Chapter 4

With that, she slowly backed away, giving me a sinister smile.

Then, she stumbled backward.

The next second, I was knocked over by a force.

I saw Julian rush over like a madman, trying to grab Chloe.

But it was no use.

"Bang!"

Chloe fell down the steps, the blood gushing from below her waist stinging my eyes.

My whole body trembled.

Not long ago, I had just experienced something similar.

Behind me, Leo's heartbreaking scream suddenly rang out, "Chloe!"

"Chloe, you can't be hurt, you can't be hurt..." Julian roared in despair.

He knelt in the pool of blood, helplessly holding Chloe, his voice almost cracking.

"Don't be scared, I'll take you to the hospital. You'll be alright."

Julian lifted Chloe into his arms, struggling to press the elevator button.

It took him several tries to succeed—his hands were trembling violently.

Before getting into the elevator, Julian suddenly looked back, his eyes filled with hatred.

"Audrey, I won't let you get away with this."

Leo quickly chased after them, turning back to glare at me fiercely.

"Bad woman, you hurt Chloe! I don't want you anymore!"

The moment the elevator doors fully closed, I clearly saw Julian press his forehead against Chloe's.

That deep, bone-marrow level of cherish and pity was something I had never received in the nearly thirty years I'd known him.

Julian's retaliation came swiftly.

That night, I received news from the hospital.

My mother's medical payments had been cut off.

"Ms. Stone, you must understand that a VIP room costs a hundred thousand a month. If you can't pay, we'll have no choice but to..."

My hand trembled as I held the phone.

A hundred thousand a month for medical bills was an astronomical sum for me now.

I had no choice but to beg Julian.

I rushed to the hospital.

In the corridor, Julian leaned against the wall, a cigarette held between his fingers.

Amidst the swirling smoke, his expression grew even colder.

"Want to beg me to save your mother?"

"Yes. According to the divorce agreement, you should continue to pay for my mother's medical expenses."

My voice was tight.

He scoffed, offering no reply.

I explained, almost groveling,

"I didn't push her. If you don't believe me, you can check the surveillance. There's a camera at that spot..."

I was somewhat incoherent.

Julian stubbed out his cigarette, approaching me step by step, his tall figure casting a shadow over me.

His tone was utterly cold.

"Does it matter?"

"What?"

"Does it matter if you pushed her?"

Julian looked down at me, with a superior, judgmental gaze.

"No matter the truth, she lost her baby because of you."

I stared at him, stunned, the last string in my mind snapping.

I screamed in despair,

"So, you're going to watch my mother die? That's a human life!"

"Using your mother's life to pay for the life of Chloe's unborn child. Sounds fair to me."

Julian's lips curled into a nearly cruel smile.

I felt as if I had plunged into an ice abyss.

I had no other option; I knelt before him, bowing my head.

"Please, I beg you, for the sake of our past, let my mother go. I'll even die to atone for it, I'm willing to die..."

Julian's expression didn't soften in the slightest.

He looked at me as if I were a lunatic.

"Audrey, you're just like a dog wagging its tail, begging for scraps."

...

That night, no matter what I did, I couldn't change Julian's mind.

My mother's respirator was unplugged that very evening.

Before dawn, the hospital called.

"Ms. Stone, please accept our condolences. Your mother has passed away."

Boom—

My world plunged into utter darkness.

I arranged my mother's funeral simply, then walked to the ocean with her ashes...

Meanwhile, Julian was at the hospital with Chloe.

Chloe looked at his worried face and suddenly asked.

"Are you worried about her?"

Julian shook his head.

Chloe linked her arm through his, coaxing gently.

"Don't worry, nothing bad will happen. That was just Audrey's way of faking it for sympathy. Her mother's illness was already cured; she just wanted attention."

Julian hummed softly, but his heart still felt unsettled.

Until Mrs. Sterling burst into the hospital room, speaking incoherently.

"Julian, quickly, go... go clear things up! Say Audrey Stone's death has nothing to do with you, that you didn't force her to die."