Chapter 3

My chest constricted sharply. Sourness rushed straight to my nose.

My mom spent her whole life as a professor—frugal and modest.

Most of her savings went to Ethan’s startup, the rest to charity. She kept nothing for herself.

I bit down hard on my teeth, unable to say a word. I could only swallow the choking bitterness in my throat.

I stumbled out of the company and headed straight for the hospital.

But just as I reached the inpatient building, the doctor called, his voice urgent:

“Ms. Rivers, your mother’s medication has been stopped.”

My whole body trembled. With shaking hands, I dialed Ethan’s number.

The moment he answered, his cold voice came through:

“This is your lesson. Behave yourself.

Come to the company tomorrow to be Lily’s assistant, or your mother won’t last another day.”

Through the receiver, I heard Lily’s sweet, cloying laugh:

“Ethan, let’s go to that Japanese restaurant tonight, okay?”

The call ended.

I stood in the hospital’s cold corridor, watching patients’ families come and go, finally unable to hold myself up. I slowly sank to the ground and cried.

I clutched the salary card I’d saved for ten whole years, my hands shaking as I handed it to the payment window.

The nurse swiped it, then looked up at me with a gentle shake of her head, her tone sympathetic:

“Ms. Rivers, this card has been frozen. The primary cardholder needs to unfreeze it before it can be used.”

In an instant, all the strength drained from my body.

Ten years of marriage. I’d stood by him from nothing to the brink of going public.

In his eyes, I wasn’t worth a single cent.

My mom was still in her hospital room waiting for life-saving medication.

I had no choice. I wiped the tears from my face, gritted my teeth, and headed back to the company.

By the time I stumbled back to the office, it was long past closing time. Only the top-floor executive office still had its lights on.

Just as I reached the elevator, the head of security blocked my path, looking me up and down with disdain:

“Ms. Rivers? Oh wait—you’ve been demoted. What are you doing at the company now? Planning to steal something?”

I had no energy to argue with him. I shoved him aside and rushed toward the office.

The closer I got to the door, the clearer I could hear the indecent sounds coming from inside.

A woman’s sultry moans mixed with a man’s heavy grunts, along with the desk creaking under strain.

“Ethan, slower... I can’t take it anymore...”

“What if that shrew finds out? She’ll beat me...”

Ethan’s voice came through between ragged breaths:

“Don’t worry. She can only depend on me now. Without me, she’s nothing...”

My mother was dying in the hospital, and he was here sleeping with his intern.

Overwhelming fury and humiliation instantly clouded my judgment. I raised my foot and kicked the office door hard.

“BANG.”

The door flew open. The scene inside was obscene.

Ethan immediately grabbed his shirt to cover himself, pointing at me and cursing:

“Jordan! Have you lost your mind?! Acting like a total psycho—wasn’t the last lesson enough for you?!”

My whole body trembled. Tears finally fell uncontrollably.

I stared at him hard, my voice hoarse beyond recognition:

“Ethan, what will it take for you to give my mother her medication?”

He straightened his clothes, pulled a document from his drawer, and threw it on the desk.

“Simple. Sign this patent transfer agreement. Transfer the core patent from your mother’s name to mine personally.”

“The patent is still in your mother’s hands. I’m not comfortable with that. Sign it, and I’ll renew your mother’s medication immediately.”

I stared at the agreement, my whole body shaking with rage.

That patent cost my mother half her life’s work. She got cancer from radiation exposure developing it. It was her life.

“I’ll never sign. This is my mother’s lifelong work. Don’t even think about it.”