Chapter 4

"No! Don't!" Evelyn's whole body shook with panic. She tried to shove Daniel's hand away, but Noah lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Dad, now!" Noah yelled.

Noah was only six years old, yet his grip was so tight that Evelyn couldn't break free. The liquor hit her throat in one burning rush. It tore its way down.

The moment it hit her stomach, it felt like someone had poured fire straight into an open wound.

Evelyn dropped to her knees and gagged over and over, her body convulsing with dry heaves.

Noah froze, stunned.

Zoe, however, lowered her eyes, burying the flash of triumph. When she lifted her gaze again, it was all trembling innocence. "Daniel, what's wrong with Evelyn? Anyone who doesn't know better would think she's the one with cancer..."

Her words wiped the worry clean from Daniel's eyes.

"Evelyn, you really should've gone into acting. Your performance is unbelievable," he sneered.

Noah snapped out of his shock and quickly found his voice. "Yeah, Mom, you're faking it again! Grandma said you used to love drinking!"

Daniel's voice turned sharp and mocking. "You used to go out for business dinners every night and drink until you were throwing up in the bathroom. Now, you take one glass and act like it's killing you?"

Tears streamed from Evelyn's eyes, but this was just her body's reaction. Her throat burned with the metallic taste of blood. She couldn't say a single word.

Right then, Zoe pressed a hand to her stomach and winced. "Daniel, it hurts. My stomach hurts..."

Daniel and Noah panicked instantly and completely forgot Evelyn was there.

"Zoe, hold on! I'll get you to the hospital!" Daniel said urgently.

"Aunt Zoe, you can't get sick! I need you!" Noah cried.

Their voices faded, drifting farther and farther away.

Evelyn's pain was like a wave crashing over her. Just before she blacked out, she doubled over and vomited a mouthful of bright red blood onto the carpet, sending a shock through the men still in the private room.

"What the hell!" one of them choked out.

Another man's voice shook as he said, "Damn! Zoe said this was just for fun! Is she trying to get her killed?"

"This has nothing to do with me! I didn't do anything!" another quickly yelled.

"Let's go now!"

They bolted instantly, clearing out the room as if a fire alarm had gone off.

Evelyn, left alone on the floor, trembled. A laugh broke from her, wet with tears. So, this was the woman Daniel and Noah loved. This was the woman they'd chosen.

Evelyn only hoped that when the truth finally came out, they wouldn't choke on regret.

...

The next time Evelyn opened her eyes, she was in a hospital bed. The ward was quiet. No one was sitting beside her.

She asked a nurse what had happened and was told that someone had dropped her off at the emergency room after she passed out in pain, then left.

The doctor came in a few minutes later. His face hardened as he questioned, "Your body is already in this state, and you're still drinking? Are you out of your mind, or do you not want to live?"

Evelyn gave a bitter smile. She hadn't wanted to drink. Her husband and son had forced that glass down her throat with their own hands. She wanted to live a little longer. They were the ones who had pushed her toward death.

The doctor sighed. "Listen. You need to get this through your head. If you want to suffer less, you can't touch alcohol again."

Once the doctor left, Evelyn asked to be discharged. Whatever time she had left, she didn't want to spend it staring at hospital ceilings.

On her way out, she walked past a cluster of patients and visitors chatting just outside one of the wards.

"That woman in Ward 6 is lucky. Her husband and son hover around her day and night. They treat her like she's made of glass."

Another replied, "She really hit the jackpot with that man. Did you see what happened earlier? She said she felt like eating cake, and they ordered one of everything from every bakery in town. If she wanted the stars in the sky, I swear those two would try to find a way to get them down for her."

"Stop talking. They're coming out."

The group shuffled aside.

Evelyn lifted her head and saw Daniel and Noah walking out of Ward 6. Both of them froze when they spotted her.

"Mom?"

"Evelyn?"

Daniel's eyes dropped to her hospital gown, and his face went slack with shock. "What are you doing in the oncology wing?"

Noah panicked, his whole body going rigid. People didn't end up on this floor because of a mild cold.

Before Evelyn could answer, Zoe stepped out of the ward. "Daniel? Noah? Why are you just standing here?"

She slipped her hand through Daniel's arm as naturally as breathing. Then, she saw Evelyn, and her fingers went stiff around his sleeve.

Daniel immediately shook Zoe's hand off, his whole body going tense. He strode toward Evelyn in a few quick steps, staring straight into her face. "Tell me, why are you here?"

Noah rushed to her side as well. "Yeah, Mom. Are you sick?"

Zoe bit down on her lower lip, unable to hide the flicker of panic in her eyes.

Evelyn smiled. So, Zoe could be afraid, after all.