I shook off Wanda's hand without hesitation and said flatly, "I'm not going. I still have to take care of Duke."
Wanda's breath hitched as she stared at me, her eyes wide with disbelief. Her already pale face turned even paler and for a moment, she looked like she might collapse.
My mother, unable to contain her fury any longer, exploded. "Damian, have you lost your mind? That's your own son!"
"Wanda got into a car accident and you ignored her. Now your son's life is on the line and you're just going to stand by and watch him die?"
Her voice trembled, a mixture of rage and disbelief contorting her expression.
I met her gaze with indifference. "The doctor said Duke is very weak and needs care. I have to go home and give him a nutritious meal."
"Besides, I'm anemic. If something happens to me after donating blood, what will happen to Duke?"
Silence fell over the crowd.
Wanda's lips quivered, a failed attempt to vocalize the thoughts swirling within her. Her hands trembled at her sides before she slowly lowered her gaze.
Then, with great effort, she pushed herself out of her wheelchair. Her legs were shaky, but she forced herself to kneel before me.
"Damian..." Her voice was barely above a whisper.
She clutched the hem of my sleeve. Tears pooled in her eyes as she choked out, "We've been together for so many years and I've never asked you for anything."
"I don't care how you treat me, but our child is innocent."
"I'm begging you, please save him. He's just been born—he hasn't even seen the world yet."
Her voice was hoarse and full of desperation, her entire being trembling as she clung to me.
But I remained unmoved.
"If you want to save him, then do it yourself," I said calmly. "I need to take care of Duke. I don't have time to go to the hospital."
As soon as I turned to leave, my father grabbed my arm in a tight grip, his fingers digging into my flesh. His body shook with rage.
"You beast!" he bellowed. "Are you really going to let your own child die just for a dog?"
My mother was no better. Her hands clenched into fists as she trembled in anger, her eyes red with unshed tears.
"Damian, you've completely disappointed me!" she shouted.
"From today onward, we're cutting all ties. I have no son as cold-blooded and heartless as you!"
The moment her words fell, the crowd erupted.
The livestream chat exploded in fury, filling the screen with an endless flood of comments.
[I thought ignoring his wife to save a dog was already the lowest a person could go, but now he won't even save his son just because he wants to take care of a dog? Is he even human?]
[This is disgusting. He can spend an entire night in a pet hospital with a dog, but he refuses to take a little time to go to the hospital and donate blood to save his son. He's worse than an animal!]
[I'm so furious. A person like this doesn't deserve to live, let alone have a wife and child!]
[I really hope karma gets him and he drops dead on the spot!]
The crowd grew even more enraged. Vicious insults and curses rained down on me, their voices brimming with contempt and fury. Some, driven by their emotions, began throwing trash in my direction. Plastic bottles, paper scraps and bits of food pelted me, while others spat at my feet, their faces twisted with disgust.
The way they looked at me—it was as if I wasn't even human, as if I were the filth they were so desperate to trample beneath their feet.
Just as I was drowning in this storm of garbage and verbal abuse, a cold, sharp voice suddenly rang out.
"None of you have the right to judge him."
The atmosphere shifted in an instant. The shouting faltered and the crowd turned toward the source of the voice.
I looked at the woman who had spoken and smiled.
Finally. The real show was about to begin.
