Chapter 5

I had no time to feel hurt by Garrett's attitude. I hastily shoved the divorce papers into my pocket and took a cab to the hospital.

Rachel was a nurse at the hospital and had been taking care of my mother all along.

When she saw me, she grabbed my hand and told me:

"Claire, don't be scared. Your mother's condition is serious, but it's treatable."

"I heard Garrett just developed a new drug that could treat your mother's symptoms."

"Go find Garrett quickly and get him to bring the medicine! I'll watch over your mother in the emergency room!"

I nodded frantically and was about to pull out my phone when I saw Garrett walking into a hospital room.

I quickly put away my phone and ran to the room, pushing the door open.

There was Melissa nestled in Garrett's arms, their intimate posture painfully obvious.

Seeing me enter, Garrett instinctively wanted to push Melissa away.

But he paused, probably remembering I was blind, and pulled Melissa closer instead. His tone was impatient.

"Claire? What are you doing here?"

I turned my face away from that jarring scene and got straight to the point.

"Garrett, give me your new drug. My mother is dying. She desperately needs it."

Garrett's expression darkened instantly.

"Claire Morgan, are you doing this on purpose?"

"There's only one dose of this drug. I specially saved it for Melissa."

"You saw she needs it, so you're lying about your mother? You just can't stand seeing Melissa happy, can you?"

Melissa nuzzled against him.

"Garrett, if I don't use this drug, I'll really be paralyzed. You can't bear to see me suffer, right?"

Garrett immediately softened his tone.

"Don't worry. This drug is yours."

Watching his gentle demeanor, then thinking of my mother's life hanging by a thread, I finally broke down.

"Please, I'm begging you both! Give me the medicine. My mother is really dying!"

Melissa laughed lightly.

"You want the drug? Fine. Get on your knees and slap yourself ten times. Then I'll give it to you."

Garrett frowned, about to tell me not to do it.

But I had already raised my hand and slapped myself hard across the face.

I mechanically kowtowed, my forehead hitting the cold floor again and again. Blood soon seeped out.

"Enough! Claire!"

Garrett stood up to pull me away, but Melissa yanked him back by his sleeve.

"Garrett, it's not enough yet. She's begging me-who begs this halfheartedly?"

I kept slapping myself without stopping, until a familiar shout echoed in the hallway.

"Claire!"

I scrambled to my feet and saw Rachel stumbling in, tears streaming down her face.

"Claire, your mother... she didn't make it. She's gone!"

My whole body froze. My blood turned to ice.

I gripped Rachel's hand tightly.

"Take me... take me to see my mother!"

Garrett's face went deathly pale. He shoved Melissa aside and came toward me.

"Claire, you can see?"

My eyes looked at him with utter despair.

"Let go of me!"

His face turned ashen as he pulled out the drug and pressed it into my hand.

"I... I didn't know... The drug is here. Let's go try it on your mother..."

I shoved him away. The vial fell to the ground, pills scattering everywhere.

"Don't. And you've lost the right to act like her son-in-law."

Panic flashed across Garrett's face. He seized my hand, his apologies tumbling out in a rush.

"I'm sorry, Claire. This is all my fault. But we're still married..."

I pulled the crumpled divorce papers from my pocket. My voice was flat, final.

"Not anymore. We're nothing."

Garrett took them, his hands trembling.