Chapter 4

Jonas returned to his room and carefully placed George's ashes in a jar. Then he slowly wiped George's portrait clean before taking out a first-aid kit to deal with the wound on his shoulder.

Just then, Serena walked in. Her gaze lingered for a moment on Jonas' wound, which was deep enough to expose the bones. Then she said, "What did you mean by making Erica Henry's daughter?"

Jonas got dressed. "Exactly what it sounds like. If she likes Henry so much, I'll give her what she wants."

Serena didn't expect that Jonas would not only give away their wedding ring and the watch she'd given him as a token of their love, but also abandon their daughter. A sudden wave of panic washed over her.

"Are you threatening me or lashing out at Erica? I already told you there's nothing between Henry and me. I'm just repaying him for saving my life."

Jonas looked up at her. "You don't have to explain yourself to me. Who you like and who you want to spend your life with is your business."

Serena was infuriated by Jonas' indifference. "I've been too lenient with you this past year, and now you've gotten completely out of hand. Henry got hurt because of you, so he's going to stay here and recover. You're going to take care of him until he's fully recovered."

Jonas snorted. "You really should get your head checked. You want me to take care of him? Aren't you afraid I'll kill him?"

Serena's expression turned icy. "You won't. Come in."

A few bodyguards entered and went straight for George's ashes and portrait. Jonas' heart tightened, and he sprang to his feet to stop them.

Serena grabbed his arm and shoved him hard. His back slammed into the corner of the table, and he let out a muffled groan.

"Go make some soup for Henry. You won't get to see George again until Henry forgives you."

With that, she left the room with her bodyguards and never looked back.

Jonas clenched his fists tightly until his knuckles turned white.

The system had promised to bring George back to life in his original world once he completed this mission. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to let that adulterous pair trample all over his son's ashes and portrait.

Jonas gritted his teeth, stood up, and went to the kitchen to start cooking. After he was done, he brought the soup to Henry's room.

Inside, Henry was leaning against the headboard while Serena fed him a peeled grape and Erica massaged his legs.

When Henry saw Jonas, he made a show of trying to get up. "Jonas, sorry to trouble you."

Serena pressed a hand against his shoulder. "Don't move. You're injured. This is the least he can do."

Jonas held out the tray and looked at Serena. "Here's the soup. Now give George back to me."

Henry reached for the bowl, but his hand trembled, and the soup spilled. "Oh my god! It's so hot!"

The scalding soup splashed all over the back of Jonas' hands, leaving them red and swollen.

Yet all Serena did was grab Henry's hand and check if he was hurt. "Henry, are you okay?"

Erica rushed over and kicked Jonas in the calf. "You burned Mr. Lane on purpose with that hot soup! You're a bad man!"

Jonas stumbled and fell, the back of his hand scraping against the broken porcelain on the floor. Blood poured from the wound, sending a sharp pain through his hand.

Henry exclaimed, "Erica, how could you do that to your dad?"

Erica sneered and threw herself into his arms. "He's not my daddy. You are."

Sympathy flashed across Serena's face when she saw the state Jonas was in, but it was soon replaced by coldness.

"Did you deliberately make Henry's soup so hot? Go make another bowl, or admit you were wrong right now. Stop acting out, and let's go back to living happily together like before."

Jonas slowly got to his feet and spat on the floor. "If he wants soup, tell him to lick it off the floor."

Their expressions immediately darkened.

Henry spoke in an aggrieved voice. "Since Jonas hates me so much, I'll leave. I don't want to be a nuisance."

Serena and Erica immediately tried to stop him.

"Who said you're a nuisance? You're just too kind."

"Yeah! He's the one who should leave!"

Jonas didn't want to witness the farce anymore and turned to leave.

"Apologize, or do you not care about George anymore?"

Serena's cold voice stopped him in his tracks.

Henry spoke up then, sounding considerate. "There's no need for that. I'm actually helping the hospital recruit volunteers for support duties. Why don't we have Jonas help out?"

Serena nodded. "Jonas, go work in hospital support services. Once you finish a full week, I'll give George back to you."

Jonas took a deep breath. For his son's sake, he had no choice but to agree.

…

The next day, the hospital's support services supervisor, Tim Hutton, took Jonas to a public restroom.

"Ms. Quinn gave the order. You have to finish every task assigned to you. You'll clean every restroom in the hospital, and you'll scrub every toilet thoroughly."