I froze in place, unable to believe it. Whenever I got the slightest bump or bruise, his heart would ache, and his eyes would water. Yet, the same man had actually raised a hand against me.

Galen glanced at his own hand, frowned subconsciously, and then said coldly, "Sabrina, if you still want to be Mrs. Shaw, you'd better start behaving."

He carried the child and started to leave.

As Galen turned, I caught a glimpse of the boy's eyes. His eyes glinted with something white tinged with blue. My heart skipped a beat. How could a child that young already show symptoms?

Galen and the boy were about to disappear from sight, but my duty as a doctor overpowered my personal resentment. "Galen, you and your son are showing symptoms of your hereditary disease. If your mind is still working, take him to a hospital now!"

He stopped and sneered. "Let me guess. You're going to say only you can save me? Sabrina, you'll do anything to see your senior in the hospital, huh?"

I gritted my teeth. "Your hereditary disease is deadly once it flares up! You might not care about your life, but don't you care about your son's?"

A flicker of hesitation crossed his face. Before he could speak, Celine fell to her knees with a thud.

"Sabrina, I know this is my fault. Curse me if you must, but please, don't curse my son!" She wept openly. Her tears and snot streamed down her face.

“He's so young. He doesn't understand. No matter how much you hate Galen or me, don't curse him!"

Her cries darkened Galen's expression completely. He pulled Celine into his arms, murmuring comfort, but his voice hardened as he gave orders.

"Lock her in the basement with no food or water! Sabrina, a woman vicious enough to curse a child like this, needs to be taught a lesson!"

The bodyguards roughly shoved me toward the basement. I struggled, shouting, "Galen, this is a matter of life and death! Can't you just trust me this once?"

He held Celine close, ​​and his tone was firm and unwavering. "Even if I were close to death, I wouldn't need you to save me."

The door slammed shut, and the last sliver of light vanished. Someone had set the air conditioning to an icy chill. I felt as if frost was forming on my skin. My hands were slowly going numb, and with that numbness, a cold realization settled in my chest.

As a doctor, I knew without doubt that my hands were ruined.

As for Galen's life, there was no one left in the world who could save him.

Just as the cold and hunger threatened to crush me, the basement door burst open.

A powerful force yanked me forward, and Galen's cold voice cut through the air. "Sabrina, say you'll never see Jacob again, and I'll let you go!"

I was frozen with cold, and my mind was sluggish. He thought I was still resisting. "Or do you want to starve to death here?"

I raised my head weakly and saw that his eyes were bloodshot. My voice was barely above a whisper as I said, "I'm afraid you'll die before I do."

Celine's eyes flashed, and she scolded me loudly. "Sabrina, how can you curse Galen for another man? Do you love him that much?"

Galen's eyes were red with rage. He raised his hand, but the moment before the slap landed, his body froze. He wobbled, tilted back, and collapsed.

Amid the screams, I closed my eyes and whispered softly, "He's beyond saving. Prepare for the worst."