At that moment, all I could focus on was getting her to the hospital.

The doc had warned that Charles might not pull through, and Emily was the only hope for Margaret.

My ego was totally irrelevant right now.

I bolted over to stop Emily, desperation cracking my voice. "I swear I'm not lying! Your mom and dad are in deep trouble. Please, just come with me."

She looked skeptical, so I pulled out my phone with trembling hands.

"Don't believe me? I'll call your colleague right this second!"

Emily's eyes sparked with anger. "If it were true, I would have heard by now!"

I wanted to explain that her phone was off—how could anyone reach her?

But before I could speak up, Matt interjected.

He scoffed, "Run out of tall tales, have you? Look, I know you're green with envy because Emily's here with me. We're just buddies, dude. You don't need to go all psycho ex on us."

"Come on, be a bigger man! Acting all petty and jealous will just push her further away!"

"Playing dirty with her folks' lives? That's just vile."

He stood there, arms crossed, looking down his nose at me as if he had moral high ground.

But he was the last person to preach.

"Mind your own business! This is between my wife and me!" Anger bubbled over, and I lost all pretense of calm.

Anger bubbled over, and I lost all pretense of calm.

A reasonable guy would have zipped it by now, but Matt? No chance.

He turned to Emily, putting on a victim's face. "See, Emily? I was spot on about him."

Emily's face turned stormy.

"What's with you? Why can't you just back off? I just wanted to unwind with Matt, and you're making a mountain out of a molehill!"

"I've been slammed at work, finally got a break, and I can't chill with a friend?"

"Ever heard of giving space? Matt's just being decent, and you're treating him like trash. Is this how you treat people?"

She was all up in my face, her finger nearly poking my nose.

I didn't have time to argue, not with Charles and Margaret hanging by a thread.

I pushed down the rising turmoil inside.

Sweating, I wiped my brow and pleaded in a low voice, "They're in the ER—your parents. Are you really gonna ignore them for a drink?"

Emily paused, seeming to catch the sincerity in my voice.

"Emily, look, it's our old school friends!"

Matt pointed excitedly at a nearby restaurant.

Through the large glass windows, a couple inside noticed them and waved.

"What are the odds? Haven't seen them in ages. Let's catch up!"

Emily started to leave, but I grabbed her, desperate.

"We're running out of time! I'm not lying! Your parents are waiting for you. You're their only kid—don't miss saying goodbye to your dad, don't just watch your mom pass away!"

Matt was relentless, his tone icy. "Steve, you done with your drama? Enough already!"

He started pulling Emily away.

She chose him without a second thought.

The thought of Charles and Margaret potentially dying alone crushed me. Tears flooded my eyes, and I dropped to my knees.

"Emily, if I'm lying, let the sky fall on me! Please, let's go to the hospital. I'm begging you!"

Emily paused, clearly torn.

"Steve, can you ever just let it go? Emily's always been patient, avoiding fights with you. Why can't you let her have some downtime with friends? Does her life have to be all about work and dealing with you?"

Matt was visibly agitated, acting like I was the villain of the century. His look of disgust was plain as day.

He took a deep breath and then said with a shaky voice, "Maybe you should just go with him, Emily. I'll smooth things over with our friends. After all, a husband matters more than friends, right?"

Without another word, he headed towards the restaurant across the street, not looking back.

His tactic worked like a charm—Emily dropped everything and ran after him.

As she stormed off, she threw a fierce warning over her shoulder, "Next time you dare curse my parents, we're through!"

No matter how loudly I called after her, she wouldn't stop.

How could such wonderful parents have raised someone so cold and stubborn?

A simple phone call could confirm the truth, yet she stubbornly refused to make it.

Torn between her parents and her first love, her heart had long since tipped towards him, and there was no looking back.

How could she be so sure I was lying?

After all our years together, didn't she trust me at all?

The doctor called in a panic, "Charles and Margaret are fading fast. Why aren't you and Dr. Dickens here yet?"

I raced to the car, speeding back to the hospital.

Charles didn't make it; he was gone by the time I arrived.

Holding back tears, I went to see Margaret for the last time.

The life support was off. She lay there, gasping for her last breaths, silently waiting.

Hearing my footsteps, she slowly turned her head. When she realized I was alone, the faint light in her eyes flickered out.

"Where... where's Emily...?"

I couldn't bear to look into her eyes, my hands shaking as I held hers.

If I'd known I couldn't bring Emily back, I wouldn't have left—I could've been there for them a little longer.

I couldn't tell her Charles was gone, nor could I say that her beloved daughter was out drinking and laughing with her old flame.

"Mom, Emily's tied up with a patient and couldn't break away."

"That's... that's a doctor's duty... I don't blame her..."

Emily had always excelled, from grade school through to a combined undergrad and grad program at a top medical school—her parents' pride.

Yet now, I felt nothing but heartache.

I hated that I couldn't bring Emily back, and I resented that she only listened to Matt.

"Steve... you've been a good son... I just wish I could see Emily one more time..."

Those were Margaret's last words.

In her final moments, all she wanted was to see her daughter, Emily.

But where was Emily?

She was reliving the good old days with her first love.

I fought back tears, but they came anyway.

I tried calling Emily again.

No answer.

Fighting through my grief, I took care of Charles and Margaret's final arrangements.

They had lived modestly and didn't want a big fuss—just a quiet farewell.

I arranged for their cremation and had their ashes placed together.

Life is fleeting; in an instant, two vibrant lives were gone.

On my way home, I called Emily several more times.

Still no answer.

She hadn't gone to work and was still with Matt.

Holding the urns, I sat on the living room sofa, haunted by memories of Charles and Margaret's warm smiles. Tears flowed freely once more.

Later that afternoon, as I headed out to select their burial plots, I ran into Emily downstairs.

She stepped out of Matt's car, their goodbye lingering, their eyes nearly melting into each other.

Spotting me, Emily's smile vanished, replaced by a frosty expression. "Where are you off to?"

I tried to bypass her, but she grabbed my arm fiercely.

Noticing the black armband I wore, she asked, puzzled, "Why are you wearing that?"