I didn't have the energy to argue. I just needed to get my son to the hospital.

Clutching David's broken body, I rushed toward the exit.

Just as we cleared the warehouse doors, Claire let out a startled gasp. "Oh!"

Her foot shot out, subtly kicking the dog. The golden retriever yelped and bolted into the distance. Claire immediately loosened the leash in her hand.

She bit her lip, tears welling perfectly in her eyes. "What do I do? A-Jin must be terrified."

"Leon, I can't live without A-Jin!"

Leon stopped dead. The indifference vanished, replaced by urgency. "It's too dangerous here. The perimeter hasn't been cleared of secondary devices. We can't let A-Jin roam free."

His voice softened instantly as he turned to Claire. "Don't worry. I'll find him."

My heart stopped.

Seeing Leon turn to leave with her, despair buckled my knees. I collapsed, grabbing his pant leg with my free hand.

I slammed my forehead against the ground until the skin broke, leaving a smear of blood on the concrete.

"Please... don't go. Leon, I'm begging you!"

"David is hurt bad. He needs a doctor now!"

"I'm begging you, for the sake of your own flesh and blood, drive us to the hospital first!"

Leon kicked me away.

My head snapped back, hitting the pavement with a sickening thud. The world spun. Darkness crept into my vision.

Leon dusted off his pants as if he'd touched something filthy. His lip curled.

"Rose Fisher, grow up. Every minute A-Jin is out there is another minute of danger."

"As for David, my colleagues are en route. It's just a superficial injury; stop acting like he's made of glass."

Without a backward glance, he took Claire's arm and hurried away.

I fumbled for my phone, fingers trembling like dead leaves in a gale. I dialed emergency services.

But neither the ambulance nor the "colleagues" Leon mentioned ever came.

David was growing heavier in my arms. His skin was cooling. Panic, cold and sharp, clawed at my throat.

I couldn't wait.

Fighting through the concussion dizziness, I hoisted him up and began to run.

I ran until my lungs burned. I screamed for help until I tasted blood in my throat.

But the road stretched empty before me. Not a single car passed.

At first, David tugged at my shirt, whispering, "Mom, it hurts..."

But as the minutes dragged on, the light in his eyes—eyes that used to sparkle with mischief—began to dim. His breathing turned into a terrifying rattle.

He pressed his face against my neck, his voice barely a wisp of air.

"Mom, don't cry... I... love you..."

Tears blinded me. I couldn't see the road, only the encroaching darkness.

"Baby, don't sleep. Stay with me. The hospital is just ahead..."

"You wanted to see the ocean, remember? Mommy will take you. Just hold on..."

The warmth in my arms was fading.

I screamed his name, my voice breaking into jagged shards. "David! Wake up! Mommy is begging you..."

Silence answered me.

The winter wind sliced my face like razors, drying the tears instantly. I didn't know how long I ran before I finally collided with an ambulance.

The paramedic took one look at my son and went pale.

"No pulse! Epinephrine, now! Prep the OR!"

The driver looked at me, guilt etched on his face. "I'm sorry... the police sealed off all the roads for a bomb sweep. We couldn't get through the barricades!"

I gripped David's limp hand, sobbing his name, praying to a god I no longer believed in.

The moment we breached the hospital doors, they wheeled him away.

I stood outside the operating room, staring at the red light flashing above the door.

If I could trade my life for David's, I wouldn't hesitate for a heartbeat.

But the universe wasn't that kind.

The doors opened. The doctor walked out, removing his mask. He shook his head grimly.

"I'm truly sorry. He arrived too late. The blood loss was catastrophic. We couldn't save him."

A bomb went off in my head, louder than the one in the warehouse.

Yesterday, David was smiling at me.

Today, he was a cold body on a steel table.

Darkness swarmed me. I collapsed.

When I woke, it was the next day.

The doctor told me I had severe burns and a concussion. Every movement felt like tearing flesh.

I limped home, a hollow shell.

When I opened the door, the scene before me made my stomach churn.

Leon and Claire were cuddled on the sofa. Leon was hand-feeding the golden retriever, his expression tender.

"Thank god we found A-Jin in time. Look at his appetite."

He looked up. Seeing me, his face instantly darkened.

"Why are you back so late? Where did you go off to die?"

*Die.*

The word hung in the air. My body went rigid. Before I could speak, hot tears spilled over.

"Leon... David is dead. Do you know that?"

"Your son is dead, and you're sitting here feeding a dog?"

My voice rose, cracking under the weight of my grief. "Leon Weiss, you killed him!"

"Why? There were no active bombs left! Why did you block the roads?"

Leon frowned, waving his hand dismissively. "Blocking the roads is standard protocol to ensure scene safety. Of course, a woman like you wouldn't understand tactical necessity."

I looked at his arrogant face. A chill settled deep in my bones.

The bombs were disarmed. There was no danger.

My gaze drifted to the golden retriever wolfing down steak. A violent shudder racked my body.

"It was for the dog, wasn't it?"

Each word came out slowly, tempered with hatred. "You sealed off the roads to find a beast?"

Guilt flashed in Leon's eyes, quickly replaced by defensive rage.

"Rose, don't be unreasonable. I followed regulations!"

"You personally caused our son's death." My eyes were bloodshot.

Leon scoffed, his expression cold. "Rose, stop the drama. The boy was injured, yes, but my team sent him for treatment. Cursing your own child just to win an argument? You're insane."

Something inside me snapped.

I lunged at the dog.

"There was no rescue! Because of this mutt, I lost David!"

"By the time we got to the hospital, his body was already cold!"

*Smack!*

Leon's backhand struck my face with brutal force.

I stumbled back, clutching my swollen cheek, stars bursting in my vision.

Claire immediately stepped in front of the dog, tears spilling instantly. "Rose, A-Jin is innocent! Stop saying these horrible things just to hurt Leon."

Leon looked at me with utter revulsion.

"I saw the injury myself. It wasn't fatal. There was plenty of time to get to the hospital."

He shook his head, looking at me like a disappointment he couldn't wait to discard.

"Rose, go to the hospital. Take care of David and calm down."

"Until he's discharged, don't bother coming back to this house."

A guttural scream tore from my throat, wave after wave of raw despair.

*Calm down?*

*How am I supposed to calm down?*

My son was a cold corpse lying on a hospital bed. Yet Leon Weiss expected me to return to that place and nurse a child who was already gone.

I collapsed to the floor, wailing until my voice broke.

The next day, dragging a body that felt filled with lead, I went to cancel my son's identity registration. At the entrance of the bureau, I spotted Leon reporting to a superior.

"Director, the mission is complete." His voice was clipped and professional. "Zero casualties on site."

The words struck me like a physical blow. I screamed, rushing forward to confront him.

"That's a lie! My son is dead!"

Leon's eyes narrowed. In one fluid motion, he yanked me behind him, turning to the director with an apologetic, practiced smile.

"My apologies, Director. Rose is... unstable. She tells everyone she meets that our child has passed."

He paused, his tone shifting to one of heavy, performative sorrow. "The doctor and Claire both believe the trauma triggered a delusional disorder."

The director sighed, patting Leon's shoulder. "You've had a hard time too, Leon. Go home. Take care of your family."

The moment the director walked away, the mask dropped.

A vein throbbed at Leon's temple. He spun around and cracked his hand across my face.

"Rose Fisher, have you lost your mind?" His voice was a low growl. "I'm warning you—don't cause me any more trouble."

I crumpled, clutching his lapels to keep from falling. "Why won't you listen? Would I use our son's life to lie to you?"

Leon's gaze went arctic. "You came back yesterday acting like a lunatic and nearly strangled the dog. Today, you're making a scene at the bureau." He shoved my hands away. "I think Claire is right. You need psychiatric help."

I tried to explain. I begged him to listen.

But Leon was deaf to my words. He insisted I was insane.

Because of his label—*crazy person*—the staff refused to even look at the bloodstained medical records in my hand. They wouldn't issue the death certificate.

Defeated, I could only leave.

Three days later, I held a small funeral for David Matthews.

The mourning hall was cold and desolate. Aside from a few stone-faced staff members, I was the only one by David's side.

Just as the final farewell ended and my son's small body was about to be consigned to the furnace, the main doors burst open.

Leon stormed in, his face livid.

"Rose Fisher, are you done with the theatrics? Hand David over! Do you have any idea how frantic I've been looking for him these past two days?"

He scanned the mourning hall, his fury mounting. "You really are sick. Holding a funeral for a living person?"

With a roar, he swept the offerings off the altar. They crashed to the floor, scattering ash and fruit.

The staff stepped forward, shouting at him to stop, but I was faster.

I charged at him with a hoarse cry, wanting to tear the flesh from his bones.

He shoved me back effortlessly. My waist slammed into the sharp corner of a table, the pain blinding me for a second. Tears sprang to my eyes.

I slumped to the floor, glaring up at him. "You said you looked for David for two days. Did it never occur to you to check the hospital?"

Leon's brow furrowed in impatience. "Of course I looked. The hospital said there was no patient by that name, so I came for you." He took a threatening step forward. "Cut the crap. Where is our son?"

A hollow, chilling laugh escaped me. In the empty crematorium, it sounded like the cry of a ghost.

"Of course he isn't on the admission list." My voice was a rasp. "You should have checked the morgue records."

I pointed a trembling finger at the coffin.

"David didn't even make it out of the emergency room before he was a cold corpse."