The room fell into a heavy silence. Billy was paralyzed, unable to speak. Chad looked utterly lost, while the Roschilds stood back, stunned by the drama unfolding before them. The doctor remained quiet, realizing there was nothing here for him to fix but physical ailments. Despite the tension, Vincent smirked. He could almost hear the gears turning in Billy's head as the man scrambled for a way to manipulate the situation and escape. Finally, Vincent broke the silence.
"Just do a DNA test... a quick swab and it's settled. Conveniently, we're already in a hospital," Vincent said nonchalantly.
Billy snapped his head toward Vincent. His face was a flickering mask of rage, panic, and fear, finally settling back into anger. The gears in his head had clearly ground to a halt; there was no way out of this one.
"You ungrateful brat!" Billy screamed, raising his hand.
But this time, someone caught Billy's wrist. Vincent looked on, surprised to see Richard stepping forward to intercept the blow. Sofia immediately moved to stand beside Vincent, as if shielding him. Their sudden protectiveness sent a shiver down Vincent's spine.
"That's enough. No more violence," Richard said, his voice firm and cold. "Now, I am asking you seriously: who actually hurt Sarah by dragging her to the middle of that bridge?"
"He did, sir. Like I said, I'm willing to swear to it in court," Vincent answered instantly, pointing straight at Chad's face.
Richard turned a chilling gaze on Chad. The boy flinched, stepping back with a pale face and trembling lips, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
"You claimed he was the one who took Sarah out there because he wanted to show off," Richard said. His voice was calm, but it carried a heavy, dangerous depth.
"I... yes, sir... that's right... h-he's the one who pulled her out because he has a crush on Sarah... then when the water rose, he let go of her because he's a coward... and then he jumped in to save her. That's right, sir," Chad stammered, his story falling apart into a mess of contradictions.
Richard, who was clearly no fool, caught every slip. He let go of Billy's hand and walked toward Chad. He stood directly in front of the pale boy, looming over him.
"You're telling me he let go of her and ran because he's a coward, but then he threw himself into the river to save her? Do you even hear what you're saying?" Richard asked, his irritation beginning to show.
"Mr. Roschild, perhaps what he meant was—"
Richard cut his eyes toward Billy, who jumped at the look. Richard studied Billy's face, then Chad's.
"Hmm... why are you jumping in to answer for him? What exactly is your relationship with this boy? You seem very desperate to protect him," Richard asked. The question laid everything bare.
Billy went silent, cornered by Richard's bluntness. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Heather continued to watch Billy, her face a whirlwind of pain, confusion, doubt, and a thousand unanswered questions, though she remained silent. Richard, looking exhausted by the whole ordeal, finally turned back to Chad.
"Here's how it's going to go. When Sarah wakes up, we'll ask her who dragged her into the river. There's no point in us arguing here. But I want one thing to be very clear to you: if Sarah says you were the one who pulled her out there, I will pull all my funding from your school and I will sue you. Understood?"
Chad gasped. For the first time, he looked truly cornered. The arrogance had drained from his face, replaced by the look of someone seeing true terror for the first time in his life. Suddenly, Billy stepped forward.
"Mr. Richard, maybe we can talk about this reasonably... let's not be hasty with talk of lawsu—"
"Shut up," Richard snapped, cutting Billy off so sharply that everyone in the room flinched, Vincent included. "Like I asked before, what is your business with this boy? If there's no connection, stay out of it. Am I clear?"
"That's enough, dear. Let's go back to Sarah's room," Sophia said, stepping in to keep her husband from exploding.
Richard looked at his wife, then shot one last look at Chad and Billy before walking out with her. The room went quiet again. Chad looked like his soul had left his body. Billy glared at the smirking Vincent with pure venom.
"Why are you looking at me, Uncle? Look over there," Vincent said, gesturing toward Heather.
Billy turned to see Heather staring at him, studying him as if she were looking at a stranger wearing her husband's face. Billy rubbed his face and forced a smile. He walked toward his wife, reaching out his hand.
"You don't believe his lies, do you?" Billy asked softly, a smile on his lips that didn't reach his eyes.
Heather stepped back, pulling her hand away. She stared at him in silence, her eyes beginning to redden.
"What? You don't trust me?" Billy asked, his face a picture of feigned disappointment and hurt.
"I don't know. I feel like I don't even know you. Please don't come home. I want to be alone," Heather replied.
"What? Why are you telling me I can't come to our house?"
"It's not our house. It's mine. The deed is in my name, inherited from my grandfather before we married. So, while I'm still trying to speak to you calmly: please, stay somewhere else until this is settled," Heather said.
"I have a suggestion, Auntie. Hire a private investigator. They'll get proof of an affair in no time for the divorce. Infidelity is solid grounds for divorce in this state, right?" Vincent chimed in.
"Shut up!" Billy roared, turning to raise his hand again.
"Enough! You be quiet, Vincent. And Billy, you need to leave. Now. And you too... whatever your name is," Heather snapped, finally exploding at Billy while Chad caught the stray shrapnel.
Heather walked to the side of the bed and gripped Vincent's shoulders, her eyes fixed on Billy, her face full of rage. Realizing he could no longer control his wife, Billy finally stormed out of the room, followed by Chad, who looked like a kicked puppy. Once they were gone, Heather went to the door and shut it. With a calm, steady gait, she returned to the bedside, pulled up a chair, and sat down—an act that left Vincent completely baffled, as it had never happened before.
To Vincent, Heather had always been the silent type, never speaking up. He had resented her for it. When everyone was accusing him of hurting Sarah—when they were saying he deserved to lose his arm—Heather had just stood there, never defending him.
"Vincent, I'm so sorry. I actually knew about Billy's plan to take your parents' inheritance and insurance because you were in a coma... and yesterday, when he heard your arm was damaged but could still be saved, he planned to give the doctors permission to amputate because of the 'cost'... forgive me for staying silent and not defending you when you needed me," Heather said, looking down. Her face was etched with a deep regret, as if she had seen the truth long ago but had failed to act.
Vincent was speechless. He didn't know what to say. In his past life, he had assumed Heather was just like Billy—even though he now remembered it was always Billy asking him for money, just using Heather's name as an excuse. Confused, Vincent raised his hand and rubbed his head, watching his aunt sit beside him, crying in silence.