He Chose Her Kid, I Prioritize Mine

Chapter 3

The next few days were completely uneventful.

Stefan came home every single night. He even did something completely out of character. He brought Dylan a gift; a remote-controlled car.

He ruffled Dylan's hair and said, "Daddy's busy with work. You have to understand me."

Dylan nodded obediently, but the second he turned around, he stuffed the car straight into his storage box.

He tugged at my sleeve and whispered, "Mommy, this is Andrew's old car he got bored with. I saw him play with it before."

I just patted his head and didn't say a word.

On Friday afternoon, I went to the kindergarten to pick Dylan up. I noticed right away that the teacher was looking at me strangely.

Over in the play area, a group of kids had crowded around Andrew, and he was yelling at the top of his lungs, "My aunt is so bad! She said she's gonna find a new daddy for my cousin and dump my uncle for good!"

Dylan was huddled all alone in the corner. His little face was bright red, and his tiny hands were clenched so tight his knuckles were white.

Without warning, he came barreling forward and screamed, "That's not true! My mommy would never do that!"

Andrew shoved him hard in the chest and shouted back, "You're just a wild kid no daddy wants! My uncle said your mommy's indiscreet!"

Dylan staggered a few steps, then suddenly clutched his chest, his face draining of all color and turning an ashen blue.

I sprinted toward him, screaming, "Dylan!"

He collapsed limp into my arms, his lips turning deep purple, his whole body shaking with violent convulsions.

I roared at the top of my lungs, "Call an ambulance! Now!"

Even through his fading consciousness, Dylan still managed to grip the collar of my shirt and whisper, "Mommy… don't cry…"

When the ambulance screeched to a stop outside, Stefan came hurrying over, and snapped, "What the hell happened here?"

I ignored him completely and climbed straight into the back of the ambulance with Dylan.

But Andrew ran over and tugged on Stefan's hand, whining, "Uncle, my cousin looked so scary just now… do you think he was faking it?"

Jillian showed up right after him, wearing a loose hospital gown, leaning frail and delicate against the door frame, and whispered, "Stefan, I'm so scared…"

Stefan hesitated for just a split second, then pulled her into his arms and soothed, "Don't be scared. I'm here."

I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing the burning tears back down my throat.

So that was it. This was the choice he'd made all along.

In the hospital's emergency room, the doctor's face was grim as he said, "His heart is under too much strain. We need to operate immediately. We can't wait another minute!"

"Then do it!" I said without a second of hesitation.

The doctor shifted awkwardly and said, "But… we don't have a matching heart donor available right now."

I clutched Stefan's sleeve and demanded, "Then use the one on the waiting list! You said it'd be available within two weeks! Use it now!"

His voice shot up sharp and angry, "I said we're on the waiting list! That doesn't mean you can just steal it from another person!"

Jillian spoke up then, soft and slow, "Olivia, that heart is that other person's only hope for survival. How could you even think about…"

Before she could finish, Stefan cut her off and snapped at me, "Enough! Olivia, look at yourself right now! Is this any way for a mother to act?"

He kept going, his voice cold and sharp, "All this happened today because you don't know how to take care of him properly!"

I froze, completely stunned.

"Starting tomorrow," he said, "I'll take care of Dylan. You need to go home and get a hold of yourself."

I wrapped my arms around Dylan's limp body as tight as I could and screamed, "No! What right do you have to…"

He snapped, "Because I'm his father! Olivia, I'm so disappointed in you."

Dylan slowly peeled his eyes open on the hospital bed. He mumbled in a weak, faint voice, "Dad..."

Stefan stepped over and wrapped his hand around Dylan's. "It's okay, son, Dad's here."

Dylan's clear gaze fixed on him. "Dad, don't blame Mom. It's my fault, not hers."

Stefan's hard expression softened, and he patted Dylan's head. "I know, buddy."

Jillian spoke up again, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Stefan, maybe Andrew and I should leave. We're here, and it's clear Olivia doesn't want us around."

Stefan didn't even bother turning his head. "Leave? What for? This is a hospital, not her private property."

"But..."

He spun around to face me, a cold sneer, twisting his lips. "Olivia, go home. Why are you still here causing unnecessary trouble?"

I dragged in a deep, shaking breath and looked over at Dylan in the bed.

He shook his head softly at me, his small hand formed a gentle gesture that meant, "It's okay."

I squeezed my eyes shut, turned on my heel, and walked out.

Behind me, Jillian's sweet, honeyed voice drifted down the hall, "Stefan, are you tired? I'll go out and get you a cup of coffee..."

"No need. Just stay with Andrew."

"But I want to stay with you."

I lengthened my stride and bolted out of the hospital like my life depended on it.