He had ignored every message, as he always did. Yet, scrolling through the unread green bubbles, a strange pang of guilt surfaced. Amber's patience, her willingness to stay even when he neglected her, should have been comforting. Instead, it unsettled him.
But before he could dwell on it further, Iris's call came through. In an instant, Amber's texts were forgotten, replaced by Iris's familiar voice.
He arrived at the hospital with the cake in hand, only to find an unexpected scene: his stepmother, Sonya, standing in Iris's room with Amber by her side.
The moment Calvin entered, his face darkened. He didn't wait for explanations. His eyes narrowed as he barked, "Who told you to bring her here to see Iris?"
Before Amber could respond, Calvin's temper erupted. His hand shot out, gripping her wrist tightly as he dragged her out into the hallway.
With a forceful shove, he slammed her against the cold tiled wall. The impact sent a jolt of pain up Amber's spine.
"I didn't... Ah!" she gasped, her voice trembling as she winced, instinctively trying to free her wrist from his iron grip.