Chapter 3

In the midst of the standoff, a figure rushed over and grabbed Emma.

"Emma, are you alright?"

It was my mother-in-law, Sarah Hayes. Her eyes were filled with concern as she looked at Emma. Then, she turned to me, her face brimming with anger.

"Leo! Are you trying to hit Emma? You’re acting like a complete madness!

"Lila’s condition is beyond hope now, and it’s not Emma’s fault. Stop taking it out on her! She is as painful as you are!

"And what’s wrong with signing the organ donation form? The dead can’t come back to life! Are you planning to keep her body at home forever?"

As Sarah grew more agitated, her words became increasingly absurd. I could not control my anger and my eyes were red with fury. I raised my hand and slapped Emma hard across her left cheek.

The slap left her completely stunned. Sarah was completely caught off guard. She screamed as she rushed to check her face. She was clearly heartbroken.

I looked coldly at my hand, now red from the impact.

"Does it hurt? Good. Only a parent truly feels the pain of their own child.

"Get out! Say one more word, and I’ll throw this thermos at you!"

Sarah glared at me and her lips were trembling with rage. "Psycho! You’re nothing but a psycho! I’m gonna call the police!"

The scene descended into chaos. Emma was barely containing her anger and she demanded, "Leo, are you enough?! Have you vented enough yet?

"Come sign the form! There’s nothing more to say. You nodded in the doctor’s office earlier. You can’t go back on it!"

With that, she snatched my phone and forcefully grabbed my arms. They tried to shove me toward the exit.

Several securities heard the noise, and rushed over. But they stopped awkwardly when they recognized Emma.

She forced a smile. "It’s nothing, my husband’s just a bit emotional. No need to bother yourselves."

I refused to back down and kept shouting. "They were the ones who started it! If you don't stop them, I’ll make sure every patient's family sees what's happening!"

The securities exchanged glances and stepped in to separate us.

Emma was clearly frustrated and finally let go of me. I breathed a sigh of relief, quickly checking the time.

There was still one hour until the transfer team arrived. Just one more hour, and I could take Lila far away from here!

"Emma, what’s going on? We’ve been waiting for you all this time." A soft, masculine voice cut through the tension. It was Blake.

He glanced at Emma with affection, noticing her swollen face, and rushed over to check on her.

As soon as Emma saw him, all her anger melted away into tenderness.

"It’s nothing. Leo didn’t want to sign the form, so we had a little argument."

Blake turned to look at me.

"Mr. Hayes, your daughter is already brain-dead. You personally agreed to sign the organ donation form.

"The hospital deeply appreciates your generosity and sacrifice. I know this is difficult, but crossing this emotional hurdle is necessary.

"Rest assured, even though your child is gone, her life will continue in another form..."

I loudly interrupted his pretentious speech. "You’re lying! Lila is not brain-dead! Your diagnosis is false! Forget about signing any form. I’m transferring her now!"

Blake shook his head, feigning innocence.

"Mr. Hayes, I know you’re upset, but don’t accuse me without reason, alright?

"I spent nearly ten hours trying to resuscitate your daughter, staying up all night, and I still have other patients to treat. Yet you think I’m some kind of quack?

"We’ve prepared everything for the donation, and even the media is waiting. How am I supposed to explain this to them?"

Hearing this, patients and nurses nearby began whispering among themselves.

"Dr. Thompson is one of the best in the hospital. There’s no way he could misdiagnose."

"I think this father is just too emotional, making a scene."

"Ah, as they say, there's always something frustrating about people you feel sorry for. Dr. Thompson put so much effort into helping, and he’s still getting yelled at. This is exactly what medical harassment looks like!"

As the onlookers turned against me, Emma’s face showed a hint of satisfaction.

"Leo, you’re too emotional right now. Let’s go to the office and talk, okay?" She reached out to pull me again.

I was wary and took a step back.

On the side, Blake gave a signal to the nurses who had gathered.

Suddenly, some security guards appeared from nowhere, grabbed my shoulders, and shoved me hard against the wall.

Blake turned to the nurses and instructed, "He’s too agitated. Prepare a sedative injection immediately!"