Chapter 4

I woke up in a hospital corridor.

No private room or hospital bed.

I was sprawled across a hard bench outside the emergency department, covered with an old jacket a nurse had kindly draped over me.

"You're awake?" The cleaning lady nearby glanced at me.

"Your wife dropped you off at the ER and left. Said she was heading to Cardiology to stay with another man who was practically at death's door."

I didn't respond. Bracing myself against the bench, I slowly sat up.

My stomach still hurt.

I pulled out my phone.

There was an unread message on the screen. It was from the hospital.

"Patient Victor Holloway was pronounced deceased at 2:14 a.m. today due to heart failure after his medication was discontinued due to nonpayment. Please contact the hospital as soon as possible to complete the necessary procedures."

My hand trembled. The phone slipped from my fingers and hit the floor.

2:14 a.m.

That was when I was unconscious after drinking that glass of liquor and coughing up blood at the gala.

Emmy had brought Corbin away. She never paid the bill. She used my father's life to force me to bow my head and destroy my reputation.

Then she stood by and watched him die.

A cold numbness spread through my body, but not a single tear fell.

-

I met Emmy and Corbin again in the hospital corridor.

Behind them was a crowd of reporters, livestreamers, and content creators holding up their phones.

The cameras immediately swung toward me.

"Grayson Holloway, last night you deliberately pretended to cough up blood at the gala. Then you took advantage of the chaos and shoved Corbin, nearly killing him!"

Emmy stopped in front of me. Her voice was sharp and severe. "Get on your knees and apologize to him. Right now."

The reporters immediately joined in. Accusations flew from every direction.

I ignored all of them as my eyes remained fixed on Emmy.

"My father is dead. He died at 2:14 this morning. You cut off his medication, and he died."

Emmy frowned.

"Are you seriously still pretending? I already checked. You never even went to the morgue. You're just using another pathetic excuse to avoid responsibility."

Corbin spoke softly from beside her, "Grayson, please stop lying about Mr. Holloway's death. If you'll just admit you were jealous of me and deliberately tried to hurt me, I promise I won't pursue legal action."

Camera flashes exploded around us. Everyone wanted a confession for me to admit I was guilty.

I stood up. Then I snatched the phone from a reporter who was livestreaming nearby.

Emmy's face darkened immediately, and she reached for the phone. "Grayson! What are you doing?"

I spun around, shoved open the door to the emergency stairwell, and locked it behind me.

Then I ran up the stairs all the way to the rooftop.

The wind was fierce. It lashed against my face.

I walked to the edge, climbed over the guardrail, and stood on the narrow concrete ledge suspended above open air.

Holding the phone high, I looked at the livestream. The screen was flooded with comments calling me a psycho and a murderer.

I spoke directly into the camera, my voice completely flat. "My name is Grayson Holloway. My wife, Emmy Winslow, never died. Five years ago, she faked her death in a car accident to escape our marriage. She is suspected of fraudulently obtaining a death certificate and transferring assets under a false identity."

The scrolling comments paused for a second. Then they exploded even faster than before.

I continued, "Corbin Ellery was once my closest friend. Five years ago, he wore a specially made synthetic skin suit and posed as the robot butler in our home while carrying on an affair with Emmy right under my nose.

"I am not mentally ill. Last night, Emmy used my father's medical expenses to blackmail me into publicly declaring myself insane. At 2:14 this morning, she cut off my father's treatment payments. My father died as a result."

A violent crash echoed behind me as someone slammed into the rooftop door.

"Grayson! Get down here right now!" Emmy's furious voice rang out through the metal door.

I looked into the camera and delivered my final statement.

"If I jump from this roof today, I do so to prove my innocence. I ask law enforcement to immediately investigate Emmy's fake death, asset transfers, and all related financial crimes."

With a deafening bang, someone kicked the metal door open. Emmy charged onto the roof. The moment she saw me standing on the edge, she froze.

"Grayson! Don't move!" She stretched a hand toward me. For the first time, her voice trembled. "Please come down! I'll pay your father's bills right now! I'll take you to see him immediately!"

But my father was already dead. Even now, she was still trying to deceive me with him.

I looked at Emmy. I didn't smile or cry.

I released my grip, and the phone fell straight toward the ground below.

Then, right in front of her eyes, I tilted my head back and let myself fall backward.