to me. That's the only way you can stay close to our son without any obstacles."

Sarah fell silent for a moment.

She hadn't expected Sean to make such a demand after everything that had happened between them. Her hands immediately began to move, firmly rejecting the idea.

"Who would want to come back to you? Weren't you planning to get married? Bela came to see me. She went berserk and accused me of all sorts of things. And now you want me to come back? Are you trying to make me fight with her?"

To her, returning to Sean would mean reliving all the suffering she had once endured. She had spent far too long trying to forget him and had no desire to become a woman who lived in fear and uncertainty all over again.

However, Sean showed no intention of changing his decision.

"Bela is my problem. But you have no choice but to accept my offer. You know me better than anyone, Sarah."

Sarah glared at him. Tears began to well up in her eyes, but this time, they weren't caused by sadness. She was furious that Sean still believed he had the right to decide how she should live her life.

"I'll do whatever it takes, even if that means separating the two of you. And trust me, your life won't be the same as before."

Sean then made it clear that he would do whatever it took to get Rain. If Sarah refused both options, he couldn't guarantee that things would remain the way they were.

The man had already lost too much time with his son. He wasn't going to let Sarah disappear again and take Rain away from his life.

Sarah clenched both fists at her sides.

She wanted to say so many things. She wanted to remind Sean that he wasn't the only one who had the right to love Rain. For five years, Sarah had been the one raising the boy, sharing every tear and every smile with him, and struggling alone when there was no one willing to help her.

Yet all of that seemed meaningless in the face of Sean's determination.

"Speak up, before I take your silence as acceptance of the first option," Sean said.

"You're cruel, Sean." Sarah's hands moved quickly in anger.

"Fine. I'll take that as your agreement to the second option." A meaningful smile appeared on Sean's face.