Chapter 3

Just then, the doors to the operating room swung open.

A nurse walked out and looked at us somberly. "Which one of you is Suzanna?"

My heart sank. "I am."

The nurse's gaze landed on me momentarily. Then, she walked over, her expression stern.

"The patient is refusing surgery and insisting on seeing you," she said. " She says there's something about your husband she has to tell you before the surgery."

…

In the holding area of the operating room, Mom was drenched in cold sweat from the pain. But her grip on my wrist was surprisingly strong.

She said, "Something's up with Jack, Suzie. I ran into him at the entrance of our neighborhood when I went out to look for you.

"Mr. Lewis from your company handed him a card with 300 thousand dollars inside and told him to find a chance to slip fabricated evidence of you taking kickbacks from a client into your bag. Then, the company would call the police and ruin you for good.

She continued, "I wanted to stop them, but I slipped and fell down the steps."

My mind went blank at once. I feel my head spinning.

Our five years of marriage were only worth 300 thousand dollars.

Why would Jack do this to me?

"Alright, Mom." I swallowed the rage burning in my chest and tucked the blanket around her. "Don't think too much and just go into surgery. Keep this to yourself and don't tell anyone, especially Jack."

Just as I stepped out of the operating room, Jack rushed forward and asked in a concerned tone, "How's Mom? The surgery—"

I lifted my hand and slapped him across the face. "Where were you planning to hide the fabricated evidence that says I took kickbacks, Jack?"

Stunned, Jack stared at me in disbelief. But his usual gentleness disappeared almost instantly.

"Now that you've known about it, you shouldn't blame me for doing this." He rubbed his cheek and scoffed, utterly unashamed.

"Don't act like you're the victim," he added. "I've been playing the role of your live-in nanny for five years so that you could shine out there. I'm sick of it!

"Mr. Lewis promised that if I could get you to hand over Mr. Skylar's deal, he'd give me 300 thousand and a job as logistics manager. Daniel needs a father he can be proud of, not a useless one who only knows how to grill fish!"

I looked at the unfamiliar look of greed on Jack's face and wiped my tears with a smile.

"William is a sly old fox," I said. "He's willing to come after me just to save a few million in commissions. Do you really think he'll keep his promises to you? And do you think it's so easy to frame me for kickbacks?"

Jack looked smug as he lowered his voice. "I have the 50 thousand dollars you kept in the safe in your study, as well as the blank expense reimbursement forms you misplaced.

"Be smart and hand Mr. Skylar's contract over to Mandy. Otherwise, Mr. Lewis will call the police, and you'll go to prison. When that happens, Daniel will have a mother with a criminal record. How is he going to live his life?"

I was utterly disappointed when Jack started threatening me using Daniel.

"Get out!" I yelled, pointing at the elevator.

Jack straightened his collar and waved casually. "See you at 9:00 am tomorrow in the office. Don't let me down, honey."

He deliberately emphasized the word "honey" before turning and walking away.

I sank to the floor, finally letting my tears fall.

My phone buzzed. William had sent a voice message in the company-wide group chat. "I'm calling for a town hall meeting tomorrow at 9:00 am. We will be addressing serious violations by certain senior executives. The company will not tolerate misconduct."

I stared at the message and recalled Jake's cold betrayal.

Then, I sent a text to Mr. Skylar. "There's something I'd like to flag for you regarding the 50-million deal and the subcontractor involved, Mr. Skylar. Tomorrow at 9:00 am, I invite you to come to our company for a little show. After all, your money doesn't grow on trees."