Chapter 3
I never imagined that what happened at the funeral would be filmed.
But by the next morning, the video had already gone viral.
Some tabloid media even released commentary, claiming my father had deliberately twisted the law, using a self–defense argument to
cover up a premeditated crime.
Others speculated that my father and the so–called victim had some unspeakable relationship–because otherwise, why would the daughter be willing to confess guilt?
My mother fainted from the shock.
But no matter how hard we tried to cover our ears or shut our eyes, we couldn’t escape the tidal wave of public shame.
When she finally came to, her face was ashen with grief and fear.
“If your father sees all this… how heartbroken would he be?”
I had no words. I didn’t know how to explain, how to defend myself—or him.
But the next day… my father found out.
And he tried to kill himself in prison.
The moment we got the call, my mother and I rushed toward the hospital like madwomen.
But when we arrived, his ambulance was still parked outside.
They hadn’t even let him inside.
I stared at the blood soaking through the gauze on his neck and screamed, panicked.
“Why hasn’t he been taken in?!”
One of the doctors looked at me, his face twisted with discomfort.
“We heard… Mr. Veyne’s cat was hit by a car. It’s being treated inside. He gave orders–no critical patients are allowed in until the cat
pulls through.”
I stood there, stunned. It felt like something out of a nightmare.
Absurd. Cruel. Utterly senseless.
“This is a hospital, not a vet clinic! How can you let them make the rules?!”
No one responded.
Even the prison guards escorting my father sighed, helpless.
“You’re his family. Maybe try transferring him to another hospital?”
The doctor who’d been pressing on my father’s wound shook his head. “The nearest one is ten, maybe fifteen minutes away. He won’t
make it.”
I stopped breathing for a second.
Then I spun around and reached for the door.
“I’ll go. I’ll beg Veyne. I’ll make him let my dad in.”
But before I could move, my father grabbed my wrist.
His grip was tight–tight enough to throw off the heart monitor’s rhythm.
Chapter 3
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I turned back quickly and dropped to his side.
“Dad, don’t get worked up. I’ll save you, I promise. Just hold on, okay?”
He opened his eyes slowly, his hand rising with effort to rest against my cheek.
His lips moved under the oxygen mask, struggling to form words.
A doctor gently pulled the mask away.
“He’s not going to make it,” he whispered. “Say what you need to say now.”
My ears rang.
The doctor and guards stepped off the ambulance, leaving us inside, alone.
My mother’s face was deathly pale, but she leaned in close, holding back tears.
“Ethan, what is it? What do you want to say? I’m listening.”
My father’s voice came through like it was wrapped in cotton–soft, faint, unreal–but every word landed in my heart.
“Don’t be sad. And don’t beg him. I got what I deserved.”
“Eleanor… don’t file an appeal. All I want is for you and your mother to be safe. That’s all that matters.”
“Rosa, make that call. Take Eleanor. Leave Vyrtham.”
“I will,” my mom sobbed, clutching his hand. “I will. I promise.”
“Then I can… go in peace…”
Beeeeeeep-
The heart monitor let out a long, piercing sound.
My father’s hand slipped from mine.
Auto–added to the Library
I grabbed it quickly, holding on tight as if that would somehow stop him from leaving.
But it was too late.
The silence in the ambulance was unbearable.
The grief… it crashed over us like a flood, drowning me and my mother in a sea of sorrow.
I didn’t know how long we sat there.
Eventually, my mother let out a shaky breath.
She took my hand in hers. Her voice trembled, but her eyes were steady.
“Eleanor… let’s take your father home.”
Chapter 3
