Samuel grabbed his car keys and bolted out of the house. Lucas and I had no choice but to follow him as he sped toward the hospital.

However, Samuel must have been running too quickly to stop himself in time, for he ran into a man in a tailored suit at the hospital lobby.

I knew the man. He was none other than Kendall.

Kendall staggered backward upon impact. When he regained his footing and saw Samuel, shock colored his expression. "My, my, if it isn't the brilliant upstart, Mr. Hawthorne. What are you doing here at this late hour, and running as if your life depended on it, no less?"

Samuel gave a hurried apology before stepping past Kendall and hurtling for the elevators. Kendall, highly amused by Samuel's flustered behavior, quickly followed him to the hematology ward.

Francine wasn't in the ward, so Samuel rushed into her attending doctor's office instead. It was only after he'd

A pin-drop silence filled the room, broken only by the sound of Lucas playing with another little lost soul he'd just met.

I stared at Samuel, wondering what expression he wore that he'd heard someone else announce my death once again. However, much like the last time he heard it, he frowned before his lips curled sardonically.

"I didn't think you'd still be so concerned about my wife, Mr. Lowry. I don't even know if she's dead or alive, yet you seem so certain that it's the former. What, did she tell you that personally? Or have you been cavorting with her under my nose for the last few years?

"Is sneaking around your idea of excitement?" Samuel chuckled dryly. "Not that I care. She's filthy, and I'd rather not get my hands dirty by touching her. If you want to have fun with her, go ahead."

My heart shattered at his words, and my eyes prickled with what I presumed were oncoming tear

I discovered a strange phenomenon.

As long as Lucas and I followed Samuel, we could leave the place we'd always been tethered to. Lucas was getting bored with the cottage after spending the last three years here, so I was happy to take him out to see the world.

He was thrilled and couldn't stop drinking in the new sights around him, gasping and making sounds of amazement constantly. However, it seemed that we couldn't stray too far from Samuel.

We ended up following Samuel to his villa.

Lucas' jaw dropped when he saw the opulent villa. He'd lived here until he was two, but the years must have whittled away his memories of the place. While Lucas flew around in curious excitement, I tailed Samuel into his study.

I watched as Samuel called the bank and instructed them to block my supplementary credit card. If he'd been more attentive, he would have realized that he hadn't received any bills on that card for the last three years, and that the money in the card hadn't been touched.

He thought I'd appear within the week if he disrupted my finances. After all, Lucas' uremia meant that he had to go through routine dialysis until he received a kidney transplant. With a twice-weekly dialysis to pay for, I couldn't go without money.

After Samuel had blocked the card, he pulled up his phone gallery and stared at the picture on his screen, falling into deep thought. I drifted over and hovered behind him, only to see him staring at the picture I'd posted on Instagram.

It was a picture of him and Lucas. The resemblance between them was uncanny. They both had the same broad forehead, thick lashes, and large eyes. Even their eyebrows were arched the same way. Such was the magic of genetics.

Samuel was no fool. Naturally, he saw the resemblance, too.

A piercing ringtone shattered the silence in the study. It was a call from the hospital. As it turned out, Francine had fainted.

Samuel grabbed his car keys and bolted out of the house. Lucas and I had no choice but to follow him as he sped toward the hospital.

However, Samuel must have been running too quickly to stop himself in time, for he ran into a man in a tailored suit at the hospital lobby.

I knew the man. He was none other than Kendall.

Kendall staggered backward upon impact. When he regained his footing and saw Samuel, shock colored his expression. "My, my, if it isn't the brilliant upstart, Mr. Hawthorne. What are you doing here at this late hour, and running as if your life depended on it, no less?"

Samuel gave a hurried apology before stepping past Kendall and hurtling for the elevators. Kendall, highly amused by Samuel's flustered behavior, quickly followed him to the hematology ward.

Francine wasn't in the ward, so Samuel rushed into her attending doctor's office instead. It was only after he'd learned that Francine was in the observation room and that she hadn't passed out but only felt dizz

Chapter 7