Library

Maghanap

Home / Romance Maikling Kwento / Her Future Without Me / Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

Lahat ng Kabanata ng Her Future Without Me: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

9 Kabanata

Chapter 1

"I'm fine. Don't let me make you late for work."He hugged the broken prosthetic to his chest. "A repair won't cost much.""Dad." I held him and fought back tears. "I have money. We're going to the hospital."He shook his head. "Vanessa works hard for her money. Don't argue with her because of me.""Who's talking?" Vanessa frowned over the phone. "The hospital keeps asking for payment. Remember to come take care of Mr. Foster. I'm hanging up.""Go." Dad waved me away. "Don't make Vanessa angry. I can have this fixed at the repair stand."I clenched my fist.No son should leave his injured father on the roadside to care for someone else's.I opened my mouth, but Dad pushed at me with his callused hand."Listen to me. Don't make me the old man who ruins your marriage."He crawled toward the jars of homemade hot sauce that had spilled beside the wreckage."Vanessa likes spicy food. I sealed them carefully for her. Take them home."A car sped past and crushed every carefully wr

Chapter 2

My expression softened, and I was about to answer.Then she snapped impatiently."If he doesn't know how to handle a tricycle, he shouldn't be on the road. He put Mr. Foster in the hospital."I looked down.The cargo tricycle that had carried Dad through half his life had been crushed beyond repair.Before sunrise every morning, Dad used to pedal it into town to sell breakfast.Rain or wind, he never missed a day.Even with a fever of 102, he refused to be late.I always begged him to rest.He would only say, "A little hardship won't kill me. If I can put you and Vanessa through school, I won't have any regrets.""Vanessa, how can you say that to him?"I shouted, "Dylan's father drove across the center line! How can you blame my father?"Vanessa frowned. "Your father can barely read a traffic sign. Mr. Foster has a driver's license. Why would he drive on the wrong side?""Lucas." Dylan's eyes filled with tears. "You may hate me, but you can't lie. Leaving an accident scene

Chapter 3

It was ten at night by the time I reached St. Marlowe Community Hospital.Dad sat awkwardly on the front steps, his empty pant leg fluttering in the cold wind.I had no idea how long he had been left there.I hurried over with his prosthetic and wrapped my coat around him."Where is Vanessa? Did she leave you outside?"Dad rubbed his fingers together anxiously. "She's busy. Don't trouble her."He carefully opened an inner pocket containing the savings of a lifetime."I have money. Don't worry, and don't ask Vanessa."He pulled out the only three twenty-dollar bills inside and pressed them into my palm."Take it. Buy yourself something good and go home."But was a place that had no room for my father still a home?My eyes burned.Dad looked at the prosthetic in my arms and murmured, "The repairman can patch it.""Old people shouldn't burden their children."Only a few steps away,Vanessa was supporting Howard Foster and speaking gently."It doesn't matter that the SUV is

Chapter 4

I clenched my hands.Did he think he could act without fear because I had no evidence and Vanessa would represent him?I was about to mention the video when Vanessa bent down and picked up the bank card.She said lightly, "Come back when you can apologize properly and earn Dylan's forgiveness."She helped Howard toward the elevator."I still need to take him for tests. Stop blocking the way."Dylan bumped into me deliberately as he passed.I lost my balance, and Dad's prosthetic fell from my arms when I hit the floor.Dylan stepped down on it with all his weight.Vanessa's expression changed inside the elevator.Before she could speak, the doors closed between us.I burst into tears before I could stop myself.This was my marriage. This was the person I had chosen.It was rotten to the core.Dad panicked when he saw me crying."Lucas, I'm fine. I really am. Please don't cry."But Dylan had crushed the prosthetic, so Dad could only crawl toward me.The commotion drew th

Chapter 5

Vanessa's face changed. She snatched the phone away and ended the call."Lucas, have you lost your mind? Are you trying to send Dad to prison?"Even now, she still believed my father had been the driver who fled.When Vanessa's parents abandoned her because of her heart condition, Dad endured the neighbors' ridicule and emptied his savings to keep her alive.He had been honest his entire life. How could she believe he would hit someone and run?The answer was simple. Her heart had always leaned toward Dylan."Vanessa."I looked at her and spoke one word at a time."The marriage record was fake. What does my father have to do with you?"I took back my phone and began pushing Dad's wheelchair."We're leaving."Vanessa froze. "Where are you taking him this late?""It's only paperwork. We can file a real license later. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"She started after us, but Dylan suddenly burst into tears."Vanessa, I'm scared. The CT results aren't back. Wha

Chapter 6

I transferred Dad that night to St. Briar Trauma Center, a larger hospital across Ashwick.After the scans, the trauma surgeon held up the images."He has multiple fractures. The worst is near the chest; a broken rib nearly punctured his heart. Why did you wait so long?"Dad defended me. "I thought I was fine. I was the one who kept my son from bringing me sooner."The doctor said nothing more and quickly wrote the orders."Complete admission now. We'll operate tonight."My hands shook so badly I could barely hold the paperwork.A little longer, and I might have lost Dad."Admitted?" His voice trembled. "Maybe we shouldn't. I can lie down at home and let the bones heal."I gripped his hand and choked back tears."Dad, I have money. You don't need to worry."There was no time to waste.As I pushed his wheelchair toward admissions, he kept whispering that he did not want the operation.Professor Mercer was waiting outside."Mr. Hannigan." She placed an employment contract o

Chapter 7

At dawn, the surgeon came out of the operating room."Mr. Hannigan, the procedure was successful."I thanked him, then bowed to Professor Mercer."Thank you. Without you, I truly don't know what I would have done tonight.""Don't thank me. Thank your own ability." She leaned against the wall. "If you had entered practice after graduation, you would have been able to help yourself today."I bit my lip, and her tone softened."I read the pro bono briefs you wrote in school. They were excellent. That's why I'm standing here."She held out her hand."Lucas, welcome to Mercer & Hale."I took it.A nurse wheeled Dad from surgery, and I followed.Using the salary advance Professor Mercer had arranged, I ordered him a new prosthetic."Dad." I held his thin hand. "The worst is over. Our lives will get better from here."He nodded with tears in his eyes.My phone rang.I stepped outside to answer."Is this a relative of Owen Hannigan? Dylan Foster and Vanessa Reed filed a complai

Chapter 8

When Vanessa returned home, Howard Foster was sprawled across the sofa watching videos."You're back. Go make dinner."Vanessa frowned.Dylan's and Howard's underwear lay scattered across the floor.A painting she loved had been flattened across the table beneath an open jar of hot sauce.The house had never looked like this when Lucas lived there.Lucas kept every room immaculate and treated the artwork she bought with care.No matter how late she returned from court, a lamp was always glowing for her.After Howard moved in, everything changed.A memory surfaced.When Vanessa's parents abandoned her because of her heart condition, Howard had been the first adult to find her.He pinched his nose in disgust."Where did this little beggar come from?"Later, after Owen took her in and paid for her treatment, Howard mocked him."What an idiot. Spending money on someone else's child? You'll raise an ungrateful parasite."Ungrateful parasite.The words cut deeper now than the

Chapter 9

On the day of the criminal trial, I put on a suit for the first time in years.Professor Mercer wore a simple ivory dress."Lucas, today we're going to win decisively.""Professor, I graduated years ago. You can call me Lucas.""No." She smiled. "I'm only three years older than you. Calling me Professor makes me feel ancient.""Call me Julia."Something about that felt strange, though I could not explain why.Still, she was my boss now. I could hardly refuse.While I hesitated, Julia laughed. "I'm teasing. Call me whatever feels natural."She encouraged me. "The evidence chain is complete. You'll win, and afterward you can file a separate criminal complaint over Vanessa's forged marriage record."I blinked. "What?""The counterfeit certificate." Julia winked. "Forging and using an official record is a serious offense."I laughed despite myself."That's another case, but yes, I intend to pursue it."The bailiff opened the courtroom, and I went inside.Returning to a court

I-scan ang code para mabasa sa App

DMCA.com Protection Status