Chapter 4
Irene's POV
Eric stared at the document, his eyes narrowing slowly.
My heart nearly stopped.
He'd found it.
Suddenly, frantic knocking erupted outside the door.
"Mr. Vanderbilt!" Selena's assistant's voice was panicked. "Ms. Sterling had an accident! She fell down the stairs!"
Eric's head snapped up.
"The doctor says she might have broken her ankle. She's hysterical—please, you need to come now!" The assistant's voice grew more urgent.
Eric hastily scrawled his signature on the last page, thrust the documents back into my hands, and rushed out of the changing room.
I leaned against the wall, my legs giving out.
Looking down at the signed divorce papers in my hands, I was trembling.
It worked.
I was finally free.
Over the next few days, Eric changed suddenly.
He started transferring money constantly, claiming his "business was picking up"—substantial sums each time.
He'd text asking about Leo's condition. He even offered to come with us to the hospital.
I knew what he was doing—trying to make up for everything. Maybe hearing about Leo's illness on that yacht had finally awakened his conscience.
But it was too late. All too late.
I took the money but made excuses to refuse every request to meet. I'd already contacted a hospital in another city, preparing to take Leo there for surgery.
The divorce papers were signed. I didn't want another second of connection with him.
That afternoon, the hospital room door opened.
Eric walked in carrying an elegant food container. He typed on his phone and held it up: "I brought Leo his favorite burger."
Leo was lying in bed watching cartoons. He turned at the sound, his eyes lighting up instantly. "Daddy!"
Eric walked to the bedside and handed Leo the container. Leo opened it excitedly—inside was a kids' meal burger with fries and a small toy.
"Daddy, I've wanted this for SO long!" Leo's eyes crinkled with joy. "But Mom said it was too expensive..."
He suddenly realized he'd said the wrong thing and glanced at me nervously.
My heart felt like it was being sliced open.
Eric looked at Leo, something complicated flickering in his eyes. He typed on his phone: "You can have whatever you want. Daddy will buy it for you."
Leo's face lit up. "Really? Then I want..." He thought for a moment, then said carefully, "I want a chocolate cake from the shop downstairs! The one with the teddy bear on top!"
Eric nodded and turned to leave.
"Daddy!" Leo suddenly called out. "Can I come with you? I want to watch you buy it!"
He looked at me pleadingly.
I watched them both, emotions churning inside me. As much as I hated Eric, I couldn't bring myself to interrupt their last moments as father and son.
After all, they might never see each other again.
"Go ahead," I finally said. "Hold Daddy's hand. Don't run off."
Leo happily jumped down from the bed and took Eric's hand.
I continued packing. The surgery was scheduled for next week. Tomorrow we'd be leaving this city.
After a while, rain suddenly began to fall outside.
I watched it grow heavier through the window, sighed, and grabbed an umbrella to bring down to them.
The elevator doors opened. I'd just reached the lobby when I saw the scene through the window.
Across the street, Eric stood at the entrance of a dessert shop, holding a pink cake box.
Leo stood on the sidewalk on this side of the street, waving excitedly at Eric.
Red light.
My heart seized.
"Leo!" I rushed toward the door.
But it was too late.
Seeing the cake in his father's hands, Leo was too excited to notice the red light. He ran straight into the street.
"Daddy! Daddy! I can see the bear!" He shouted with a laugh, his little face full of innocent joy.
Suddenly, a car came careening out of control around the corner, barreling straight toward Leo. The driver blared the horn—a piercing sound that tore through the air.
I saw Eric's expression change.
His mouth opened. A sound seemed to catch in his throat.
But in that instant, he stopped.
His lips trembled, but nothing came out.
He hesitated.
Just for one second.
Leo kept running, laughing, thinking Daddy was waving at him.
"NO—!" I screamed, running outside.
At the last possible moment, a man lunged forward from the side, throwing himself at Leo and shoving him out of the way.
Leo hit the wet pavement hard with a cry of pain. The stranger was clipped by the car and collapsed to the ground, blood quickly staining the rainwater red.
"Leo! Leo!" I ran over and dropped to my knees, scooping up my son. His arm was badly hurt from the fall, and he was sobbing.
I looked up at Eric as he rushed over, his face white as paper.
"What the HELL were you doing?!" I finally exploded, slapping him hard across the face. "Why didn't you YELL?! You just STOOD there WATCHING?!"
Eric looked like he'd been struck by lightning. He fumbled frantically for his phone, trying to type.
I snatched the phone from his hands and hurled it to the ground.
"STOP typing!" I screamed, tears mixing with rain streaming down my face. "Just stay MUTE for the rest of your goddamn life!"
I picked up Leo and ran back into the hospital.
Over the next week, Eric came to the hospital every day. But I refused to see him, and I wouldn't let Leo see him either.
He'd stand outside the door for hours. When nurses came to reason with me, I'd say: "Tell him to leave. I don't want to see him."
He tried writing explanations on paper, sliding them under the door. I tore up every single note without reading them.
On the eighth morning, I dressed Leo.
"Mommy, where are we going?" Leo asked, carefully moving his casted arm.
"To a city where they can make you better," I said gently, helping him tie his shoes.
"Without Daddy?"
My hands froze.
"Leo," I crouched down to look at him. "Daddy... Daddy lied to us. Mommy doesn't want to bring him. Is that okay?"
Leo looked at me, then suddenly reached up to wipe the tears from my face.
"Don't cry, Mommy." His voice choked. "I just need you. Daddy... Daddy doesn't want us anymore, right?"
"No, sweetheart." I held him tight. "Mommy doesn't want HIM anymore."
I left the divorce papers on the bedside table, took one last look at the room, then took Leo's hand and walked out.
Eric's POV
On the eighth morning, I stood in the hospital corridor holding a massive bouquet of pink roses and Leo's favorite Transformer toy.
All week, Irene had refused to see me. I understood—she was angry.
But today was different.
Today the bet officially ended. I could speak again.
I was going to tell her the truth, tell her how torturous these three years had been. I was going to explain my hesitation at the roadside that day—it wasn't that I didn't want to shout, I just... I just thought about the bet.
I took a deep breath and pushed open the hospital room door.
"Irene, I—" The words died in my throat.
The room was empty.
The bed had been stripped clean. The curtains were drawn open. Sunlight poured in, so bright I could barely open my eyes.
On the bedside table lay a document.
I walked over, my hand trembling as I picked it up.
Divorce papers.
With my signature. And hers.
On the last page, she'd left one line:
"Eric, did you win the bet? Congratulations."
