When I reached the entrance of our apartment complex, Herman arrived in a rush as well. He shot me a furious glare before dashing toward the building.

I pretended to run after him for a bit, but when we got to the ground floor, there was no sign of any fire or firefighters. This only made Herman more anxious.

He grabbed me roughly and demanded, “Didn’t you say Ruby was trapped in a fire?”

I looked at him innocently. “Ruby called and told me not to come back because of a fire. I immediately called you. I don’t know anything more than that.”

Suspicion flickered in his eyes, but he quickly reasoned that the kitchen was at the back of the apartment, so the fire might not be visible from the front. Without wasting another second, he pulled me along and hurried into the elevator.

When we reached the door of our apartment, everything looked normal. The door was shut tight and locked from the inside. We couldn’t get in.

Herman panicked even more. His eyes turned red as he grabbed a fire extinguisher and started smashing it against the door. All the while, he shouted Ruby’s name at the top of his lungs.

The commotion was so loud that neighbors started coming out to see what was going on. Herman kept pounding on the door, but it didn’t budge. Frustrated, he called the property management office, demanding they send someone to unlock the door immediately.

While we waited, Herman slumped against the door and, in front of everyone, began blaming me again.

“Mom, this is all your fault! You insisted on buying such a fancy door, and now Ruby is trapped inside because of it. Are you happy now?”

I didn’t respond, just looked at him calmly.

Seeing that I wasn’t saying a word about Ruby, his anger flared. “Ruby could be in danger, and you don’t even show an ounce of concern. How can you be so coldhearted?”

Some of the neighbors who knew me well couldn’t stand by any longer and spoke up in my defense.

“Herman, you know exactly what kind of person your mother is. Don’t say things that will hurt her feelings!”

“That’s right! This is the mother who raised you on her own. Don’t go too far!”

Even the neighbors were standing up for me, yet my own son kept throwing baseless accusations my way.

Even though I had already lived through death once, this scene still hurt deeply. I tried my best to suppress the pain in my heart, reminding myself over and over that this ungrateful son wasn’t worth my tears.

Herman glared at me with fiery anger, but I met his gaze with cold indifference.

Just then, the security guard arrived with a locksmith. The locksmith worked on the lock for a while before finally getting it open.

The moment the door swung open, Herman shot inside like a rocket. The rest of us, including the confused neighbors, followed closely behind.

“Ruby! Ruby!” Herman called out desperately.

“Ahhh!”

Two voices shouted at the same time. I had barely lifted my eyes when I saw Herman frozen in the middle of the living room.

Behind me, the neighbors gasped in shock, their murmurs filling the air.

Right in front of us, Ruby lay completely naked on the couch, with her lover, David Sullivan, on top of her. The two of them were stuck together in an embarrassing and intimate position, unable to move!