Liam jerked his arm free from Yara's grasp. "Yara, I'm warning you! If anything happens to Harlan, we're done. I mean it—I'll file for divorce immediately!"

This was all Yara's fault.

If she hadn't insisted that Harlan was faking it, if she hadn't told him to ignore their son, Liam would have gone upstairs to check on Harlan long ago.

If only he'd gone up sooner-none of this would be happening.

No one could possibly know how furious Liam was at that moment.

He let all his anger loose on Yara.

Yara tumbled to the floor, unable to get up. On any other day, if Liam had dared push her like that, she would never have let it slide. But today, she was too terrified to fight back.

She stayed crumpled on the cold linoleum, whispering, "It'll be okay, Liam. Harlan's going to be fine, he has to be."

Maybe she was trying to reassure Liam.

But it sounded more like she was desperately trying to convince herself.

Her son couldn't die.

She couldn't let her marriage fall apart, either.

Liam didn't even glance at her. Clenching his fists, he slammed them against the

wall in agony.

Minutes ticked by, each one heavier than the last.

Then, at last-

The doors to the emergency room swung open.

A doctor in a white coat stepped out.

Liam and Yara both snapped their heads up, hope flaring in their eyes. Yara rushed forward, sobbing, "Doctor, my son, my son's going to be okay, right?"

"He's going to be okay, isn't he?"

Liam stared at the doctor, desperately waiting for good news.

The doctor pulled down his mask, his face heavy with regret. "I'm so sorry. Your son arrived too late for us to save him. We did everything we could. Please go in and say your goodbyes."

Did everything they could.

What did that mean? Say their goodbyes-what did that mean?

In that instant, the world collapsed around them.

Liam struggled to keep his composure, his eyes red. "Doctor, what... what do you mean, say our goodbyes?"

The doctor sighed. "Your son's heart stopped at 7:03 p.m. He's gone. I'm so sorry we truly did everything we could."

He'd seen death so many times in his career.

But losing a child-especially one so young-was something he'd never get used to.

Liam's knees buckled, and he staggered backward. A nurse caught him just in time before he hit the floor.

"Doctor, please, please," Yara sobbed, grabbing onto the doctor's coat, her voice breaking, "You must be wrong, you have to be wrong! Harlan was always so healthy! How could he... how could he be gone?"

She couldn't accept it. She couldn't believe her son was gone forever.

Healthy?

The doctor frowned at her words. "You must be mistaken. Your son had a known heart condition. The stress caused his heart cells to be deprived of oxygen, which weakened his heart and led to heart failure. In cases like this, the best window for open-heart surgery is within the first two weeks after symptoms appear. He waited far too long."

Yara's face went ghostly pale. Eyes wide, she stared at the doctor in utter disbelief.

Every word echoed what Caitlin had told them before.

Caitlin had warned them, and she hadn't listened.

The doctor continued, "During the final stages of heart failure, patients feel extremely unwell. They're often sleepy, dizzy, and just generally uncomfortable. Did your son ever mention feeling dizzy or sick these past days?"