That was why, back then, I swallowed it and wired Sandra the money Dad had spent two years saving for his kidney transplant.

That same night, his condition hit hard. He dropped to the floor, shaking with pain.

I begged Sandra on our wedding night, asking if she could let me use the money for now.

She pointed at me, nothing but contempt on her face.

"He's faking it! He's just trying to help you get the money back, right? That 300 grand is mine. Don't even think about it!"

While Dad was dying in the hospital hallway, Sandra was busy posting online.

[I love my new Chanel bag!]

Now, I helped Dad into a chair and looked at Sandra.

"I have the money."

Her eyes lit up right away. "Asher, I knew you wouldn't let me down…"

"Why would I give it to you?"

Her face flushed. She grabbed the bouquet and threw it straight at me.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? Let me make this clear. This wedding is happening today, whether you like it or not!"

I pulled up the transfer history on my phone and held it out.

"I gave your parents 350 grand as a wedding gift, paid 1.5 million for the house, and spent close to half a million on the reception. I paid for all of it. But that 300 thousand is my dad's surgery fund. I'm not giving it to you."

Margaret jumped in, leaning so close that I could feel her breath.

"Your dad's a money pit. Everything you make is going to disappear into him. Do you expect my daughter to live like that?"

The bridesmaids jumped in right after.

"Exactly! Sandra grew up with everything. Why should she struggle with you?"

"If you want out, just say it! Don't hide behind your dad."

"Sandra said you've been coming home late. You're working all the time, and you barely pay attention to her anymore!"

Lately, I had been running nonstop, handling the house and coordinating the wedding, barely getting any sleep.

Sandra didn't care. She flipped the story the second it suited her.

I spread my hands and let out a quiet laugh. "Say whatever you want. I'm done."

Margaret snapped and lunged at me, hand raised. "You ungrateful piece of trash! I'll slap some sense into you!"

I stepped aside. She missed and stumbled forward.

"Mom, stop!"

Sandra grabbed her, then looked at me, her eyes hard.

"Fine! The wedding is off. Pay me 500 thousand for wasting 10 years of my life. One dollar less, and I'll make your life miserable. I'll make sure everyone knows the kind of jerk you are!"

The officiant had already come by several times. The ceremony was falling apart.

Dad was shaking so badly that he could barely stand. Panicking, he bent down and reached into the trash to pull the ring back out.

"Let's just talk this through. No fighting."

I caught his arm and steadied him, then looked at Sandra.

"One more thing. I canceled the reception five minutes ago. By now, the guests are probably already leaving."

Margaret froze.

Logan turned and ran for the ballroom.

Sandra just stared at me.

Then, she rushed forward and grabbed my collar.

"Are you out of your mind? We've got a thousand guests out there, and you just cancel? Have you lost your mind?"

I pulled her hand off me. "I'd be crazy if I actually married you."

She stumbled back, nearly losing her footing.

Caleb Bennett rushed over and caught Sandra, glaring at me.

"Asher, what are you doing? She's pregnant! How could you do this to her?"

I was about to answer when Sandra suddenly clutched her stomach.

"Asher, it hurts… Our baby…"

Margaret grabbed her, voice rising. "If anything happens to my grandchild, you'll answer for it!"

Logan came back from the ballroom, his expression gloomy. He picked up a glass vase and slammed it against the floor.

Shards scattered across the room.

Logan barked, "You got my daughter pregnant, and now you're trying to walk away? If you don't come up with the money today, I'm calling the police and reporting you for sexual assault!"

He already had his phone out, ready to dial.

My phone buzzed at the same time. The report I had asked for had come in.

I opened it and read through everything. My eyes fell on Sandra, bent over and breathing hard like she was in pain.

I let out a short, quiet laugh. "Five hundred thousand, right? Fine. Then answer me this. Whose kid is it?"

Sandra flicked a glance at Caleb. She cleared her throat and forced herself to stay steady.

"Of course, it's yours. You're not going to deny your own kid, are you? If you don't believe me, we can get a paternity test."

I held her gaze, my voice flat. "Good. Let's go. We'll find out exactly whose it is."

Margaret snapped, jumping to her feet and pointing at me.

"What are you trying to say? My daughter's been with you for ten years! Do you think you can just drag her name through the mud like this?"

Logan's face went red. He stormed over and swung at me. "You piece of trash! You don't get to talk about my daughter like that!"

He grabbed a chair and brought it down toward me.

"I'll knock some sense into you! If you don't come up with 500 thousand and apologize, you're not leaving here!"

My dad was shaking so badly that he could barely stay upright. He braced himself against the wall, trying to step in. With what strength he had left, he grabbed the chair leg and stopped Logan from swinging again.

The room erupted into chaos.

I took the chance to pull up the photos on my phone and held it out.

The first was from the fifth of last month. Sandra had her arm looped through Caleb's as they checked into a hotel. The room number was clear.

The second was her medical report. Eight weeks pregnant.

The third was a video of her messaging a friend.

[Babe, I slept with Caleb and got pregnant. What do I do? Forget it. The wedding's soon, anyway. I'll just tell Asher it's his.]

I swiped through them one by one.

Margaret's mouth fell open. No words came out.

The chair slipped from Logan's hands and hit the floor. He didn't even react when it struck his foot.

Sandra went white, clutching her head as she screamed.

"It's fake. All of it's fake!"

Dad took the phone and stared at it, over and over, his voice low.

"Eight weeks? Then it can't be Asher's. He was out of town during that period. He was gone for a whole month."

A few guests who had drifted back to watch started putting it together, pointing as their voices rose.

"That's low. Showing up pregnant with someone else's kid and still asking for money?"

"Going after his dad's surgery money, too. That's cold."

"The Grays really got unlucky with her."

"If anything, she should be paying him 500 grand."

"I want my wedding gift back. I don't want any part of this."

The accusations came one after another, closing in on Sandra. She looked up through her tears, lips trembling as she turned toward Caleb.

Caleb's expression hardened.

He rushed forward, snatched the phone from my dad, and slammed it onto the floor. The screen shattered on impact.

"It's all fake! He made it up to frame us!"

With the evidence gone, Caleb lifted his chin, trying to sound steady again.

"Don't believe him! He just doesn't want to pay, so he cooked all this up to get out of the wedding."

Sandra clutched her stomach, crying harder.

"Asher, you walk out on me and then try to ruin me. I can't believe I wasted ten years on you! I'll kill myself right here if that's what it takes to prove I'm innocent!"

She gathered her dress and ran straight for the corner of the table.

I moved on instinct to grab Sandra, but she lost her footing and slammed onto the floor.

"Mom… My baby…"

She curled up, groaning. A dark stain spread beneath the white fabric of her dress, soaking through inch by inch.

Margaret screamed, "She's bleeding! Get her to the hospital!"

Caleb didn't wait. He lifted Sandra and rushed for the door.

Logan followed, then turned back at the exit and pointed at me.

"If anything happens to her, you're done!"

They were gone in seconds. The room fell quiet.

Dad crouched down, picking up the pieces of the phone Caleb had smashed. His back was to me as he wiped his eyes.

"How did it end up like this… Asher, you're not going through with the wedding? This is on me. My health put you in this position."

He pushed himself up along the wall, slow and unsteady. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he pressed one hand to his side and his whole body trembled.

My chest tightened.

In my last life, his condition crashed that night, and the pain had him thrashing on the floor. Now, it was happening even earlier.

I didn't hesitate. I stepped in and held him steady.

"Dad, none of that matters. We're going to the hospital. We'll pay today and get you scheduled as soon as possible."

He shook his head and tried to push me away. "I'm fine. It's just a cramp. Don't waste the money. Save it and find someone better…"

"No." I didn't back down. "We're going."

I flagged a cab and headed straight for the hospital.

I handled registration and the tests, moving back and forth between counters until I finally got him into a private room.

When the results came back, the doctor said Dad was stable and cleared for surgery. They could take him first thing in the morning.

The pressure in my chest finally eased.

I took the card with the 300 thousand and went to pay. When the payment cleared, my eyes burned.

Last time, he died in that hallway because we didn't have this money.

This time, no one was touching it.

I left him in the room and went downstairs to get food. The moment I stepped outside, I found the Crowes waiting.

Sandra had a bandage wrapped around her head. She saw me and came straight at me, hand raised.

"Asher, you killed my baby. You owe me!"

Margaret swung a thermos at my head.

"You piece of trash! You shoved her into that table and killed my grandchild! You're not leaving until you answer for it!"

Logan stepped in and drove his foot into my stomach.

"If you don't come up with a million today, your sick dad won't make it through the night!"

He shoved his phone in my face, already live, shouting into the camera.

"Everyone, take a look! He dumped his wife and beat her until she lost the baby!"

People slowed down, watching and whispering. I knocked Logan's hand aside and pulled out my dad's phone.

"You all know whose kid that was. The miscarriage has nothing to do with me. Stop this now, or I'm calling the police."

"You think that helps you?"

Sandra laughed, sharp and unsteady.

"The baby's gone, and you have no proof left. I say you did it, and that's all anyone's going to hear. When the cops show up, they'll take you!"

I looked at her, then raised the phone in front of her face.

"Then take a look at this."