Chapter 2

I remembered that last month, Selena came home with a box of cherries.

Simon wanted to eat them. Just as he reached for them, Selena slapped his hand away. "These are for Katy."

She frowned as she put the cherries into an exquisite gift box.

"Katy's never had such good fruit before. Let her try some. You can have cherries every day at home. Why are you fighting with her over it?"

Simon froze. The back of his hand had turned red, and his eyes were filled with tears.

That night, Selena didn't even have dinner at home, so that she could drop off this box of cherries to Katy Carter. And on the same night, Simon came down with a low-grade fever and kept complaining of tightness in his chest.

When Selena got home, all she said was, "He's so sensitive. He'll be fine after a night's sleep. Boys aren't that fragile."

Even when Simon was diagnosed with a heart condition and needed her signature for the surgery, she blew up at me over the phone. She said I was always pestering her about his little health problems.

"Ugh…" A muffled groan suddenly pulled me back from my memories. I looked down, and my heart nearly stopped.

Simon suddenly started convulsing all over, and the monitor emitted a shrill alarm.

"Simon! Simon, what's wrong?" I rushed over, wanting to hold him in my arms, but I dared not touch him with all those tubes connected to him.

The freshly stitched incision on his chest heaved violently with every convulsion. It was as if it were about to burst open at any moment.

"Doctor! Doctor!" I ran out of the room like a madman.

A doctor quickly rushed in and kept me away from Simon. I stood in the corridor, feeling a chill run through my entire body.

I then called Selena. She rejected the first call and the second one. She finally answered on the third.

"Eric, are you done yet? This is a critical moment for us…"

"Simon might not make it." My voice was trembling.

Selena paused on the other end of the line. "What do you mean by that? Didn't the doctor say the surgery was a success?"

"He's developed complications. The doctor is trying to save him."

"Oh."

Oh? Was that it?

My heart ached unbearably. "Selena, can't you come back to the hospital?"

"I can't leave now.

"I can't leave now. Katy just won first place in the sprint, and she's really happy now. I already promised to take her to get pizza."

"Selena!" I roared. "Simon's your biological son! They're trying to save his life!"

"That's enough. I get it. The doctor's already there. Even if I went back, I wouldn't be able to help. You're the one who's spoiled him all this time. He's so sensitive over the slightest pain."

Sensitive? It was an open-heart surgery, and Selena thought Simon was being too sensitive.

Just then, a man's voice came over the phone, soft yet hesitant, carrying a hint of apology.

"Selena, Katy wants a Coke. I sprained my wrist yesterday, so I can't get the bottle open. Could you help me twist off this cap?"

Selena's voice instantly softened. "Of course. Let me do it. You hurt your hand, so you shouldn't strain yourself."

She then said to me, "I have to go."

The busy signal felt like a blow to my heart.

I slid down onto the floor, leaning against the cold wall.

Just then, the emergency room light went out. The doctor stepped out and removed his mask.

"The kid's out of danger now. It was acute postoperative arrhythmia. Thankfully, we found out in time."

I pushed against the floor, trying to stand, but my legs were too weak to hold me up.

The doctor came to help me up. "Where's the boy's mother? How come it's just you dealing with something like this?"

I opened my mouth, and my voice came out terribly hoarse. "She's… busy."

The doctor sighed, his eyes filled with sympathy.

When I got back to the hospital room, Simon was already asleep. His face was deathly pale, and his lips were completely drained of color.

Even in his sleep, he was still muttering, "Mommy… Hug me…"

I held Simon's cold hand, and my tears finally spilled over.