I gripped my phone tightly, glaring at Carter on the bed, rage burning in my eyes.
The vase on the nightstand was thick and heavy; smashing it over his head would split his skull.
Just as I was about to strike, the phone suddenly rang.
“Give me the phone...” Carter murmured the order with his eyes closed.
“My phone’s ringing.”
I quickly composed myself, carefully deleting the call record before placing the phone back beside him.
“Your ringtone is the same as mine?”
He raised an eyebrow, half-opening his eyes. My face, which had just calmed, was now red and wet with tears.
“You’re the only one allowed to use that song as a ringtone?”
I lifted an eyebrow in fake composure, countering his question. Before he could reply, the urgent ringtone sounded again.
“Audrey, what’s wrong?”
“Carter, come to the hospital now! Something happened to Sevi!”
He jumped up from the bed with a start, pushing me aside as he rushed toward the door.
Just as he reached the doorway, he halted abruptly, turning as he ordered, “Wake Aaron! Hurry!”
I clenched my teeth in refusal. “Aaron was traumatized today. I sent him to my uncle's house.”
“You come with me to the hospital first. I'll send someone to pick him up from his place.”
He grabbed my wrist, dragging me forward until I stumbled and yanked my arm free.
“He just came back from the hospital. He can't go again.”
Carter's face darkened. With a cold smirk, he then lifted me up and carried me away.
“Carter! Put me down!”
I struggled violently, but he tossed me into the car with brutal force. My head slammed against the window with a thud.
Ignoring the throbbing pain, I grabbed his collar and hissed, “Is this how you kidnapped Nicholas two years ago?”
Carter held me down.
Panic crossed his eyes before his face turned cold. “What are you talking about?”
“Nicholas never went out alone. Why did he go to the beach by himself that day?”
“He clearly couldn't swim. Why did he take off his shoes and jump into the sea?”
My flood of questions left him silent. His long fingers gripped the seat, making a soft cracking sound. It reflected the strain between us.
“Kids are just playful. They don’t think about things like that.”
But as he spoke, he avoided my gaze.
A sudden pain pierced my heart, leaving my throat burning with bitterness.
Nicholas was his eldest son; how could he have done that?
Tearing out the heart of a three-year-old child, didn’t he have nightmares?
I suddenly sneered. “Really? Sevi and Nicholas look more and more alike. Is it because they share the same heart?”
“Enough!”
Carter suddenly stood up, his tone cold. “Don't push me further. Otherwise, both you and Aaron will suffer.”
With that, he slammed the car door with a loud bang.
My expression hardened as I quickly took out my phone and texted Dylan. [Carter is looking for Aaron. Escape now!]
The car sped forward and soon Carter dragged me to the emergency room entrance.
Audrey, wrapped in her coat, leaned against the doorframe, her face buried in her hands as she sobbed uncontrollably.
“Audrey, how is Sevi?”
Carter pushed me aside and rushed over, holding the trembling Audrey in his arms.
“The doctor said he has myocarditis. His condition is serious…”
Audrey's voice was hoarse and trembling, her long lashes still wet with tears.
“The transplanted heart has been rejecting Sevi's body all along. I’m afraid he can’t hold on…”
As she spoke, her cold gaze shifted toward me.
My chest tightened in that instant, then was pierced by a cold voice. “If it comes to that, I'll do whatever it takes to find a second heart donor.”
