HE LOST HIS DAUGHTER ONCE, NOW HE’S A RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE

PROVE HER THE TRUTH

A deep chill spread through Brandon’s heart as Maggie lost consciousness.

Terrified and desperate, he rushed his her to the hospital.

After two agonizing hours of emergency rescue, Dr. Evans finally stepped out of the operating room with a heavy expression and led Brandon to a secluded corner of the hallway.

“I’m very sorry to tell you this, but her condition is not looking good,” Dr. Evans said.

“What do you mean?” Brandon’s hands shook violently. “Maggie was fine this morning. She was talking about her birthday and she wanted to go to school.”

“Maggie’s illness is affecting both her nerves and her heart,” Dr. Evans explained carefully. “She must have experienced some emotional stress, whether from fear, excitement, or shock, whatever it might be. Her body can no longer handle strong emotional reactions. The strain on her heart is becoming too dangerous.”

He paused before continuing in a heavier voice.

“You need to understand this, Brandon. If it happens another time… her heart may not survive it.”

Brandon felt like he was going to lose Maggie. Fear and guilt twisted together inside him.

He could not even get her mom to stay with her for a while.

Now she was in the hospital because of him.

“Can I go see her?” Brandon asked, as the doctor shook his head.

“She needs absolute rest and complete quiet for now,” the doctor said gently. “We still need to monitor her condition closely. Please stay nearby for a little while longer, and once she’s stable enough, I’ll personally let you see her. I promise.”

Brandon took in deep breaths as the doctor patted Brandon on the shoulder and walked away.

He then walked to the vending machine to grab a water bottle, but all he could see were Maggie’s favorite drinks staring back at him.

That was when he saw something that made his body stop moving.

He turned to the side and saw Lyra and Jake.

Jake was standing close to Lyra, holding her hands in his

Brandon watched as Jake pulled Lyra forward and wrapped his arms around her, and she did not push him away.

Something cold settled heavily in Brandon’s chest.

His daughter was sick down the hall, and his wife was here in another man’s arms.

He walked toward them slowly, his footsteps echoing across the hospital floor.

“Are you having the best time of your life, Lyra?”

Lyra pulled away from Jake, turning to Brandon.

Her face turned red immediately.

“Brandon, what the fuck are you doing here? Did you follow me here? Oh my God, you are the worst.”

Brandon let out a cold laugh. “Follow you?”

“Yes!” Lyra snapped immediately. “I came here because Jake’s son was sick, but you were so jealous and suspicious that you followed me all the way to the hospital. Do you know how ridiculous that is? Honestly, Brandon, you’re acting paranoid and pathetic right now.”

Jake held his hands up in surrender.

“Brandon, Please don’t be mad at Lyra. My little boy got a bad stomach upset this morning, and I was so scared. Lyra was the only person I could think of calling. ”

Brandon turned to Jake, then looked at Lyra.

Jake was being so nice and gentle, but Brandon could tell this was all an act.

“He does not deserve your kindness.” Lyra said in a cold and sharp manner. “Just ignore him. Let’s go take care of Leo.”

That was when a nurse came out of a room nearby, holding a clipboard.

“Is there a family member of Leo here? We have the medicine and follow-up plans ready.”

“I will take care of it,” Lyra said right away.

She walked past Brandon like he was not there. She took the clipboard naturally, like she had done this many times before. 

As she rattled off the boy's allergies, exact medication schedules, and personal preferences to the nurse with practiced ease, the words felt like physical blows to Brandon.

She knew every intimate detail of Jake’s son’s health, yet she had dismissed her own daughter’s terminal illness as a lie. Standing there, Brandon found his wife was more of a mother to another man's child than she had ever been to her own dying daughter.

Suddenly, a little boy who was seven years old ran out.

“Mommy Lyra!” the boy exclaimed happily.

He did not even look at Jake.

He ran to Lyra and put his arms around her legs, putting his face on her dress.

“My tummy feels better and I want to go home. Can you tell me a story in the car, the one about the robots in space, please?”

Lyra’s face changed in a way that Brandon had not seen in a very long time.

Brandon had never seen her look at Maggie that gently.

She put the papers down on a chair, got down on the cold floor while putting her arms around the little boy.

She hugged him tightly, touching his hair with her fingers.

“Oh, Leo, you naughty boy,” Lyra said to him in a soft voice, but anyone could tell she was not really upset with him. Her voice was warm and sweet. “You should not run in the hospital hallways, moreover you're still recovering, so need to save your energy.”

“What about my story?”

“If you promise to take your medicine along with nutritious food and fruits, I will tell you two stories in the car. Deal?”

“Deal,” Leo chuckled, then kissed her cheek.

Brandon stood there with his fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms.

Just down the hall, her own daughter was lying weak and unconscious in a hospital bed, yet Lyra did not even seem to care. Instead, she stood here comforting someone else’s child, coaxing him softly and holding him with a tenderness she rarely showed Maggie.

Not once did Lyra ask why Brandon was at the hospital. She had concluded he was here to spy on her.

“Funny,” Brandon said coldly. “He looks healthy enough to run around the hallway asking for bedtime stories, yet this is the emergency you were called for?”

Lyra stood up immediately, anger flashing across her face, as she slowly pushed Leo behind Jake’s legs.

“Are you not done yet, Brandon? Are you seriously causing trouble again? I’m so tired of the way you’re acting. Look at yourself, making fun of a child just to be mean, throwing a tantrum.”

“I am not throwing a tantrum.”

“Yes, you are!” Lyra snapped, jabbing a finger against his chest. “In your twisted mind, you still think you can use our daughter to control my personal life. You thought if you caused a big enough scene, I would leave Leo and run back home with you. That’s why you followed me here, isn’t it?”

Her voice rose with frustration.

“And stop using Maggie to manipulate me! She was perfectly fine when I left for the hospital. So what exactly are you trying to prove here, Brandon?”

“Our daughter is lying on a hospital bed fighting for her life.”

“Not this again…”

“Now that you’ve finished with Jake’s problems, how about you focus on your own problems?”

“Which is what? You?”

“No,” Brandon smiled faintly. “I’m the least of your problems. Right now, our daughter is coughing up blood and in the emergency ward, while you stand here worrying about someone else’s child.”

Lyra scoffed immediately, shaking her head in disbelief. “Do you really expect me to believe this again?”

“If I’m lying, Lyra, then how about we prove it right now?”

“What are you saying?”

“Our daughter is in the next room, Lyra,” Brandon said quietly. “If you think I’m lying, then come with me. Open that door and see the truth for yourself. Maggie is lying in that hospital bed right now, hooked up to machines with blood still on her clothes. If you still think I’m lying after seeing her, then I’ll never say another word about it again.”