His face had turned an alarming shade of red, and his breathing became increasingly labored. Each sob seemed to drain what
little strength remained in his weakened body.
“She told me what to say,” he hiccupped, struggling to get the words out. “Rachel said if I didn’t say those things, you would take me away from Daddy forever.”
I felt something crack inside me. The wall I’d built around my heart began to crumble at the edges. This was my son–my baby- regardless of the pain he’d caused me.
“Oliver, you need to calm down,” I said, my professional instincts kicking in. “Your body can’t handle this stress right now.”
But he only clung tighter, his tiny body trembling violently.
“I’m s–sorry,” he stammered, looking up at me with tear–filled eyes. “I d–don’t want Rachel. I w–want you!”
Sarah reached for the call button, concerned about his deteriorating condition. The monitors were beeping frantically, warning us that his heart rate was dangerously elevated.
“Oliver, please,” I said, my voice softening despite my resolve. “You need to lie down.”
“NO!” he screamed, his voice breaking. “You’ll leave if I let go!”
The commotion drew attention from outside the room. The door burst open, and Derek rushed in, his eyes widening at the scene before him.
“What’s happening?” he demanded, then froze when he saw Oliver on the floor, clinging desperately to my legs.
The sight of our son–red–faced, sobbing uncontrollably, barely able to breathe–seemed to break something in Derek too. His face crumpled, and he fell to his knees beside Oliver.
“Son, you need to get back in bed,” he said gently, reaching for Oliver.
“She’s going to leave us, Daddy!” Oliver cried, refusing to loosen his grip on me. “She doesn’t want us anymore!”
Derek’s eyes met mine, filled with a desperation I’d never seen before. Then, to my complete shock, he too bowed his head and took hold of the hem of my scrubs.
“Olivia,” he pleaded, his voice breaking. “I know I was wrong. I was so wrong.”
1/4
Breaking Point
I stared down at them both, father and son kneeling at my feet, both of them begging for forgiveness I wasn’t sure I could give.
“I love you,” Derek continued, tears streaming down his face. “Oliver loves you. We were blinded by Rachel’s manipulation, but
now we see the truth.”
He pressed his forehead against my legs, next to where Oliver still clung.
“I’ll do anything,” he promised fervently. “I’ll beg the Pack Council to banish Rachel from our territory completely. She’ll never come near our family again.”
Oliver nodded vigorously, still struggling to catch his breath between sobs.
“I want you to be my only mommy,” he hiccupped. “Not Rachel. Never Rachel.”
I felt torn between the genuine pain I saw in their faces and the memory of their betrayal. Could I really trust them again? After everything they’d done?
“Derek,” I said quietly, “this isn’t the place-”
The door opened again, cutting me off mid–sentence. Rachel stood in the doorway, her expression changing rapidly from concern
to shock as she took in the scene before her.
“What’s going on here?” she asked, her voice high and brittle.
When she saw Derek kneeling at my feet, something dark flashed in her eyes. She stepped into the room, her whole body tense.
“Derek?” she said sharply. “What are you doing?”
Derek’s head snapped up, his expression hardening as he saw Rachel. He rose to his feet, placing himself between Rachel and
Oliver.
“Get out,” he said coldly. “You’ve done enough damage.‘
Rachel’s fake sweet demeanor vanished instantly. Her pretty features twisted into something ugly as rage took over.
“How dare you?” she spat, advancing toward Derek. “After everything I’ve done for you!”
She jabbed a finger at his chest, her voice rising to a screech.
“You lied to me! All this time!” she accused. “You told me you earned all the money, that you bought that house!”
Derek flinched but stood his ground. “Leave, Rachel. Now.”
“Why would I leave?” she laughed bitterly. “So you can crawl back to her? Do you think she’ll take you back after what we did?”
Her eyes darted to me, filled with malice. “He doesn’t love you. He never did. He was going to leave you the moment his company
started making money!”
Oliver whimpered, still clinging to my legs. His sobs had quieted, but his breathing remained dangerously irregular.
12/4
Breaking Point
“Stop it,” I said firmly, concerned for Oliver’s health. “This isn’t the place for this discussion.”
But Rachel was beyond reason. Years of hidden resentment came pouring out of her.
+20 Bonus
“You told me she was controlling!” she shouted at Derek. “You said she emasculated you by being the breadwinner! You said once
we got rid of her, we’d have everything!”
Derek’s face paled. “That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it?” Rachel challenged, stepping closer. “How else could you convince me to be with you? You were a loser then, and you’re an even bigger loser now!”
She turned to me, her eyes gleaming with vicious satisfaction.
“Did you know he approached me first when his company was failing? Asked me to help him win you back so he could keep access to your bank account?”
Derek lunged forward, grabbing Rachel’s arm. “Shut up!”
“Don’t touch me!” she shrieked, wrestling against his grip. “You pathetic excuse for a wolf!”
They grappled with each other, accusations flying between them like poisoned darts.
“You used me!” Rachel screamed.
“You manipulated my son!” Derek shouted back.
“You promised me everything!”
“You nearly killed Oliver!”
Their fight escalated, knocking over a medical tray with a crash. Sarah moved protectively toward Oliver and me, her hand
hovering over the emergency call button.
“I’ll tell everyone what a fraud you are!” Rachel threatened, her face contorted with rage. “How you’ve been living off your wife’s money for years!”
“And I’ll tell everyone how you deliberately endangered a child’s life!” Derek retorted.
Rachel lunged at him, nails aimed at his face. “You lying, cheating—”
With a sudden move, Derek grabbed both her wrists and shoved her backward. She stumbled, losing her balance, and fell hard
onto the floor.
The room went silent except for the beeping monitors and Oliver’s ragged breathing.
Derek stood over Rachel, his chest heaving. Then, in a move that shocked even me, he raised his hand and slapped her hard across
the face.
“That’s for manipulating my son,” he said coldly.
3/4
Breaking Point
Another slap. “That’s for endangering his life.”
A third. “And that’s for trying to destroy my family.”
Rachel cowered on the floor, holding her reddened cheek, all her previous bravado gone.
Derek turned back to me, his eyes filled with desperate sincerity.
+20 Bonus
“I swear on the Moon Goddess herself,” he declared, his voice thick with emotion, “I will never see Rachel again. I was a fool, Olivia. A complete and utter fool.”
He moved toward me, careful not to disturb Oliver who was still wrapped around my legs.
“I love you,” he said simply. “I’ve always loved you. Please believe that if nothing
else.”
日
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