Chapter 2

Vivian's face shifted. Guilt flickered across her expression as she reached down to help me up.

But Harvey's eyes glinted. He cut in smoothly.

"Jason, Vivian barely touched you. Why'd you fall over like that? You mad because she came with me to the doctor? Don't be so petty, man."

He gave Vivian a little nudge. "Go on. Go make up with him."

Vivian's outstretched hand froze mid-air. She frowned at me instead.

"Seriously, Jason? I didn't even push you that hard. Are you really throwing a tantrum over fifty thousand dollars again?"

My heart felt like it had turned to ice.

I braced myself against the wall and tried to stand, but my legs buckled. I stumbled forward—toward Harvey.

He jerked back immediately, pinching his nose.

"Dude, what is that smell? You reek."

"Vivian's a doctor, for God's sake. Jason, look at yourself..."

Vivian wrinkled her nose in disgust, taking in my exhausted, filthy appearance.

"Jason, you're a mess. You seriously stink. Why didn't you go home and shower?!"

Since Ryan died, I'd been holding him. Holding him until his body started to decompose.

Rage boiled up inside me. I wanted to scream at her.

"Yeah. That's the smell of YOUR son."

But before I could, a nurse walked by and lit up at the sight of Vivian.

"Oh! Dr. Parker! I thought you were off today. What are you doing here?"

The nurse's curious gaze bounced between the three of us before landing on me.

"And who's this?"

For years, Vivian insisted that doctors needed to avoid nepotism. She said if people at the hospital knew she had a son and was still doting on Harvey, there'd be rumors. People would talk.

So she never told anyone at work about Ryan or me.

Vivian's expression darkened. Panic flashed in her eyes.

"Oh. Harvey's staying here as a patient. This is... the caregiver I hired for him."

I stood there, frozen. Every word I wanted to say died in my throat.

Once the nurse was out of earshot, Vivian exhaled in relief. She stepped toward me, trying to pull me into a hug.

"Jason, I didn't mean it like that. Doctors just have to maintain a certain image—"

I laughed. Cold and bitter. "What image?"

Harvey snorted. "Come on, Jason. Vivian's a respected doctor at this hospital. Look at you—you're dressed like a homeless guy. You want people to know she's married to that? You'd embarrass her."

Vivian said nothing.

Her silence was agreement.

I clenched my faded, threadbare shirt in my fists. My eyes locked onto the diamond-studded watch glittering on Harvey's wrist.

That watch was bought with my broken body. With my son's life.

The hatred inside me exploded.

I swung.

But before my fist even touched him, Harvey let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Vivian! My heart—it hurts! Don't let him hit me!"

CRACK.

Before I could process what happened, Vivian's hand flew across my face. The slap sent my world spinning. I tasted copper.

She cradled Harvey in her arms like he was made of glass.

"Jason! You KNOW Harvey has a bad heart—and you still tried to hurt him?!"

I pressed my hand to my bleeding nose, glaring at him with pure hatred.

"His heart's bad? What about Ryan? MY son has end-stage heart failure!"

"I could beat him to death with my bare hands, and it still wouldn't be enough!"

Harvey clutched his chest dramatically, gasping. "I'm so scared, Vivian..."

Vivian's face went cold. She grabbed me by the hair and yanked—hard.

"You wouldn't DARE."

My scalp tore. I felt warm blood trickling down.

My phone slipped from my pocket and clattered to the floor. The screen lit up with a notification—a payment confirmation from the cemetery.

Vivian's eyes narrowed. She shoved me hard against the wall.

"What the hell is this, Jason? Are you so desperate to hurt me that you'd curse our own son?!"