Jared yelped as he tumbled into the hospital room and slammed his face hard against the floor.

Heather rushed over to help him up and angrily demanded that I apologize.

I refused to waste a single word on them, so I grabbed the test reports from the bedside table and turned to look for a nurse. Naomi had several tests to complete, and if we delayed any longer, the doctors would be off duty.

Heather reached out to block the door and refused to let me out. Then, she began accusing me of being heartless.

"Naomi's perfectly fine, yet you insisted on hospitalizing her and even jinxed her to die. How's a vicious man like you fit to be her dad?

"If Jared wasn't smart enough to see through your lies, you would've completely fooled me. Now, you've laid hands on him twice, so get on your knees and apologize to him.

"Besides, you're going to discharge Naomi and bring her home right now, or I swear I'm not going easy on you!"

Furious, I laughed and snatched up the medical records from the bed before pointing to the doctor's notes.

"If you say I'm lying, take a good look at the doctor's instructions. Naomi might already be dead if I hadn't managed to borrow the money, and yet you want me to apologize to him. Is he even worthy of my apology?"

Heather reached for the records, but Jared shoved himself between us. Covering his face, he threw himself into her arms and began moaning in pain.

"Look at my face and see if it'll leave a scar, Heather. It's fine if it does. I deserve this because it's all my fault that I spoke up and made you fight.

"I was just worried about Naomi, and I don't want Miles to ruin her. Just hit me and scold me all you want. I can take it."

He grabbed her hand and forced her to slap him twice. His already swollen cheeks immediately flushed red and showed streaks of blood.

Heather was heartbroken. She dragged him out and insisted on taking him to a doctor.

Just before leaving, she glanced back at me and warned that unless I apologized to Jared and took Naomi home, she wouldn't pay a single dollar of Naomi's hospital bills. With that, she led Jared away without hesitation.

I briefly watched them leave before heading out to find a nurse and schedule Naomi's tests.

By the time she was done with all the tests, night had fallen. I requested a nurse's help to keep an eye on her so I could run home, shower, and grab a change of clothes before returning for the night.

After arriving home, I scanned my fingerprint and entered the passcode, but the door wouldn't open. With only one more attempt before the security system went into a permanent lockout from too many failed tries, I frowned and called Heather.

Jared's voice came from the other end when the call was picked up. He arrogantly threatened that unless I knelt and begged him, I wouldn't be allowed inside.

"Heather says you've made too many mistakes and owe me an apology, so you need to be taught a lesson.

"Let's do it this way… Put your phone on the ground, and I want to hear you bang your head against the floor three times. I'll tell you the passcode if it's loud enough.

"Don't try any tricks, or I'll tell Heather, and it won't stop at just three."

I muttered a curse under my breath and told him to hand the phone to Heather. When she took it, she told me the same thing Jared did. She even urged me to hurry up and do as told, or I should forget about stepping into the house.

I sneered and spat, "Dream on!"

After hanging up, I called the property management team and had them send their men to pick the lock.

The apartment was registered under my name, so all the staff knew who I was. When I told them I had forgotten the passcode, they didn't ask questions and reset it for me.

Now, I was curious to see who would end up apologizing to whom.

After taking a shower, I packed Naomi's daily toiletries and rushed back to the hospital. I had just entered the room and barely sat when two police officers arrived and snapped handcuffs around my wrists.

"Someone reported you for a break-in and theft. Please come with us to assist with the investigation."

A crowd of patients and their families had gathered outside the hospital room to watch the show. Naomi sat up in bed and gave me a worried look.

I whispered a few words of comfort to her and asked the nurse to keep an eye on her before leaving with the police.

At the station, I presented my ID, marriage certificate, and property deed to prove that the apartment was mine. I explained that I had forced the door open only because I couldn't get in and that I had forgotten to tell my wife that I had reset the passcode.

After verifying everything, the police finally released me the following afternoon.

For fear that Naomi would worry, I raced back to the hospital, only to be told by the nurse that Heather had insisted on discharging Naomi that morning despite the doctor's objections.

I rushed home again. When I stepped through the door, I saw Jared playing video games while Heather fed him fruit and snacks like a devoted caretaker. They sat so close that when she fed him apple slices, their mouths were nearly touching.

I didn't bother with them, as I was too worried about Naomi.

After scanning the room, I finally spotted her in the kitchen. She was standing on a stool, washing vegetables and cooking pasta. Her face was pale as she tried to scoop the pasta onto a plate.

I rushed over, snatched the ladle from her, and carried her out of the kitchen.

I demanded to know why Heather had discharged Naomi and made her cook in the kitchen when she had just left the hospital. She hadn't recovered, and she was still so young, so what if she was scalded?

Heather glanced at us indifferently. "She's not sick or in pain, so keeping her in a hospital bed is just a waste of resources. It's better if she moves around in the house and builds her strength.

"I'm doing this for her health's sake because a little housework is good exercise. It's not like she's going to drop dead from cooking pasta, so what's the big deal?

"And if we're talking about her health, Jared cares far more than you do as a dad. He heard there's a specialist in the neighboring city who treats her condition, so he made an appointment to bring her over tomorrow.

"I've looked into the doctor's credentials. He's top-tier and one of the best in the country who can definitely cure her heart condition."

I eyed them suspiciously and wondered if she was telling the truth.

Seeing my hesitation, she thumped her chest and assured me everything would be fine. She even showed me a refund confirmation from the hotel, saying the money would go toward Naomi's treatment.

She was Naomi's biological mother, after all, so I wanted to believe that she wouldn't harm Naomi's life. Maybe the doctors here couldn't be of help, and a specialist elsewhere might offer a different approach.

With that thought, I didn't object and carried Naomi back to her room so she could rest. When I came out, the two of them were still cuddled together.

I didn't bother saying anything else and went into the kitchen to finish cooking the pasta. All Jared did was glance at me and say nothing.

Once the pasta was ready, I took it to Naomi before making sure she ate until she was full and took her medicine. Then, I quickly took a few bites myself and lay down to rest.

Heather and Jared were none of my concern. They weren't going to starve anyway.

The next day, I woke up at dawn and instinctively went to check on Naomi in her room. It was empty while Heather and Jared were gone.

I frantically called Heather, who picked up after several rings and told me that she was with Naomi. They were taking Naomi to a major hospital in the neighboring city for the specialist's appointment. She even sent me the location pin for a well-known hospital.

Slightly relieved, I hung up and got ready for work.

A second later, my phone screen lit up with a text from Naomi. It had just three simple words.

"Dad, save me!"