Chapter 4

They left in a hurry. Not one of them stopped to consider that I hadn't pushed him.

My cheek still burned, the sting sinking straight into my chest. I clutched my documents, my expression numb, and headed out to catch a cab back to the hospital.

The moment I walked into the room, I saw relief written all over the doctor's face.

"Mr. Lowe, we found a heart for your son! As soon as payment clears, we can start the surgery right away!"

For one moment, pure joy washed over me. I stumbled toward the payment window, but my card kept getting rejected, one attempt after another, for insufficient funds.

The second it registered, my blood ran cold. Maddie was the only person who knew my password. I called her thirty-one times. Every single call got hung up on.

A nurse rushed over, her face tight with worry.

"Mr. Lowe, Oliver's condition is getting worse. If we don't replace that heart soon, he won't make it."

Frantic, I was about to leave the hospital to track her down when I spotted Maddie standing right outside the ward. My chest clenched.

My vision went red. I lunged at her like a man possessed and grabbed her by the collar.

"Maddie! Where's the money in my account?"

Her voice stayed level. "I gave it to Jace for a house. You turned him down once already. The least you can do is offer him some compensation."

I broke down completely, sobbing. "How could you take that money? Don't you know Ollie's heart condition just flared up and he needs surgery?"

Something flickered in Maddie's eyes. She grabbed my hand in a panic. "What? Where's Ollie right now?"

"Ronnie, I know you're upset that Maddie bought me a house, but how could you lie to her about this?"

It was Jace, carefully supported by Ashlyn as he approached. When his gaze met my disbelieving stare, a flash of mockery crossed his face.

"I just saw Ollie running around, full of energy, begging a nurse to let him borrow her phone to play games."

That single sentence lit Maddie's temper instantly. She let go of me, her voice turning cold as ice.

"Ronnie, are you really this shallow and greedy?"

My chest seized with pain. Tears blurred my eyes. "That's not true. Ollie really is—"

She cut me off, her eyes full of contempt.

"That's enough. If Ollie really is gone, then you brought that curse on him yourself. Don't blame anyone else."

With that, she didn't hesitate for even a second before turning and walking away with Jace.

I leaned against the cold wall, my hands shaking as I dialed one number after another.

"Riley, can you lend me some money? My son—"

The line clicked dead.

I went down the list, from my parents to my friends, and every single one of them turned me down. They all said the same thing: Maddie had sent word that no one was allowed to lend me a cent.

The last call I made was to my childhood friend. I could hear the sound of poker chips clicking in the background. He scoffed.

"Ronnie, never thought you would one day beg me for something. When you got that graduate school spot instead of me and you were riding high, did you ever once think about me losing my job? No way in hell you're getting a single cent out of me."

I stood frozen. The line went dead.

Then came the doctor's voice, quiet with regret.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lowe. We did everything we could."

My eyes went blank, and I slid down the wall until I hit the floor, completely broken.

The last person in this world who had ever truly loved me was gone now too.

Maddie's message finally came through, far too late.

[Ronnie, the marriage certificate is still legally yours either way. Let's give Jace the ceremony and the small things as compensation. That's only fair. Don't cause any more trouble after this. The three of us will go back to how things were.]

I never replied.

A week later, a courier package arrived at the front desk of Paisley Group's headquarters. I boarded a plane to the airport, my son's urn held in my arms.

The moment the plane lifted off, my phone rang without stopping, over a hundred messages flooding in. I calmly pulled out the SIM card and snapped it in half between my fingers.

The world finally went quiet.

'From now on, you and I are worlds apart, and we will never cross paths again.'