The gossip outside grew even louder. Every whisper was about me.
That was when my mother walked in. Her face was pure disbelief. "How is that possible? Ronald, didn't you just give me that jewelry from the auction the other day?"
I suddenly remembered. We'd planned to grab dinner together after work today.
Adeline let out a mocking laugh. "Auction? He bought those with loan shark money!"
"Enjoy it while it lasts. You'll be crying soon enough."
"And thank God the baby in my belly isn't yours. At least my child won't be dragged down with the rest of you."
"What?!" My mother's face went white with shock. She grabbed Adeline's arm before she could leave. "What did you just say?!"
Adeline wrenched free with a look of pure disgust. "Are you deaf? I said the baby isn't your family's!"
My mother already had high blood pressure. The shove sent her stumbling backward.
She clutched her chest and crumpled to the floor.
I rushed forward and caught her. "Mom! What's wrong?"
Adeline spat in contempt. "Old hag's faking it. Probably trying to guilt-trip us into giving her money. Let's go. She's bad luck."
She hurried out with Peggy and Alex in tow.
My mother's face was ashen. She couldn't get a single word out. Her eyes slowly rolled shut.
I didn't think. I scooped her up and ran for the hospital.
In the ER, the doctor examined her. "She has hypertension. The emotional distress caused a dangerous spike in her blood pressure. She needs to be admitted for observation."
I stepped out of the room and called my father, who was overseas on business.
"Hello? Ronald?" His voice came through the line.
I told him everything.
Silence on the other end. A few long seconds passed before he spoke. "I'm booking a flight home right now. They'll answer for this."
"Take care of your mother. I'll handle the rest." He paused. "Alex Swanson and the Hardings. I'll deal with them too."
After hanging up, I sat by my mother's hospital bed and pulled up the credit card I'd authorized under Adeline's name. I revoked her access.
That card was supposed to be for groceries and daily expenses. I'd told her the monthly limit was ten thousand dollars.
What she never knew was that the card's real credit line was a hundred million.
My phone buzzed. Several messages from Alex, all on WhatsApp.
First, a photo of him and Adeline together, posing intimately.
Then a string of voice messages: "Hey buddy, real sorry about your situation. You're in way too deep, and I can't help you. But I hear delivering food pays decent. Might help you chip away at that debt."
"Plus all that running around might help you build some stamina, if you know what I mean. Adeline says you're useless in bed. That's why she came to me."
I didn't get angry. I laughed. "I never treated you badly. This is how you repay me?"
Alex burst out laughing. "Man, I thought you were actually some rich kid. That's the only reason I ever hung around you!"
"If I'd known you were just some loser borrowing from loan sharks to play big shot, I wouldn't have given you the time of day."
I didn't bother responding. I blocked him.
The next morning, I went home to grab a few things before heading back to the hospital to be with my mother.
The moment I opened the front door, there they were. Adeline, Peggy, and Alex, standing in my living room like they owned the place.
Adeline stormed up and slapped me across the face. "You've got some nerve showing up here. We agreed to go to the county clerk's office today! How dare you not show!"
Peggy kicked me for good measure. "I knew it. He never planned to go through with the divorce. He wants us to pay off that hundred million for him!"
I shoved them both away, jaw clenched so tight my teeth ached. "My mother is in the hospital because of you people, and all you care about is the divorce?"
