Julia suddenly swung her arm and threw the dumbbell at me.

I could never have imagined she would do such a crazy thing. The moment the dumbbell flew towards me, I instinctively dodged.

My wheelchair overturned, and I fell heavily to the ground. My knees ached piercingly, and every bone in my body protested.

The dumbbell still grazed my forehead, burning with pain. Warm liquid flowed down my brow, and my vision was quickly filled with a bright red.

The gym door was flung open, and the moment Alan saw me, his pupils constricted.

"Nina!"

I reached out to him. "Alan, it hurts..."

"Mom! Zachary emerged from behind him. Seeing me, his face paled instantly.

I watched them run toward me, but the next second, Julia's voice rang out, tinged with tears.

"It hurts..."

Alan paused and abruptly turned.

I blinked hard, seeing him kneeling on one knee in front of Julia, his hands carefully supporting her calf.

There was a thumb-sized scrape there, broken skin and faintly red.

Alan's voice tightened with worry: "What happened?"

Julia sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "I just wanted to get something to drink, but she suddenly kicked me and pushed me!"

"No, that's not the case!" I raised my arms to stand, but fell back heavily. "She was trying to..."

"She even picked up a dumbbell and threw it at me!" Julia pointed at me, tears welling up in her eyes. "If I hadn't blocked it, she would have killed me!" Zachary rushed over angrily, sat on me, and pounded on me, "Mom! How could you be so mean? Apologize to Aunt Julia!" I was choking, the taste of rust filling my mouth, and I coughed up blood.

"Zachary, that's enough." Alan picked up Julia and, as he passed me, looked at me with a cold gaze, as if he were a stranger.

"Nina, are you so jealous of Julia? You can't dance anymore, and you're going to ruin her competition?"

Zachary scrambled to his feet, ran over, and tugged at Alan's shirt. "Dad, let's get Aunt Julia to the hospital!"

He blew gently on the wound on Julia's calf. "Huff, it doesn't hurt anymore. Don't be afraid, Aunt Julia. Zachary will protect you!" The three hurried figures gradually receded from my blurred vision. The last thing I saw was Julia, tucked away in Alan's arms, announcing her victory. I read her lips—"Did you see that?" When I woke up again, I was met with a blinding whiteness. It was the housekeeper who had found me, left at the gym, and rushed me to the hospital. Seeing me awake, he immediately handed me his phone. "Madam, the hospital has called several times." Just then, the phone rang again. "Ms. Nina, you finally answered!" The woman on the other end said urgently. "Your mother's condition has suddenly worsened. Please come and see her!" My blood froze, and I rushed over. The scene there, however, made my heart sink to the bottom. "Where are all the doctors? Why hasn't anyone arranged for emergency care for my mother?" The nurse looked perplexed. "Your husband has reassigned all the specialists to the VIP ward to treat Miss Julia."

The nurse suggested softly, “Why don’t you speak with Mr. Winters? He might not even know your mother’s condition has worsened.”

I spun on my heel and hurried toward the elevator, each step a stab of agony through my injured knee, as if I were walking on blades.

Outside the VIP ward, I found Zachary standing guard like a tiny sentry.

“Mom? What are you doing here?” His eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in suspicion. “You’re not here to hurt Aunt Julia again, are you? I’m warning you—if you try, I won’t let you!”

I brushed past him without answering, shoving the door open.

Inside, Alan sat at Julia’s bedside, cradling her hand as he carefully fed her water from a cup.

My voice cracked. “Send my mother’s attending physician back to her immediately. She needs surgery—right now!”

Julia coughed lightly, just twice, her voice trembling with perfect fragility. “It’s my fault. I must have caused all this. Alan… maybe you should go check on her.”

Alan finally looked at me, his expression unreadable. “Nina, what now? Your mother’s been fine for five years, and suddenly the moment Julia’s admitted to the hospital, she’s at death’s door?”

“I’m not exaggerating!” My forehead throbbed, each pulse sharp as a blade, and my tears spilled freely. “Please—just give my mother’s doctor back to her. She’s in critical condition and needs surgery immediately!”

“Enough!” Zachary lunged at me, shoving me hard. “Don’t delay Aunt Julia’s treatment!”

Alan rose, placing a protective hand on Zachary’s shoulder, his gaze turning icy. “Do you think I can’t see through you?”

He let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Julia’s competing in the Kirk Cup next week, and you want to sabotage her. You’d even use your own mother to pull this stunt? How vile can you be?”

“I’m telling the truth!” My voice broke, desperation flooding every word.

My phone rang sharply. It was the nurse. I answered quickly, holding it out toward Alan. “If you don’t believe me, listen to her yourself.”

But he didn’t even look at the phone. “I don’t have time for your pathetic games. Get out. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“Get out!” Zachary echoed, pushing at me again.

Julia coughed delicately, perfectly on cue. Both of them rushed to her side, their attention sealing shut like a locked door.

No one spared me another glance.

I crouched down slowly, gathering my phone with its cracked, glittering screen and pressing it to my ear.

In my blurred vision, Alan was brushing a strand of hair from Julia’s forehead with tender care. Zachary knelt beside her bed, offering her a drink with both his small hands.

In my ear, the nurse’s voice came faint and tremulous. “Ms. Ranford… we did everything we could. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Four long days followed—days spent entirely alone, arranging my mother’s funeral.

Alan never called once. Julia, however, sent a steady stream of messages—little photographs and updates meant to cut deep.

Alan is applying ointment to her small calf wound.

Zachary peeling an apple for her with exaggerated concentration.

The three of them were smiling together over dinner.

And finally…, a picture of Alan asleep beside her pillow.

At my mother’s grave, I knelt and traced my fingers over the photo of her smiling face etched into the tombstone. “Mom… I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“I was blind—too blind to see the truth about the man beside me.”

When I walked away, I pulled my wedding ring from my finger and tossed it into a roadside trash bin without looking back.

Mom, tomorrow I’m leaving.

I don’t want Alan.

I don’t want Zachary.

I don’t want any of them anymore.