Chapter 3

Daisy POV

The surgery light burned red.

I slumped in a chair, cold to my very marrow.

Rushed footsteps echoed from the end of the hall. I looked up to see Karen jogging toward me.

"Daisy! What did you do to my granddaughter?!"

Karen stormed over, her finger inches from my nose. "How old is she?! You're letting doctors cut her open? Are you out of your damn mind?!"

My voice was dry and hoarse. "You gave her whiskey... her liver is failing..."

"You lying bitch! A tiny sip of alcohol never killed anyone! You're just doing this to spite me, blowing things out of proportion to extort money from my family!"

I shook violently, trying to stand, but my legs had zero strength left.

"I am not doing this with you," I said faintly. "Wait until the surgery is over."

"She was perfectly fine until you dragged her onto an operating table! How dare you talk back to me?!"

Karen's screeching grew louder, drawing stares from passing nurses.

Bystanders started murmuring, tossing suspicious glances my way.

Just then, Ethan came sprinting down the corridor.

Seeing him, my eyes instantly burned with tears, but I bit down hard to keep them from falling.

"What are you doing here?" I grated out. "Didn't someone need you?"

Ethan flinched, looking deeply uneasy. "My coworker had an emergency. A rat got into her apartment and terrified her..."

A bitter, broken laugh escaped my throat.

His daughter was dying of acute liver failure, and he had turned the car around to comfort his mistress over a rat.

Taking a deep breath, I turned my eyes toward Karen. "From this day on, you are never coming near my child again."

Karen froze for a beat, then exploded in pure rage.

"You ungrateful slut! I break my back helping you raise that kid, and this is how you repay me?!"

She worked herself into such a frenzy that she flopped onto the floor, slapping her thighs and wailing at the top of her lungs:

"Look at this woman! She abused my granddaughter and now she won't even let me see her! She’s trying to steal our family’s heir!"

More and more people gathered in the hallway. Some even pulled out their phones to record.

Watching Karen roll on the floor like a lunatic made my stomach twist with disgust.

I pulled out my phone and dialed 911.

"Hello, I need to report—"

A hand shot out and ripped the phone from my grip.

Ethan hissed under his breath, "Are you crazy?! That's my mother!"

"She poured whiskey down your daughter's throat! She almost murdered her!" My voice broke, trembling with fury.

"She meant well! She just wanted the baby to sleep soundly. That’s how old folks raised kids back then!"

"And what about you?" I locked my eyes onto his. "Did you ever give a damn about me or our child?"

Ethan's face changed dramatically. His lips parted, but no words came out.

"Are you going to handle this, or am I calling the police?" I demanded coldly.

He went quiet for a few seconds before saying, "I'm taking Mom home first. She's too old to handle this kind of stress."

I closed my eyes. A sharp, suffocating pain tore through my chest.

Hours bled together until the operating room doors finally parted.

The surgeon walked out and slowly pulled down his mask.

"I am so sorry. We did everything we could."

"The alcohol poisoning was too severe, and she was brought in too late. Her liver completely shut down, leading to multi-organ failure on the table..."

The doctor kept talking, but the sounds stopped reaching my brain.

I saw a nurse wheeling out a small gurney covered in a white sheet.

Underneath was a tiny, motionless bundle.

My baby. The child I had carried for nine months, the one I had nearly died on the table to bring into this world.

I reached out to lift the sheet, but my hands shook so violently it took three tries just to pull it back.

I collapsed over her tiny body, tears falling like heavy lead onto her skin.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, baby... Mommy failed to protect you..."

My choked sobs were the only sound left in the empty hallway until my voice went completely hoarse and my tears dried up.

Then, my phone rang.

My best friend Chloe's voice came through the speaker, sharp and panicked:

"Daisy, why the hell are you trending?! Someone just posted on a massive gossip forum claiming you abused your baby and drank her to death! The comments are tearing you apart! They leaked your photos and home address!"