Adeline didn't deserve to be the mother of my son. If it hadn't been for that forced premature birth, Noel wouldn't have a heart condition. His tiny heart was a curse born from her selfish choice.

Suddenly, Adeline slammed on the brakes.

The tires screeched, jolting us forward. My body hit the seatbelt and Isabella's head nearly hit the dashboard. She scoffed, more annoyed than scared.

"Ms. Penna, the kid's already dead. What's the point of pretending to be a good mom now?" she sneered, her voice cold.

Silence followed. I turned, expecting Adeline to react, but she didn't speak.

She stepped out of the car, walked around and yanked Isabella out with surprising force. Isabella stumbled and fell onto the asphalt.

Adeline didn't look at her. She returned to the driver's seat, shut the door and drove off.

Now it was just the two of us.

The silence inside the car felt heavier than before. Outside, shadows slid past the windows, the world blurred and distant.

Thankfully, we reached the hospital quickly. After seeing the doctor, I didn't wait for Adeline to return with the medicine. I stepped outside and called a ride.

As the car pulled up and I reached for the door, it slammed shut.

Startled, I looked up to see Adeline standing beside me, waving the driver off. He left without a word.

"Are you in that much of a rush to go back to Isabella?" Her voice was sharp. "Gavin, how low are you willing to go?"

I stared at her.

How low?

I didn't know anymore. After the wedding ruined me, I stopped keeping track. I lost my job, my reputation and my future. Everyone I knew turned on me. Friends vanished. Strangers mocked me.

My parents' life savings vanished within a year. I sold everything just to keep up with the bills.

There was a time I stood on a rooftop, Noel in one arm, my mother's bills in the other. I thought about jumping. One fall and everything would end.

Isabella found me. She pulled me back and slapped me.

"Only the living can have hope," she said.

I didn't believe her. Still don't. But Noel was just a child. My mother didn't deserve to die just because I couldn't take it.

So I endured.

When Isabella offered to keep me, I only hesitated for three seconds before agreeing. I sold what was left of my pride.

I looked at Adeline and forced a smile. "Didn't you already know? I've always been this cheap."

I had once been foolish enough to fall in love with her. Later, I became a man who sold himself for money. But if that could save two lives, I didn't care.

Isabella humiliated me, yes, but she never withheld money. For that, I was grateful.

Whatever she wanted—lust, revenge—I no longer cared. Every insult, every night, I took it all. I called it penance.

Sometimes she laughed and said, "If your dad knew what you became, he'd crawl out of his grave just to die again." I'd laugh with her, but deep down, I wondered—if I gave up everything, would they come back?

Adeline's revenge after the wedding never stopped. One blow after another. If my father hadn't had that heart attack, maybe he could've cleared my name. But life wasn't kind enough for maybes.

Adeline stared at me now. Her face was calm, but her eyes weren't.

Then she said, "Get lost."

I turned around without a word, got into the next cab and went home.

As soon as I stepped inside, I heard Noel whimpering. My heart stopped.

I rushed to his room.

His face was red, his breath shallow, his body hot to the touch.

"Daddy... I feel awful..."

I picked him up, hands trembling and called for an ambulance. I rocked him gently, whispering whatever comfort I could manage.

The ambulance arrived quickly. I didn't even notice the black sedan parked down the street.

Inside, Adeline sat motionless, watching as the flashing lights faded into the distance.

Hours later, Noel was out of immediate danger. But the doctor's words hit hard.

"He needs surgery as soon as possible."

The estimate? Seventy thousand dollars.

I stepped out into the hallway, fingers numb as I pulled out my phone.

Then I called Isabella.

"Can I... get an advance of seventy grand?"

On the other end of the line, Isabella's voice oozed mockery. "So, you want more money again?"

"My son's sick," I said, trying to stay calm. "He needs surgery."

A pause. Then a lazy hum. "Fine. But tonight, I want to try something new."

My grip on the phone tightened. I swallowed the bitterness. "Alright."

Minutes later, a ping—fifty thousand transferred. But I wouldn't see the rest unless I fulfilled her request. And from her tone, I knew tonight would be worse than usual.

I turned back toward Noel's room, but bumped into someone—Adeline.

She stood there, arms folded, eyes full of disdain. "Gavin Cooper," she said coldly. "Still trying to use a child to tie a woman down?"

Her words hit harder than I'd admit. Once, I'd loved her. Believed her lies. Kept our relationship secret because she asked. Trusted her promise we'd go public once she got pregnant. Gave her everything.

I never tried to trap her with a child. I just wanted something real. But it had all been a game to her.

I laughed dryly. "Sorry to disappoint you, but this time, I actually succeeded in using a child to tie someone down."

Her fists clenched. She was seconds from exploding—but then she surprised me.

"Leave Isabella. Come with me," she said flatly.

I blinked.

"But I won't raise someone else's bastard," she added. "Just dump him on her. I doubt she'll let her own kid die."

The words stabbed deep. She had looked at Noel and still didn't recognize him?

I stared back, voice cold. "Even a donkey doesn't fall in the same hole twice."

Her jaw tightened. "You'd rather humiliate yourself for Isabella's kid?"

So that was it. She wanted me back. But I couldn't do it. Not anymore.

I said nothing.

Adeline scoffed and stormed off. "You don't know what's good for you!"

After she left, I returned to Noel's room, tucked him in, brushed his damp forehead. Then dragged myself to Isabella's villa.

By the time I left, dawn was breaking. My body ached, bruised from her hands—and the leather strap. The rest of the money had arrived.

Back at the hospital, I sat by Noel's bedside. His breath was steady, cheeks pale. I didn't notice my tears until one landed on his hand.

His eyes fluttered open. "Daddy... why are you crying?"

I wiped my face quickly. "It's nothing, buddy. The doctor said you can have your surgery soon."

His eyes lit up. "Really? After surgery... can I run like other kids?"

My throat tightened. I nodded. "Of course. We'll go to the amusement park. You can ride anything you want."

He smiled faintly and drifted off.

Later, I slumped on a bench in the hallway, finally closing my eyes—only to be jolted by a shrill voice.

"That's him! That shameless homewrecker!"

A woman in a fur coat and heels stormed toward me, fury on her face. Burly bodyguards flanked her.

Before I could react, she slapped me. Hard.

"You filthy rat!" she screamed. "You're the reason my sister is still single?!"

I staggered, stunned and then someone yanked my hair, forcing me down.

"Strip him!" she shrieked. "Let everyone see what this pathetic man really is!"

Crowds gathered. Some gasped. Others laughed. Hands grabbed at my clothes, yanking and tearing.

I struggled, humiliated. Then I heard it.

"Daddy! No! Stop hurting my daddy!"

Noel was crying, trying to reach me—but they held him back, shouting insults at a child who just wanted his father.

The moment my clothes were torn apart, I shut my eyes. The cold air stung like needles, but it wasn't the cold that broke me. It was the shame. It felt exactly like five years ago—powerless, humiliated, exposed.

The hospital corridor was packed—patients, visitors, staff—but no one helped. Phones hovered in the air. Faces lit with anticipation. Every pair of eyes judged, ridiculed.

I dropped to my knees. My voice cracked. "Please... let my son go. He's just a child. Don't let him see this. Please!"

No one listened.

"You deserve it! That's what homewreckers get!"

"Disgusting. Filthy slut!"

They laughed. Hands grabbed at me, tearing the last shreds of fabric from my body. My skin was bruised, marked. Every inch a reminder of what I had to trade for my son's surgery.

Then I saw her. Isabella.

She stood at the back. Watching. Cold, unreadable. Just like Adeline had been five years ago—when her sister destroyed me and she said nothing.

I didn't even register when the crowd quieted. When the hands stopped hitting. I was curled on the floor, whispering one phrase over and over.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

Noel fainted from the shock. A nurse finally stepped in and rushed him to the ER.

For the first time, I couldn't bring myself to wait outside. I was too ashamed. Too broken.

Then, a coat draped over my shoulders. Heavy. Familiar.

Adeline.

She looked down at me, her voice cool and detached. "See what happens when you let someone use you? If you'd chosen me, at least you wouldn't be lying here... naked."

Her words hit harder than the slap.

It was her. She had tipped off Isabella's sister. She set this up.

I stared at her, then laughed—dry, bitter, shaking.

"Even if I'm like this," I rasped, "at least she's single. That's better than being your fake husband."

Her eyes narrowed. She wanted begging. Regret. Instead, she got defiance.

"Keep being ungrateful, Gavin," she snapped. "You'll regret it."

I already did. I regretted ever meeting her.

***

Three days passed in silence. Pain. Numbness.

Then—finally—light. Noel got a match. A donor heart. The surgery was set. The money ready.

For the first time in five years, I could breathe.

Then my phone rang.

"Mr. Cooper," the doctor said, urgency in his voice. "Your mother is showing signs of waking up."

I ran to her room, lungs burning with hope. But the moment I pushed the door open, it shattered.

Adeline was inside.

My mother's eyes—glassy, confused—were fixed on a phone screen in Adeline's hand.

That video. The video when I was humiliated at the hospital.

"Mom—no—let me explain—" I gasped.

I lunged and slapped the phone away. It hit the wall and cracked apart.

My mother flinched. Her lips parted, forming one word: "You... disgrace..."

Then the monitor screamed.

"Patient's heart has stopped!" a nurse yelled. "Code blue!"

Doctors swarmed in.

I sank to the ground, paralyzed. I couldn't speak. Couldn't move. Couldn't undo what had just happened.

Minutes passed. Then the doctor came out.

"We did everything we could. I'm sorry for your loss."

I couldn't feel anything. My limbs were numb. My brain frozen. Only rage remained.

Adeline stood nearby. Watching again. Like she always did.

My body moved before I could think. I grabbed her by the collar, dragging her close.

"Why did you show her that video?!" I shouted, voice trembling, eyes burning.

She paled. "I just... I wanted to wake her up. I didn't think—"

I let out a hoarse, broken laugh.

"You killed my dad five years ago," I said, my voice shaking. "And now my mom too? You dragged me through hell—fine! I accepted that! But why this?"

Tears blurred my vision.

Then, without warning, she wrapped her arms around me. Her body trembled.

"Gavin... I'm sorry..." she whispered.

But I didn't feel her. I only felt everything I'd lost.

"I only wanted to make amends after I found out Noel is my son. I wanted to give you and him a family..."