Chapter 2

I was deep in spring cleaning when Brenda called.

I chuckled. "Mom, stop messing with me. I've seen those AI-generated homeless intruder videos on TikTok a dozen times."

My mother-in-law had always loved to torment me.

The first time, she claimed a homeless man had broken in. I ran several red lights, losing a bunch of points on my license, just to get home. I pushed open the door and found Brenda and her girlfriends chatting away as usual.

The second time, she claimed the homeless man was back. I dropped everything, got chewed out by my boss, and lost my bonus for the month. When I got home, she just laughed at me, recording my reaction on her phone.

This time, there was no way I was falling for it again.

Brenda sensed my disbelief and her voice instantly took on a panicked edge.

"Ashley, I'm really not lying this time! He has a knife! You need to come home, I'm scared!"

Just as I hesitated, wondering if I should take time off to check, Brenda suddenly let out a piercing scream, and the line went dead.

My heart dropped. Her scream sent a shiver down my spine. Could someone actually have broken in?

Thinking of Brenda alone at home, I didn't care about anything else. I grabbed my car keys and rushed out the door.

All the way there, I prayed it was just another one of Brenda's elaborate pranks.

But when I got home, I realized I'd been far too naive.

Our front door was surrounded by people: property management, security guards, and paramedics.

Seeing that scene, my legs went soft with fear. I nearly collapsed to the ground.

Without another thought, I helped Brenda into the ambulance, rushing to St. Jude's Hospital in the city center.

This was the hospital where my husband, Ryan Miller, worked. With him there, Brenda would surely be fine.

Once I collected myself slightly, I called Arthur, my father-in-law, and Ryan.

Arthur said he'd be right there, but Ryan just kept not picking up.

Just then, the emergency room doors burst open.

The doctor, drenched in sweat, walked out.

"The patient's heart was punctured. Her condition is extremely critical. Dr. Miller is the only one in the entire hospital who can perform this surgery!"

I didn't hesitate. "Then where is he? Tell him to hurry up and operate on his mother!"

The nurse stammered, "But... but Dr. Miller is on vacation. We just called him, and he didn't answer."