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."