Chapter 19

"If you've ever loved her, let her live her life because you're in no position to provide that for her now. All you do is hurt her!" I had no idea what the caller's true intentions were. The more they spoke, the clearer their goal was to make me leave Ophelia and disappear from her life. If my guess was right, Hayden was the only one other than Ophelia who'd want me gone. I smiled bitterly. "I already said I'm not leaving." Before they could respond, I hung up and immediately blocked the number. I got back onto the hospital bed, and my stomach churned with discomfort. I took a few more painkillers for the pain to subside a little. The dark night was quiet, but my heart remained restless. The next morning, I woke up to the nurse approaching me with an update. "Your mother's condition has stabilized, but she still needs close observation. Here's the bill. Please settle it as soon as you can." I glanced at the bill, and the numbers on it felt as if they were a relentless tide. Th