Chapter 4 His Indifference

Timothy glanced at me, then picked up his glass and drained it.

Everyone exchanged knowing smiles. His silence said everything.

The wheel spun again, this time landing on me.

Camilla broke into a malicious grin. "Vera, take a dare. The rule is that you have to take off your clothes until everyone's satisfied."

I frowned and looked at Timothy, waiting for him to speak up for me.

Instead, he swirled his drink nonchalantly and said in a flat voice, "It's just a game. Take off your jacket first. That'll be enough to go along with the game. Don't make things difficult for Camilla."

When I still didn't move, he furrowed his brows, his voice turning sterner. "Vera, don't make a scene here. Your mom is waiting for you at the hospital."

I stood there, swallowing my bitterness.

Amid the jeering and cheers, I took off one piece of clothing after another. Even when I was left in nothing but my black camisole, they kept pounding on the table.

"One more piece! No backing out now!"

Timothy finally looked up, frowning slightly. "All right, that's enough."

But Camilla wouldn't let it go. "Timothy, everyone's following the rules. Why should Vera get special treatment?"

He fell silent for two seconds before finally looking away.

I grabbed my clothes and headed for the door. "I'm done playing."

Camilla immediately blocked the doorway, wearing a bright smile. "Vera, you have to finish the dare. If you won't do it, someone else will do it for you."

I didn't understand what she meant. "Move."

She held her phone up in front of me, her smile growing wider. "Take a look at this first, then decide if you still want to leave."

On the screen was an extremely explicit intimate photo. Someone had maliciously photoshopped my mom's face onto the woman in the picture.

The post had been uploaded two hours earlier to a popular local forum.

Its title read, "Shocking! Sick Older Woman's Wild Past Exposed—No Wonder Her Husband Cheated!"

The comments were filled with vile insults.

"No wonder her husband left. Turns out she's a hooker herself."

"That old hag should've died of her illness ages ago."

"I heard she's in the cardiology department. Does anyone want to ask her rates?"

Camilla read the comments one by one, laughing so hard she doubled over. Everyone around us joined in.

I trembled with rage and lunged for her phone.

Timothy rushed over and shoved me away, pulling Camilla into his arms to protect her.

My lower back slammed into the edge of the table, sending a sharp stab of pain through me.

"Vera, what the hell is wrong with you now?"

I pointed at Camilla, my voice breaking. "She spread lies about my mom! She photoshopped my mom's face onto that disgusting picture!"

Timothy stared at me coldly. "It was just a joke. Who's going to take it seriously? She just made a post, and you resorted to violence. Public outburst, $10,000 deducted."

My phone began vibrating frantically inside my bag.

It was the hospital.

"Ms. Hughes, your mother's condition has suddenly become critical. She's being resuscitated right now. Please come immediately!"

The nurse's urgent voice pierced straight through my heart.

I stared at Timothy's familiar face and suddenly felt as though I were looking at a complete stranger.

"Timothy, we're over."

A flicker of panic crossed his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. "Don't threaten me with a breakup. You've lost your job, and your mom is sick. Where do you think you'll go if you leave me?"

Another $5,000 deduction notification popped up.

"Excessive emotional expression, $5,000 deducted."

I didn't look at him again. I grabbed my bag and stumbled out of the private room.

By the time I reached the hospital, the red light above the emergency room had just gone out.

The doctor removed his mask and shook his head. "I'm sorry. Your mother saw the false information online, became upset, and suffered cardiac arrest."

My legs gave way. I leaned against the wall and sank to the floor in the corner.

My mom's phone was still lit up, the screen filled with calls from unknown numbers. The last text message asked how much it would cost to spend a night with her.

I held the pen over the death confirmation form, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't bring myself to write my own name.

…

Meanwhile, back in the private room, the birthday song played again.

Timothy's phone lit up, then went dark. He glanced at it and casually dismissed the call.

"Leave it. Camilla's the star tonight. Everyone else's calls can wait."

He picked up the cake and looked at her fondly. "Make a wish."

Camilla clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. "I wish that one day, I could become Timothy's bride."

Everyone burst into teasing cheers.

Timothy smiled helplessly and wiped the cream off the tip of her nose. "Come on, stop talking nonsense."

After they finished cutting the cake, he finally returned the call.

A nurse's cold voice answered, "Is this Mr. Timothy Wells? You're listed as the emergency contact for a patient. Ms. Hughes' mother could not be resuscitated, and she has passed away. Please come to the hospital as soon as possible."

Timothy went deathly pale. The piece of cake slipped from his hand and hit the floor.

He immediately called my number. But all he heard was a cold, automated voice. "Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable…"

He froze for two seconds. Then, he suddenly remembered the email I'd sent that afternoon.

It showed that an international flight was scheduled to depart at exactly that time.