People nearby glanced at us uncomfortably.

Something inside me broke.

“She’s your daughter, Ethan!”

My hands started trembling.

Then he said even louder, “This is your fault, so you pay for the treatment!”

By then, everyone was staring, but all I could think about was Olivia lying in that hospital bed.

I’d seen glimpses of Ethan’s life online—luxury vacations, expensive gifts.

His new wife, Vanessa, smiling in every photo as if life were perfect.

I told myself it didn’t matter how he lived—but didn’t his daughter matter at all?

Standing there, hearing him refuse to help his own child… it hit differently.

Tears burned behind my eyes.

And that’s when everything shifted.

Dr. Paulson, the head doctor, suddenly stepped in from around the corner.

He approached us and stared at Ethan for a long moment, as if trying to place him.

Then he spoke.

“I didn’t expect to see you here… not after what happened last time.”

I frowned. “What does that mean?”

Beside me, Ethan stiffened, his knees trembling before he quickly recovered. “I have no idea what he’s talking about.”

But Dr. Paulson didn’t hesitate.

“You backed out,” he said quietly. “Right when those families needed you most.”

“Backed out of what?”

Neither of them answered right away.

So I stepped forward. “No. You don’t get to talk like I’m not here. What is he talking about?”

The doctor sighed and turned to me.

“A few years ago, Ethan publicly committed to funding a support program for children needing long-term rehabilitation. Then he quietly withdrew when it stopped benefiting his image.”

I slowly turned to Ethan.

He shrugged. “It was business.”