KATHLEEN'S POV
With nowhere else to go, I dragged my shaken body to the only place that had ever felt like home, my parents' house. The first news I got was about my mother's declining health. I met Maddie's panicked face the moment she opened the door.
"Kathleen, thank God you're here," she whispered, pulling me inside. "Aunty was rushed to the hospital. She's scheduled for surgery tomorrow."
Her voice trembled, and the living room felt emptier than it had ever felt in my childhood. I stood frozen in shock as she explained everything. The mounting medical bills, the bank threatening to take the house, the quiet suffering my parents had been hiding from me. My family was drowning, and I had been locked away, fighting for air in the Shaws' gilded cage.
The next morning, I rushed to the hospital. My mother lay on the bed, pale but peaceful, being prepped for surgery. My father held her hand with a bravery that cracked at the edges. I could see the fear behind his eyes, the one he was trying and failing to hide.
"I'm here now," I whispered, brushing a strand of hair from my mother's forehead, even though she was barely conscious.
"You're going to be fine, mom." I whispered.
Moments later, the nurses rolled her into the theatre. My father and I stood together in the hallway in thick silence, united by helplessness.
Then my phone rang. My mother-in-law was calling.
I felt a chill rise beneath my skin before I even answered.
"Come to the company," she said curtly. "I want to see you."
Just an order.
I got there as fast as I could, and the moment I stepped into her office, she shoved the divorce papers across the table again.
"Here," she said sharply. "Sign the papers. I will give you enough money to take care of yourself and your family."
I stared at the documents, feeling a mix of anger and disbelief.
"I told you already," I said, my voice cracking with frustration, "I won't divorce Jeremy. I have never been after your family's wealth."
I pushed back my chair and stood, intending to leave because I felt insulted.
But then my phone rang again. This time it was my dad.
He sounded shaken over the phone.
"Your mother was just brought out of the theatre prematurely. She's still under anesthesia. The surgery has been put on hold and the doctors are not willing to give me a reason."
My knees almost gave way.
"What? What do you mean they won't say why?" My voice echoed across her office.
I turned just in time to catch the smile on my mother-in-law's face. I lowered my phone slowly with trembling hands.
"Do you get the message now?" She looked up at me.
She had put a stop to my mother's surgery because she was Mildred Shaw. The hospital belongs to the Shaw family and because she had the power to, she toyed with my mother's life.
It was either my mother's life… or the divorce.
I still needed to prove my innocence. Without it, I would lose everything. My husband, my home, my child's future. Sean was my only hope, and no matter how many times I tried calling him, his phone was switched off.
He had disappeared.
Out of desperation, I ran to Jeremy. I met him drinking himself away at a bar. He was trying to drown the hurt he felt from my betrayal which never happened.
I didn't care that we were in a public space, my mother's life was at stake. I fell to my knees and grabbed his hands.
"Please," I cried, "my mother's surgery has been put on hold. You're the only one who can rectify this. Please talk to the doctors. Please help her. Please save her."
I begged earnestly on my knees.
Instead, Jeremy pulled his hands away like my touch burned him. His eyes were filled with hurt and betrayal he believed was real.
"Go and bring Sean here to deny everything he said," he replied coldly. "Only then will I save your mother."
My heart shattered into a million pieces. And so did my hope.
By the time I returned to the hospital, they had moved my mother back to her room. She was still unconscious, caught in a haze of anesthesia. I stood at her bedside, holding her limp hand, wishing I could trade places with her, wishing I could protect her from all this chaos.
I stepped out into the hallway and walked to the reception to catch my breath. My pending doomed marriage, my family's looming debt and my mother's life at stake was taking a toll on me. I was starting to experience slight pains in my abdomen— my baby.
I was walking along the hallway, when a doctor and several nurses sprinted past me, heading straight for my mother's room.
Panic surged through me instantly.
A few minutes later, the doctor came out to me.
"Your mother went into shock. We were able to make her stable again."
I heaved a sigh of relief.
"But…" the doctor continued, "we cannot guarantee how stable she will remain."
"What do you mean, doc?" Fear written all over my voice.
"Your mother needs to get her surgery done as soon as possible." the doctor said, as he turned to walk away.