Chapter 2

With that said, I turned to leave.

Samuel's voice echoed behind me. "Where do you think you're going? Are you just going to walk out on your son's surgery?"

I didn't bother looking back. "Whatever happens to him is no longer my concern."

The moment I stepped out of the hospital, a car pulled up in front of me.

The door opened, and a woman in a white dress hurried out with anxiety written all over her face.

It was Sienna Brooks.

She froze when she saw me, then rushed forward to ask, "Naomi, how's Matthew? Samuel called me. He said something terrible happened."

I looked at the woman who'd been circling my husband for the past ten years and said, "He won't die."

With that, I tried to shoulder past her and leave.

However, Sienna caught my wrist. Her eyes were brimming with tears. "Naomi, I know you've always had the wrong idea about Samuel and me, but Matthew matters more right now. Please, don't be angry with Samuel. He was only worried about you."

Her voice was soft, but it carried just far enough for the people around us to hear.

An older woman passing by immediately stopped and started berating me. "What kind of wife are you? She's trying to talk sense into you, and you're standing there with that scowl on your face. How could you abandon your own son? Have you no conscience?"

Sienna quickly stepped in and explained, "Ma'am, please don't say that. Naomi's just exhausted."

The more gracious she sounded, the more heartless I came across.

I wrenched my arm out of her grasp. "Don't touch me."

Sienna stumbled back, and tears slid down her cheeks at once. "I'm sorry, Naomi. I didn't mean to…"

Samuel came charging out of the hospital right then. When he saw Sienna crying, he strode over and immediately shielded her behind him.

He glared at me. "That's enough, Naomi! Sienna came here because she cares about Matthew. Why are you taking your anger out on her?"

Evelyn was right on his heels. At the sight of Sienna, she looked as if she'd spotted a savior and grabbed Sienna's hand.

"Thank goodness you're here, sweetheart. Please check on Matthew. Now that his vicious mother has abandoned him, you're all we have left!"

Sienna gently comforted Evelyn while looking up at Samuel. "Samuel, please don't be too hard on Naomi. She's just overwhelmed by everything."

The three of them stood there together—the picture of a loving, united family

There I was, the bitter and villainous outsider.

As I looked at them, I couldn't help but feel like the last ten years of my marriage had been a joke.

I didn't say another word. Instead, I hailed a taxi and left.

As the car pulled away, I caught one last glimpse in the rearview mirror of Samuel holding Sienna and Evelyn dabbing at her eyes beside them.

Back at the house, I started packing. I'd bought this place before we got married, and it was in my name alone.

For a decade, I had poured myself into turning this place into a home, but in the end, I couldn't find a single trace of warmth that belonged to me.

That evening, Mom called.

The second I picked up, she jumped down my throat. "Naomi, have you lost your mind? Matthew is in the hospital after a horrific crash, and you're busy picking a fight with his father over a divorce? Your dad and I have never been so humiliated in our lives!"

"Mom, I—"

"Don't 'Mom' me! I didn't raise a daughter as heartless as you," she snapped. "Samuel told me everything. He wouldn't let you donate blood because he was worried about you. You nearly bled out having that boy, and your health hasn't been the same since! How can you be so ungrateful?"

I gripped the phone, and the words died in my throat.

"Go to the hospital this instant! Apologize to Samuel, and check on your son! If you still think of me as your mother, you'll go this second!"