Chapter 2

Vivian inspected the red marks on Blake's hand.

"You hurt him. Apologize."

Ollie jumped off his chair and shoved Blake with both hands.

"Bad man! Don't steal Daddy's things!"

Blake stumbled against the corner of a table and groaned. Vivian's face hardened. She seized Ollie by the arm.

"Who taught you to hit people? Apologize to Blake."

Ollie hunched his shoulders in pain. "No."

Vivian pulled out her phone and reopened the auction app, even though I'd already closed our account.

"Your time with me next week is canceled. You can have it back when you apologize."

Ollie stared at her, confused. After a moment, he lowered his head.

"Mommy, I'm not bidding for you anymore."

Her finger froze against the screen.

A nurse burst through the door, holding a test report.

"Mr. Carver, your son's cardiac monitor is showing an abnormal rhythm. He needs emergency observation now."

Before she'd finished speaking, Ollie's knees buckled.

I reached for him. Vivian lunged forward too.

But at that exact moment, Blake clutched his side and cried out in pain. She turned toward him, just slightly.

Ollie slipped past her fingertips and hit the floor.

"Move!" The medical team rushed in and wheeled him toward the ER.

I tried to follow, but Vivian caught my wrist.

"Why has his condition suddenly gotten worse?"

I jerked free.

"The doctors warned us he could develop a dangerous arrhythmia at any time. His latest test results have been attached to your auction account for an entire week. You never even opened them."

Her brows drew together.

Blake leaned against the table. "Vivian's been busy, Miles. There are so many attachments in the app. You really should have told her directly."

"I told her eleven times." I looked straight at him. "The first time, she was helping you choose furniture. The second time, you had a stomachache. The third time, she told me to bid like everybody else."

He shrugged. "Then maybe you should have bid higher."

I punched him.

Vivian's eyes turned to ice. She shoved me toward the door. My lower back hit the handle, and pain exploded up my spine.

"Apologize to Blake."

"Not a chance."

Right in front of me, she called her finance department.

"Freeze every household account under Miles's name. Restore access when he apologizes."

I stared at her. "That's the money for Ollie's surgery!"

"The money isn't going anywhere. You're the one refusing to back down."

She checked her watch.

"I'll take responsibility for Ollie. But you still need to face consequences for what you did."

The ER door opened before I could answer.

A nurse hurried out. "Your son needs an urgent cardiac angiogram. We need a $4,500 deposit immediately!"

I opened my banking app.

Available balance: $0.

Vivian stood a few steps away, certain I would cave.

Blake held his cheek. "It's fine, Vivian. Miles is only scared for his son. He doesn't have to apologize to me."

Vivian's expression hardened. "Yes, he does."

I looked at the red emergency light over the door. Then I bent my head.

"I'm sorry."

A smile flickered in Blake's eyes.

Only then did Vivian tell finance to unlock the account. I transferred the deposit, and the nurse hurried back inside with the receipt.

Blake tugged Vivian's sleeve and murmured that his back hurt. She immediately took him to orthopedics.

Neither of them returned before Ollie's angiogram was finished.

Dr. Hollis studied the scans with a grim expression.

"It's worse than we thought. He needs surgery as soon as possible. We've contacted Dr. Conrad overseas, but he has only one available slot next week. We need a deposit today to secure it."

I was about to agree when my phone lit up with a withdrawal notification.

$120,000 had just left our family account.

Seconds later, Blake posted a photograph online. He was sitting in the middle of a new art studio while Vivian adjusted the sign over his head.

His caption read: "The best cure for a rough patch? Someone who helps you start over."

I called Vivian.

"You took Ollie's surgery money and used it to open Blake's studio?"

"I borrowed it temporarily. I'll replace it later."

"Dr. Conrad has one opening!"

"There are doctors here too. We don't have to choose the most expensive one. Blake had an emotional breakdown after you punched him. He needs something positive to focus on."

I gripped Ollie's medical report.

"So cheering him up matters more than our son's life?"

"Don't twist my words. I'll arrange the surgery funds. If we miss this opening, we can wait for the next one."

"Ollie can't wait."

"Doctors always exaggerate the risks."

I heard Blake call her over for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

"Tonight's auction will open early," Vivian told me. "If you want me at the preoperative briefing, bid for my time according to the rules."

She disconnected.

A notification arrived from the auction app.

"Administrator has forcibly restored your account."

I'd left the system. She'd dragged me right back in.

At eight that evening, a single available time slot appeared.

I entered every dollar I had: $45,000.

"Winning bid," the app announced.

Then the screen refreshed.

"Blake Ellison: $45,001."

His note read: "Can't sleep from the stress of opening my studio. Need someone to keep me company."