My chest hurt like it was being torn apart.

Julien hugged me tightly as I trembled. Then, his phone rang. He answered in annoyance, but the moment he heard the voice on the other side, he let go of me right away.

“Julien, Samuel and I just reached the hospital,” Mindy said sweetly through the phone.

“Mindy, wait a minute. I’m coming now!”

He rushed off without even saying goodbye to me.

My aunt came out of the stairwell. She looked embarrassed. “Joyce, Mindy’s kid is really sick. So she came back to get him treated.”

She rubbed her hands and tried to find the right words. “She called Julien earlier for help. That’s why he left so fast.”

I looked down to hide the mockery I felt and said softly, “It’s okay, Auntie. I understand.”

“Jay Lawson’s family, please come to the front desk to pay the hospital bill,” a nurse said.

I held the bill tightly and walked slowly to the counter.

It was next to the admissions office, and I saw Julien there.

He was running around helping Mindy and her child. He looked so worried and caring. I had not seen him acting like that in a long time.

Julien pulled out his wallet and handed over a bank card to the staff. “Here’s 150,000 dollars. Please admit the child.”

150,000…

I clenched my fists, and my nails dug into my palm.

Jay still needed 10,000 for his medical bills, but Julien said the orphanage had just finished paying off food costs, so he had no money to spare.

Then, he turned around and gave 150,000 to help Mindy’s child without a second thought.

I walked up to him. Every step hurt like I was walking on knives.

“Before you pay for someone else’s kid, can you pay for your own son’s medical bill first?”

I tried to sound calm, but my voice shook a little at the end.

Julien avoided my eyes. He would not look at me but tried to speak calmly. “Joyce, don’t misunderstand. This money came from Mindy. She was in Central City and asked me to pay for her.”

Mindy looked perfectly put together as she held her child. She gave me a smug smile after looking me up and down. “Joyce, it’s been a while.”

She tried to be generous and said, “Yes, I sent Julien the money. If you need it, I can give you some too.”

I looked at them both as they made things up. It was laughable.

Whose money was it really? I did not know for sure. And honestly, I did not care.

“Ms. Joyce Stanley, please pay the hospital bill now,” the nurse said again. Her voice was cold and emotionless.

I pulled a few wrinkled envelopes from my bag and handed them to the payment counter. It was 10,000 I had borrowed in advance from a few part-time jobs.

Just then, Jay’s doctor passed by. He looked serious as he spoke to me and Julien. “Jay’s condition is getting worse. His kidneys are failing rapidly. He needs surgery soon.

“The best option is a kidney from a close relative. You both need to get a compatibility test right away.”

I had already done the test before, but I was not a match. I turned to Julien. “You’re his father. If you care at all, go and get tested.”

Julien opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but he could not. He finally nodded. “Okay. I’ll go tomorrow.”

His voice was low, with a slight hesitation.

There was no warmth left in my eyes when I looked at him, only a deep and hollow darkness.

It had been a week since the test, but the hospital had not contacted me.

I went to Jay’s doctor with his critical condition notice.

He looked surprised. “Didn’t Jay’s dad tell you? He got the test results a few days ago. They’re a match. The surgery can go ahead.”

Jay was dying. Why had Julien not acted sooner?

I rushed out and called Julien repeatedly but only got back a “busy” response.

Finally, I found him in Mindy’s son’s room.

He sat by the bed and held the boy’s hand. He was telling him a story.

It had been so long since I had seen him so patient.

Jay always asked me, “When will Dad come to see me?”

His small body curled up in bed and waited for his father, but Julien was with someone else’s child.

I grabbed the doorframe. My nails dug into the cold wall. It was the only way I could stay on my feet.

“Julien, you can only donate one kidney, right? If you give yours to Samuel, what’ll happen to Jay?”

Mindy’s soft voice came from the room. She sounded concerned.

Julien pulled her into his arms and gently patted her back. He said firmly, “Jay has kidney and heart problems. Letting him live is torture. It’d be better if he died.

“Samuel’s more important than Jay anyway. If he needs it, I’d give him my heart too, let alone a kidney.”

Mindy looked up with tears in her eyes. She leaned in and kissed Julien. He paused for a moment, then kissed her back passionately. They kissed without caring about who saw them.

Right then, it felt like my whole world fell apart.

How could they be so heartless?

Did my son not deserve to live?

I pushed the door open. The two of them looked shocked and quickly pulled away.

Julien panicked. He could not keep a calm composure. Mindy quickly fixed her hair and clothes. She looked nervous.

“Why won’t you give Jay the kidney?” I glared at Julien.

Julien avoided my eyes and picked up a report from the table. “We aren’t a match. Look! Here’s the report.”

The words on the report hurt my eyes.

“Julien, I heard everything!” I pointed at him and shouted, “You forged the report! You want to give the kidney to Mindy’s son!”

Julien’s face turned pale. He tried to explain, but no words came out.

Mindy, with tears in her eyes, said softly, “Joyce, don’t do this. Julien should have a choice because it’s his body. He can decide who he wants to give the kidney to. You can’t guilt-trip him!”

“Guilt-trip him?” I laughed as tears streamed down my face. “Saving his own child is the right thing to do! How is that guilt-tripping?!”

I suddenly turned to Mindy, and something occurred to me. I blurted, “Is Samuel… Julien’s son? Is that why he cares so much about him?”

Both of them looked scared and shocked.

Julien tried to defend himself. “That’s not true! Mindy’s been in Central City for years! We couldn’t have had a child together!”

The louder he got, the less sure he sounded.

Mindy covered her face and looked like she was about to faint. She made it seem like I had wronged her. “Joyce, how could you accuse me like that? I… I can’t take this anymore!”

She stumbled toward the window, as if she were about to jump.

Julien quickly grabbed her and held her tightly to him. Then, he turned to me angrily and slapped me hard.

The slap echoed in the room, and my cheek burned in pain.

I covered my face and sneered. “Well, if that’s not it, why don’t you take a paternity test to prove it?”

Julien froze. Then, in rage, he stepped forward to hit me again. “Say that again about Mindy, and I’ll show you what can happen!”

“Mom!” Jay rushed in. He stood in front of me and glared at Julien.

Julien, still furious, looked at Jay in disgust. He grabbed him and tossed him aside. “Get out of the way!”

Jay flew across the room and hit the wall. Blood oozed from the back of his head.

I screamed, rushed to him, and held him tightly. My hands shook as I tried to stop the bleeding. I shouted for help, “Doctor! Please, help!”

At the same time, the bed Jay had bumped into shook violently from the impact. Samuel fell off the bed, hit his head on the floor, and lost consciousness.

Mindy ran to Samuel and cried loudly.

Julien was also worried. He grabbed Samuel and rushed out.

When Jay and I blocked his way, he kicked us both hard.

Jay groaned, and blood spilled from his mouth.

Julien did not look at us. He stepped over us as he carried Samuel and rushed out of the room.

Before leaving, he said coldly, “Joyce, if anything happens to Samuel because of you or Jay, I’ll make you both pay!”

Jay and Samuel were in separate emergency rooms, one in the north and one in the south.

Julien stood outside Samuel’s room and stared at the closed door in worry.

A doctor walked out with a serious face. He took off his mask and said, “Jay’s head and chest injuries are severe. We’ll try everything, but his kidneys can’t take much more. He needs surgery right away.”

I rushed to the emergency room in the north.

“Julien!” I fell to my knees, grabbed his pants, and pleaded, “Jay needs you! Please help him! Give him your kidney!”

Julien looked down at me but showed no emotion.

He kicked me away with such force that my back slammed into the wall. It hurt a lot.

“Samuel is in danger! I can’t think about giving Jay my kidney right now!”

Mindy was in Julien’s arms. She was trembling. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

But when she looked at me, I could see a smug look in her eyes.

Julien refused to donate his kidney. After a while, the doctor informed me sadly that Jay was no more.

I staggered back, fell to the floor, and stared blankly ahead.

Julien and Mindy stood around Samuel, who was out of danger, and thanked the doctor happily.

I felt rage inside me.

I bit my lip until I tasted blood.

Hatred took over my thoughts.

I swore I would make Julien and Mindy pay for what they did.