3: 3

Mike James went white.

"ICU? How did Herman end up in the ICU?"

My mother slid her eyes away, guilty.

"A kid takes a little tumble, how serious can it be?"

"I didn't tell Mike because I didn't want everyone worried and Celia's welcome-home dinner ruined."

My son was lying in the ICU with tubes in him.

In her mouth it was nothing but a scrape too minor to interrupt Celia's dinner.

Mike hurried toward me.

"I didn't know it was this bad. I'll go to the hospital with you."

I looked at him coldly.

"The staff warned you. No one under ten is allowed on that ride."

"But you don't even know how old your own son is, and you didn't listen to the warning either. You just wanted to shove him onto the longest ride so you could slip away and buy ice cream with Celia."

His face lost its color and his mouth opened.

I gave him no chance to explain.

"Mike, if you care about Celia so much that you'd throw away your own son, then why did you marry me in the first place?"

"You chose me. You did. And yet for all these years everyone has acted like I stole you, like I'm the one who wronged Celia."

"Whatever she wants, I have to hand over."

"And now, to keep her company, you'll gamble away your own son's life."

I stared him down.

"If anything happens to Herman, I won't let you off, and I won't let Celia off either."

His whole face went blank with shock.

"Shelagh, that's going too far!"

"Celia and I are completely innocent. I've looked after her like a little sister my whole life."

"How does that turn into something dirty in your mouth?"

Neal's face darkened at once.

"Mike and Celia grew up together. They've always been close."

"He looked after her for over a decade. And just because he later married you, the two of them can't even see each other normally anymore?"

"Who do you think you are, to force them to cut ties?"

My mother glared at me too, disgusted.

"Everyone saw how good Mike was to Celia back then."

"You marry him and suddenly you want him all to yourself, want him to disown Celia as his little sister?"

"A filthy mind sees filth everywhere."

"Now the child's been hurt and instead of looking at yourself, you stand here talking nonsense, spreading lies about Mike and Celia."

"Shelagh, have you no shame?"

Celia's eyes reddened on cue.

"Sis, so you do blame me after all."

"I shouldn't have let Mike keep me company. But he only wanted to look after me a little more because I so rarely come home."

"Hit me, curse me, take it out on me. Just stop insulting Mike with talk like that."

Mike turned to look at her without thinking, and that familiar ache surfaced in his eyes again.

That one movement was all it took to kill any wish I had left to argue.

I clutched the documents to my chest and shoved past them.

"Shelagh, wait for me!"

Mike took two steps after me.

But right up until I got back to the hospital, he never showed.

I had just finished the paperwork when my subordinate called.

"Shelagh, the new contract gets signed today. Why aren't you here yet?"

"My son's in the ICU. I want to take some leave. The contract's already negotiated, someone else can sign it."

She said quickly,

"But Mr. James came in today with your sister. He said you'd be focusing on the child and stepping back, that she'd be taking over your position and your project."

"It didn't feel right, so I called you as fast as I could."

The cold ran through me. I called Mike at once.

"On what grounds do you hand my position to Celia?"

His tone was oddly calm, as if he'd already worked everything out on my behalf.

"Everything you said just now was because Herman got hurt and you panicked and let your imagination run wild. I know you didn't mean it, so I won't hold it against you."

"But you can't do the job in a state like this. Staying in that position now will only hold the project back."

"Better to step down for now and take care of the child with a clear head. I'm arranging this for your sake."

I was shaking with rage.

"That's a project I spent a whole year landing! On what grounds do you take it from me?"

Mike sighed.

"It's not taking it from you. It's just doing Celia a favor. She's in the middle of a divorce case, she needs a respectable job to fight for custody of her child."

"She'd only be listed as the lead for now. One less project won't hurt you."

I gripped the phone so hard it hurt.

All my life, whenever Celia wanted my room, I had to move out.

When she didn't want to see me, I couldn't come home for four years.

Now she needed a job, and I was supposed to hand over the career I'd bled for too.

I said coldly,

"I won't agree."

"If you dare touch my project, I'll hand the contract straight to the rival company!"

"Shelagh, don't be difficult!"

Mike's voice dropped too.

"You can't ruin the whole company just to prove a point, can you?"

"It's only a temporary title. A year at most."

"When you come back, you'll have your position again."

Then he softened his voice.

"I already asked the doctors. Herman's treatment is all arranged."

"You focus on the child, come back to work once he's better. Isn't that for the best?"

"Besides, if we hadn't gotten married, Celia wouldn't have gone abroad heartbroken, and she wouldn't have run into that worthless man either."

"We owe it to her to make up for it."

I finally lost control.

"I don't owe her anything!"

"She went abroad herself, she married herself, and she picked the wrong man herself."

"Why, because her life turned out badly, should she get to take my husband and my job?"

"You're too worked up."

Mike said blandly,

"Once Celia's appointment ceremony is over, I'll come to the hospital to be with you."

The line went dead.

Right then a sharp alarm went off inside the ICU.

Doctors and nurses rushed to Herman's bedside, quickly switched him to a portable monitor, and began wheeling him out.

I threw myself forward in a panic.

"Where are you taking my son?"

I flung myself in front of the bed.

"Where are you taking him?"

"Is he going in for surgery?"

"Has the specialist arrived?"

I grabbed the doctor's sleeve, my voice shaking with urgency.

"Didn't you say you'd already lined up the visiting surgeon?"

"He was supposed to arrive this afternoon. Why are you moving my son now?"

The doctor paused.

"The visiting surgery has been canceled."

Something roared through my head.

"Who canceled it?"

"The child's father."

4: 4

The doctor explained.

"Mr. James just called. He says the outside specialist's plan carries too much risk. He won't authorize the surgery."

"He's already signed the discharge agreement and the surgical refusal form. He's asking us to stop the current course of treatment immediately."

"He says he'll arrange for the child to be moved to another hospital."

I staggered back a step.

"I'm his mother, and I don't consent to discharge! He can't be moved right now. You can't send him away!"

I gripped the bed rail with both hands.

"He can't be transferred."

"Please, don't touch him. The specialist is almost here. Just a few more hours, and he has a chance."

The doctor looked at Herman's fading vitals, and his own face was grave.

"Ms. Fox, we understand how you feel."

"But we can't do what you're asking."

The doctor lowered his voice.

"Mr. James has just submitted proof of paternity and a written surgical refusal, and he signed as the child's primary guardian."

"The outside specialist's operation doesn't qualify as emergency lifesaving care. When two guardians disagree, we have no authority to force it through. We can only maintain basic resuscitation, or process the transfer according to the documents he signed."

Something roared in my head.

"He isn't Herman's father! His signature doesn't count!"

The doctor froze.

"What?"

"He isn't! I can prove to you that he isn't!"

I clung to the bed, fumbling for my phone, dialing Mike James again and again.

After more than a dozen tries, he finally picked up, applause pouring through the background.

"Shelagh, I'm at Celia's swearing-in ceremony right now. Whatever it is, it'll have to wait."

I forced down the hatred.

"I agree to give the position and the project to Celia."

The line went quiet at once.

"Really?"

"But first you sign the divorce agreement I sent you, withdraw the treatment refusal, and hand me the decision-making authority over Herman's care."

Mike went wary instantly.

"I won't sign a divorce agreement. I'm not going to gamble with our marriage just because you're upset."

I softened my voice.

"I'm only sore about it. I want you to prove you still care about me."

"You sign, we start over, you win me back properly, and you show me you actually value me and our son."

He was still hesitating.

I added coldly,

"If you don't sign, I hand the contract to the competition right now."

"The project's gone, and Celia's swearing-in turns into a joke. Mike James, it's your choice."

At last he sighed.

"Fine, I understand. But throwing the divorce in my face this time is really going too far."

"Okay. I'll sign."

A few minutes later, the signed divorce agreement and treatment authorization came through.

He added a line.

[Happy now? I'll go take care of the kid at the hospital in a bit. Find time to hand the project over to Celia.]

Mike hadn't read it carefully again, of course.

The agreement stated it plainly: after the divorce, the child, the house, and my project all belonged to me.

I called my lawyer and the building management at once.

"Change the door lock code, and cancel Mike James's entry access."

"My mother and Neal aren't on the property title. Have security ask them to leave immediately. Pack up everything and send it to the Swanson house."

"They liked treating that place as Celia's home, didn't they?"

"A shame. From now on, no one gets in."

Then I called an agent and listed the house at a low price.

The doctor finished his call and came over, his face grim.

"The specialist got the cancellation notice and already turned back. There isn't time for him to come again."

"The only option now is to move the child immediately to the hospital in his province."

I nodded without hesitation.

"Transfer. We leave now."

When the transport plane took off, Mike was still pressing me to hand over the project.

I sent the contract and all the files straight to the competing company.

They replied quickly.

[Willing to take over immediately. Terms of cooperation unchanged.]

I pressed confirm.

Mike wanted to take everything I'd built, to pave the way for Celia.

Then I would rather hand it to his rival.

The plane climbed into the clouds.

I held Herman's cold little hand tight and switched off my phone.