Chapter 3

3.

He glared at me, his eyes bloodshot like a predator looking at an enemy.

I clutched my burning cheek, staring in disbelief at the man I had shared a bed with for years.

"Kade, how can you be this heartless?"

"Have you forgotten that I stayed by your side when you had nothing?"

"Even if you don't care about me, think about our daughter!"

He scoffed, his expression full of disdain.

"You have the balls to bring up the past? Holly was a much better person than you back then."

"I still married you, and what did I get? Constant lies and slander against Holly."

"If you're not going to help with the bags, then get the hell out of here!"

I was panicking.

Hazel was in that hospital bed, waiting for the surgery deposit.

The money Kade had was her only hope.

I swallowed my pride and the crushing bitterness in my chest.

I let my knees hit the ground, kneeling before him.

"Kade, I'm begging you. She really needs the money. Please give it back. I have nowhere else to go..."

Every word I said was the absolute truth.

I had exhausted every contact I had to raise that cash.

I had given up my dignity and was now kneeling before his mistress.

I just wanted to trigger one tiny spark of conscience in him.

But my pleading only made him more disgusted.

His voice dropped to a threatening low.

"If you don't leave right now, don't blame me for what happens next."

"You love cursing our daughter so much, right? You want her to die?"

"Fine. Let her die then!"

"With a shameless mother like you, she wouldn't grow up to be anything good anyway!"

He tried to slam the door, but I lunged forward, jamming my hand in the gap.

The heavy wood crushed my fingers, and I felt the skin tear.

Blood began to leak out, staining the white doorframe.

Despite the blinding pain, I didn't let go.

This was the only chance I had.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Kade didn't actually want to crush my hand completely, so he just roared in frustration.

"Give me the money!"

I stared at him with wild eyes.

"Give it back, and I promise I'll never bother you again!"

Kade glared at me for a long time before finally admitting the truth.

"The money is gone. I already gave it to Holly's creditors."

He said it so casually, as if he were talking about the weather.

The world started spinning. "All of it? You gave them all of it?"

"It's your fault anyway!"

He immediately flipped the script.

"If you hadn't bullied her and made her depressed, she wouldn't have gone to the casino to take her mind off things!"

"She lost that money because of you. It's your debt, really."

"As your husband, I couldn't just let her be beaten to death by loan sharks. Do you think you'd be off the hook if that happened?"

He dumped the entire weight of the situation on my shoulders.

He acted as if I were the one who forced Holly to gamble and borrow from criminals.

The fire in my heart was extinguished by a wave of cold, heavy sorrow.

I let go of the door.

I watched the blood drip from my fingertips onto the porch.

Kade looked surprised for a moment. When I stopped fighting, his tone softened just a fraction.

"Look, just go home. Once I help Holly move her stuff, I'll come back. Is that enough?"

He paused, then added another blow.

"Holly is really fragile right now. She needs me."

"Instead of wasting time here, go home and teach our daughter some morals."