Chapter 2

The next day, I was awakened by a nurse’s urgent voice.

The moment I opened my eyes, I saw my daughter’s nearly bloodless face, and my heart clenched. I hurriedly asked, nearly tripping over myself.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Nurse, how is my daughter?”

“Mr. Carter, Star’s illness really can’t wait any longer. If we delay further, her life will be in danger.”

The nurse looked worried, but she still told me the truth about Star’s condition.

The world went silent in an instant. All I could hear was Star’s increasingly faint breathing.

“Daddy…”

“Emergency! Emergency! The patient in Bed 08 has suffered sudden heart failure and needs immediate surgery!”

The nurse’s scream and the roar of the machines suddenly poured into my ears. I ran over, grabbed Star’s hand, and sprinted alongside the surgical gurney.

“Daddy’s here. Daddy’s here.”

“Don’t be scared, Star. You just need to sleep for a while. Everything will be fine when you wake up.”

“Daddy… Has Mommy forgiven me?”

Star was rushed into the operating room. My entire body trembled, and I didn’t even notice the large amount of blood pouring from my nose.

With no other choice, I called Sophie again.

But the moment the call connected, a man’s voice came from the other end, followed by a mocking laugh.

“Looks like the ex-husband is here.”

All the blood in my body seemed to freeze. Even so, I forced down my emotions and spoke.

“Put her on. I need to talk to her.”

Sophie’s impatient voice soon came through, as if she were dealing with an annoying chore.

“What is it now?”

My voice trembled, and I couldn’t control my roar.

“Something really happened to Star! Can you save her?”

There was a two-second silence on the other end before another mocking laugh came through.

“Ethan, you’re using this excuse to fool me again? Do you really think I’m that easy to deceive?”

Noah chimed in from the side as if he were watching a joke, but the next moment, his voice turned wounded.

“That’s hilarious.”

“Don’t believe him, Sophie. He cheated on you. Besides, if he hadn’t ruined both my hands, I wouldn’t have become a useless cripple.”

When Sophie heard that, she softly comforted him, completely ignoring my presence.

“Don’t be scared. I’m here. He won’t hurt you again.”

The hospital was filled with noise, but standing there, I felt as if the air itself had frozen into frost. It was terrifyingly cold.

I heard myself speak again, my voice full of desperation.

“Sophie, I’m the one who cheated. I’m the one who ruined your relationship with him. I’m the one who injured his wrists. It was all my fault. But Star is innocent.”

“She only praised her teacher and said she was beautiful. Sophie, please save her…”

Sophie’s arrogant voice came through again, as if she were the ruler of the world.

“Fine. You know this is your fault, right? If you want me to save her, kneel down and apologize to Noah!”