A swimming ring?

The words landed, and Old Mrs. Somerset's face turned ashen. She never, ever imagined her actions would doom her own precious grandson. What could she do? What could she possibly do now? Her sweet boy!

Regret, sharp and suffocating, consumed her. If only she hadn't pulled out the valve plug, they could still save Dragon.

Tears streamed down her wrinkled cheeks.

Seeing her mother frozen in place, Flossie grew more frantic. "Mom, go! What are you waiting for? Go get it!"

It was then that someone in the crowd recognized Old Mrs. Somerset. "Hey, isn't that the old woman who deflated the swimming ring? Oh my God! Talk about karma. When we were begging her to lend it to us, she'd rather destroy it than help. Said if the kid dies, he dies, it's none of her business! I can't believe it was her own grandson!"

"The wicked always get what they deserve."

"She was so arrogant just a minute ago. Not so arrogant now, is she?"

"I really thought she didn't have any family. Look at her, begging for help just like everyone else."

The onlookers' comments finally made the situation clear to Flossie. She stared at her mother in disbelief. "You pulled the plug on the swimming ring? Why? Why would you do that?" Dragon might have been saved. But now... what her mother had done was no different from killing him with her own hands.

No one could comprehend the agony tearing through Old Mrs. Somerset. "I didn't know!" she sobbed. "I didn't know it was our Dragon in the water! If I'd known it was him, I would never, ever have pulled that plug!" How could she have known? It was deliberate. Caitlin must have done it on purpose. She knew it was Dragon and didn't tell her! That little bitch Caitlin! She was the one who had murdered her grandson.

Flossie's face was a mask of horror. "Even if you didn't know it was Dragon, you shouldn't have pulled the plug! What you did... how is that any different from murder?" Flossie had always known her mother wasn't a good person, but she never imagined she could be this evil. It was a human life! Her mother hadn't just refused to help; she had actively destroyed the only means of rescue. Flossie could hardly believe this monster was the woman who had raised her.

Caitlin, Keira, Stuart, and Carey were standing in the crowd, watching the scene unfold. Keira's brows were tightly knitted it's true what they say you reap what you sow. It's just a tragedy for that innocent child."

Carey sighed. "Yes. Who would have thought it would be Old Mrs. Somerset's own grandson?"

*Roar.*

Just then, the rescue team arrived from down the mountain. They immediately launched a boat and began recovery efforts for Dragon. The speedboat quickly reached his side, and he was pulled from the water.

Stuart looked at Caitlin. "Freya, do you think... is there any hope?"

Caitlin shook her head slightly. "From his color, I'd say he's already gone." Her medical training allowed her to see things others couldn't. She could see no signs of life left in the box He wasn't just gone he'd likely been gone for a while. The golden window for rescue after falling in the water was only a few minutes. If Old Mrs. Somerset had handed her the swimming ring right away, Dragon might have had a chance. But now...

Stuart sighed. Old Mrs. Somerset was despicable, but Dragon was just a child.

Although the boy was clearly lifeless, once he was brought ashore, the paramedics immediately started emergency procedures, using a defibrillator. Old Mrs. Somerset knelt beside him, wailing uncontrollably.

"Dragon, oh, Dragon, you can't die! If you die, how will your grandma live? You're my whole world, Dragon..."

Flossie stood nearby, wiping away her own tears.

After ten minutes, the paramedics ceased af efforts. One of them turned to Old Mrs. Somerset, his face full of regret. "I'm so sorry. The child was past the optimal time for rescue. We did everything we could."

Old Mrs. Somerset's eyes flew open. "What do you mean? What are you saying?

Are you telling me my grandson is gone?"