Chapter 4

“Really?” Joy flooded through me. No matter how much I hated Claire, I could not just stand by and watch my mother-in-law die.

Then, Claire suddenly spoke up. “Don’t bother. Don't bother with the treatment.”

I turned to her in disbelief. “What the hell did you just say?! That’s your mother! Sign the consent form. She can still be saved!”

Claire slammed a hand on the table, clearly losing her patience.

“How many times do I have to tell you? The victim is your mother! An arrow went straight through her head. What’s the point of treating her? Even if she survives, it’ll just be a waste of money and medical resources.”

I stared at her in utter disbelief.

Even if the person lying on the operating table really was my mother, Claire could not just coldly and decisively give up treatment like that, could she? It was not like she was a stranger.

No. If it had been a stranger, Claire would have wanted the doctors to save her. The only reason she refused now was that she believed the victim was my mother!

Monster! She was an absolute monster!

I had been blind. I had thrown away my pride just to marry into her family, only to end up with someone so heartless and ungrateful. However, I did not have time to dwell on that. I turned to the doctor.

“Can I sign instead? I’m her son-in-law.”

The doctor looked troubled and replied, “Normally, a son-in-law doesn’t have the authority to sign for his mother-in-law, especially when her daughter is present. But the situation is critical. If you’re willing to assume responsibility, we can proceed.”

I reached for the consent form. Before I could sign it, Claire grabbed my wrist. “Didn’t you insist that the patient's my mother? Fine. As her biological daughter, I refuse treatment! Now, get out.”

Then, she shoved the doctor out of the room.

I collapsed to my knees in disbelief. After a long silence, I finally exploded. “Claire! That's someone's life we're talking about! Have you completely lost your conscience?!”

Henry suddenly cut in, “Kevin, you’re being selfish.”

I glared at him.

He spoke as though he were giving a righteous speech. “The arrow destroyed her face. Even if she survives, she’ll be permanently disfigured. She must’ve loved looking beautiful. Are you really going to force her to live the rest of her life being stared at and judged by everyone just because of your own selfishness?”

I was dumbfounded for a moment. I thought Claire was shameless enough. I never imagined Henry was just as bad.

He sounded so righteous, but had he forgotten? Was he not the reason any of this happened? How did I somehow become the villain?

Before I could respond, Claire immediately backed him up. “Henry’s right. If you keep acting this selfishly, sooner or later, everyone will abandon you.”

Their words made my eyes burn with rage. My nails dug so deeply into my palms that they nearly drew blood.

I pointed at Claire and growled. “Remember what you just said. Want to go all in? I’ll bet everything I own—every house, every car, every share I have. That’ll be a total of 200 million dollars! I bet the victim is your mother!”

Claire frowned, provoked at last. “If you’re determined to destroy yourself, that’s your problem. I’ll match it with everything I own too! The total will be two billion dollars! I bet the victim is your mother!”

With the notary as witness, we signed another legally binding agreement.

The moment I finished signing, my father’s phone call came through again. This time, panic filled his voice.

“Son, I just talked to your mother’s dance group. She never went dancing today. There was a big sale at the discount market, so she went grocery shopping instead! I also heard there was a hostage situation there. Your mother wasn't involved, was she?”

My vision went black when I heard that. My legs gave out beneath me.

I lifted my head and met Claire’s smug, triumphant gaze directly.

“Well, so your mother never went dancing, after all. She went bargain hunting. I told you, penny-pinching always comes back to bite you! Perhaps she’ll learn her lesson now. Hopefully, she won't be so cheap in her next life. That’s so low-class!”

Henry pretended to be concerned.

“Kevin, why did you have to gamble so recklessly? Two billion is just Claire’s personal fortune. It’s barely a drop in the bucket to the Carter family, but your 200 million is everything your family owns! Hurry up and beg Claire to forgive you!”

“No, that’s impossible!” I could only mumble the words.

Just then, the doctor returned. His face was filled with regret. “I’m sorry. We couldn’t save her. Please accept our condolences. These were the victim’s personal belongings.”

He held out a thumb ring. The moment I saw it, my mind went completely blank. That ring was my mother’s family’s heirloom!

“Mom! Mom!” As I clutched the ring tightly, my entire body shook uncontrollably.

Behind me came Claire’s gleeful laughter. “If you get on your knees and apologize to Henry and me right now, I might even let you stay with the Carter family as our pet dog.”

I could not hear another word. I could only stare blankly at the ring in my hands.

Then, Henry leaned close to my ear and whispered, “You were reborn too, weren’t you?”

I stared at him in shock. The grin on his face stretched from ear to ear. “I came back too, so why would I make the same mistake I made last time? Kevin, thanks for signing that waiver.

“You’re such a wonderful person. You even forgive me for killing your mother. As a token of my gratitude, I’ll be sure to put your 200 million dollars to good use!”

Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face. It felt as though my entire world had collapsed.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness, a familiar voice suddenly called out, “Kevin!”

Everyone turned toward the sound. The moment they saw who had arrived, every single person froze in shock.