Chapter 2

It was not until the early hours of the morning that I finally managed to get a cab.

The doctor said our son's throat was extremely delicate and that if I had brought him in any later, his ability to speak in the future might have been affected.

When he saw the "answers" AI had given me, he scolded me in exasperation.

"What are you parents thinking? If AI has all the answers, then what do you need doctors for?"

The tears I had been holding back for so long instantly began to fall.

The doctor quickly fell silent, but I shook my head.

"You're right. Thank you."

I stayed by my son's side all night while he received IV medication to reduce the inflammation.

Meanwhile, Vivi posted a photo of herself and Theodore on the concert's giant screen.

"The kiss cam picked us at random. Who knew Teddy could be such a good sport!"

I tortured myself by zooming in on the photo. The lipstick smeared across the corner of Theodore's mouth was unmistakable.

I remembered begging him to take us to Disneyland for our son's first birthday.

He had waved me away impatiently. "It's hot, exhausting, and packed with people. What's so fun about that?"

Yet in that photo, he was smiling more brightly and freely than I had seen in a long time.

That night, our son developed a high fever. I hurriedly carried him from floor to floor, trying to complete the hospital admission process.

Then a familiar voice came from around the stairwell.

"Vivi, how are you feeling? I'll get you admitted right away."

I looked up and saw Theodore rushing toward us with Vivi in his arms.

He was so anxious that he did not even notice us.

"Doctor, her blood sugar dropped, and she fainted. She needs to be seen immediately."

The young nurse beside him looked troubled.

"Mr. Shaw, we're currently at capacity. Your VIP membership does give your party priority for the next available room, but..."

She glanced at my son and me. "These two are your wife and child, aren't they? In that case, the baby should be admitted first..."

Only then did Theodore follow her gaze and see us. He froze, but recovered almost immediately.

"Oh... no. This young lady is the one who needs to be admitted. Her condition is more urgent."

That single word, "no," struck me like a sharp slap across the face.

The nurse knew my son and me, and the sympathy in her eyes was unmistakable.

Vivi was rushed into a room, and Theodore hurried after her without looking back once.

My son was growing hotter in my arms, and even my heart seemed to tremble. The entrance to the ward was crowded with people waiting for a bed, and every passing minute felt like torture.

Half an hour later, Theodore emerged from Vivi's room with an uncomfortable frown.

"I just spoke to the department head. The baby's throat is only slightly inflamed. He can get an IV in the hallway. There's no need to admit him.

"Vivi fainted on the way back. If she isn't thoroughly examined, she could suffer lasting complications. Don't be so petty."

He reached out to touch our son, but I made no attempt to hide the way I pulled away.

"We don't need the bed anymore."

With that, I turned and walked away with our son in my arms.

Theodore's hand remained suspended in midair, his brow twitching slightly.

Families filled the hospital corridors, while I alone wove through the crowd with my son in my arms, searching for somewhere he could receive an injection to bring down his fever.

Thankfully, his fever finally broke the next morning.

Soon afterward, an immigration officer called and asked me to come in to collect the result of our application.

Theodore's company was relocating overseas the following month, but the immigration applications for our son and me had still not been approved.

As soon as I entered the lobby, I spotted Theodore's subordinate, Charlie Kent.

He greeted me warmly.

"Mrs. Shaw, what a coincidence.

"Are you really willing to live apart from Mr. Shaw? Raising a child by yourself will be so difficult."

Confused, I assumed he had misunderstood the situation and responded with a polite smile.

"Our immigration applications are still being processed. They should be approved this time. It's not as though someone else could take our places."

Charlie looked utterly bewildered.

"But Ms. Wells has already taken the immigration slot. I handled all the paperwork for Mr. Shaw, and I'm here to pick up her approval letter today."