“Thank you, Winnie,” Jamie forced a smile.Standing upright, she walked with Winnie up the stairs, though the moment she lifted her leg, a sharp ache shot through her back. Ben had been rough with her earlier, venting his anger without a care for her discomfort.Noticing Jamie’s strained movements, Winnie gently held her arm. “Jamie, is your back acting up again?”“Yes… yeah,” Jamie mumbled evasively.Winnie’s concern deepened. “It’s no wonder, with how hard you’ve worked these past few years, taking on so many jobs. Your back wouldn’t be in this shape if you hadn’t pushed yourself so hard. You used to have no choice, but now you’ve got me and Jack. You don’t have to carry all the weight on your own.”Jamie could only swallow her pain. Winnie believed Jack’s presence would ease her burdens, yet in reality, it only added to her stress.Once they reached the bedroom, Winnie opened the wardrobe and pulled out a set of silk sheets. “Jack prepared these for you himself. He may not be
Ben had said he would come tonight, and he would keep his word.Finally, a knock echoed from outside her door.Jamie hesitated. She had locked the door. Maybe if she stayed in bed and pretended to be asleep, she could avoid this ordeal tonight. She would deal with the consequences of facing him tomorrow.But then her phone buzzed loudly, jarring in the quiet room. The knocking grew louder.She picked up her phone, and there was a message from Ben. “I know you’re not asleep. Either come over here and open the door, or I’ll keep knocking until I wake up Winnie. Let’s have her come in and watch the show.”Her heart sank. Just what kind of person would force her sister to witness something like that? It was beyond cruel.Jamie rushed to the door, tears streaming down her face. “Stop knocking, please.”“What, weren’t you pretending to be asleep just a moment ago?” Ben taunted, taking his time. Standing in the doorway, he reached out and grasped her neck, his tone low and mocking.
“I'm not trying to run. I was just going to close the door,” Jamie quickly explained, panic in her voice.There was no way she could leave now. Ben was already venting his anger on Winnie because of her, and if she walked away, she would be leaving her sister even more vulnerable.“Did I say you could close the door?” Ben’s tone was anything but satisfied.His fingers reached for her collar, and with one sharp tug, he tore it apart. “And I didn’t say you could walk. Remember our old dog? It always crawled around on all fours.”He paused, then let out a mocking chuckle. “But maybe you’ve forgotten all about that. Should I find a video to refresh your memory?”“I haven’t forgotten.” Jamie shook her head, her voice barely a whisper.That dog held so many happy memories for the two of them. She had planned to take it with her the day his mother showed up, forcing her to leave. But she had been stopped.His mother’s words were burned into her memory. “That money may seem like a fortu
Jamie lay in bed alone, tears flowing freely, soaking her pillow. She didn’t know how long she cried, but eventually, exhaustion overtook her, and she fell into a deep sleep.Ben didn’t sleep well that night either. He returned to his study, took a cold shower and sat at his desk. He then opened a drawer, pulling out an old photo of them together. He had never been able to throw it away. In the photo, they were nestled close, eyes filled with love for each other.But now, he despised Jamie, and Jamie clearly hated him too. Logic told him he should stay far away from her, yet he couldn’t bring himself to let go. Even if they were only left to hurt each other, he had accepted it.……The next morning, Winnie woke up to find the other side of the bed empty. She barely glanced at it before getting up, washing up, and heading next door to check on Jamie.She knocked at the door, but there was no response inside. This felt wrong.Though they hadn’t lived together for years, Winnie kne
Jamie shook her head. “I’m just really tired right now.”“Then keep sleeping. I’m relieved to see you’re okay.” Winnie stood up to leave, not wanting to disturb her further.She headed downstairs to make breakfast and set the table, then called Ben over to eat. After all he had done for her, she felt it was only right to show her gratitude by taking care of these small things.Once breakfast was over, Ben left for work, and Winnie sat on the couch, watching TV. Jamie continued sleeping until she woke up naturally. Glancing at the time, she quickly got ready and hurried downstairs. “Winnie, I overslept. I need to get to the hospital now.”“Wait, I already packed breakfast for you. Take it with you to eat on the way. Skipping breakfast will upset your stomach, and you know how sensitive it is.” Winnie dashed into the kitchen and returned with the packed breakfast.“I made two portions. One for you and one for Charlie.”“Thank you,” Jamie said, taking the breakfast but unable to m
“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have to spend all this money, Mom.”“That’s not true,” Jamie replied, hugging her son tightly. “You’re a gift from heaven, my most precious treasure. You’ve never been a burden to me.” Despite all the hardships over the years, she had never once regretted having him. He brought so much joy and purpose to her life.“But, Mom, what about the medical bills? I hate seeing you so tired,” Charlie said, looking up at her, his face full of worry. He didn’t fully understand the challenges, but he could see that making money was hard for her—otherwise, why would she look so stressed?Jamie fell silent, thinking it over. Even if she took on as many side jobs as possible, it would still take her at least two days to scrape together the $100 she needed, and the hospital wouldn’t give her that long. Besides, more bills were coming, and there was no way she could earn money fast enough to keep up with them.Unless… she used that card.There was over $10,000 in
Ryan followed her, saying, “Honestly, from the moment I saw you, I could tell something was off. If you need any help, just let me know. After all, we grew up together and were childhood friends.”Back then, he had a crush on Jamie. But when his family moved to another city, they lost touch, and those unspoken feelings faded, tucked away in the past. Now he had a girlfriend, and he knew he and Jamie weren’t meant to be. But for the sake of their shared history, he still wanted to help if he could.“Thanks, but there’s really nothing I need help with. I can manage everything on my own,” Jamie replied, pausing to thank him. She didn’t want to owe anyone any more favors. Ryan had his own life, and so did she; she didn’t want to pull him into her problems.“Alright, but if you don’t mind, could we sit down for a few minutes to catch up?” Ryan asked again.Jamie agreed, and they chatted briefly about their lives since they had last met. When Ryan heard that her child was sick, his exp
“Who are you? This hospital hallway has plenty of cameras. I’m warning you to watch yourself and don’t go bullying women in public!” Ryan rolled up his sleeves, ready to step in.Ben wasn’t the least bit intimidated. He had been into fitness since college, initially because Jamie liked men with abs, and eventually, it just became a habit. He loved the intense, sweaty workouts, and facing off against someone like Ryan barely registered as a challenge.“Don’t fight, please!” Jamie quickly stepped between them. She turned to Ryan. “I know him. Please, just go.”“But he was about to hurt you right in front of me, no less. If he’s this rough now, imagine what he’d do if I left!” Ryan protested, refusing to back down.Every word he said only added fuel to Ben’s already raging anger.Ben’s jaw clenched so tightly his teeth ground together. He had canceled a meeting, sped through traffic, and run countless red lights, all in a rush to make sure Jamie was safe. And what did he find? Jami