Chapter 748
“Carla, calm down!”
“I can’t calm down! He was my son—my son whom I raised with every last bit of my strength for over twenty years. Tell me, how am I supposed to just calm down?”
Carla broke down completely, lashing out at everyone in the room. “I know you all look down on me. You think I’ve been nothing but a burden on the Ludwig family, that you’d all be better off if I weren’t here! And you, Ivy! Micah was in a coma for so long and not once did you come to see him. He loved you with all his heart, but you could be so cold, so heartless! Well, now he’s gone—are you happy? Now you can be with Jamison, and no one will stand in your way!”
Ivy couldn’t help but protest. “You said it yourself—we did love each other once. Why would I ever wish for him to die? He’s gone now, and I’m grieving, too.”
Before she could finish, the hospital room door swung open. Thad and Davina Foster hurried in, having heard Carla’s anguished shouts from the hallway. Once inside, seeing the tense scene, they could hardly find the words to offer comfort.
Ivy turned, noticing Thad and Davina, and gently tugged at her husband’s sleeve. “My brother and sister-in-law are here.”
Thad strode quickly to the bedside. He couldn’t believe his nephew was truly gone. As he reached the bed, he hesitated, pain etched deep in his features. His trembling hand hovered for a moment before he finally pulled back the white sheet.
Micah lay there, still and pale, his face drained of all color, his eyes closed in peaceful finality. The sight sent a dull, aching grief through everyone present, and eyes filled with tears.
Carla let out a guttural cry and threw herself across her son’s body, clutching him desperately. “Micah, wake up… What am I supposed to do now that you’re gone? You were all I had, all I ever had!”
Her husband’s betrayal had already left her shattered, and the endless divorce battles had wrung her dry. The only thing that had kept her going was her son, even if he was just barely clinging to life.
Now he, too, was gone, leaving her utterly alone.
Carla’s grief was so raw and consuming, it seemed she might simply follow her son into death herself. But even so, if she was to leave this world, she’d make sure the man who betrayed her paid for everything first.
All at once, Carla’s wailing stopped. Eyes red and swollen, she lifted herself off Micah’s body, her trembling hand gently caressing his cold, lifeless face. Slowly, she pulled the white sheet back over him.
Micah, wait for me. Let me settle things with that heartless bastard. Once I’ve avenged you, I’ll come to be with you.
Ivy had been staring at Micah’s face as well. She’d tried to brace herself for this moment on the way over, but seeing him now, the reality was shattering in a way she couldn’t describe. He had once been the man she loved—even if that love hadn’t run as deep as she thought, she had still given herself to it, once.
And now, he was gone forever.
The numb, hollow ache and the guilt she couldn’t put into words filled her eyes with tears. When Carla reached to cover Micah’s face, Ivy’s gaze trembled, and she drew in a shaky breath, fighting to steady her nerves. Then, meeting Carla’s eyes, she saw something fierce and final there.
She had imagined how devastated, how utterly broken Carla would be when this day came. But now, seeing that subtle change in her expression, Ivy felt a chill of dread. She quietly tugged at Jamison’s sleeve.
Jamison looked over, searching her face for an explanation.
On tiptoe, Ivy leaned in, shielding her words with a hand. “Something’s not right with your sister…”
Jamison’s brows knitted together as he turned to meet her gaze.
Davina stepped forward from behind, gently slipping her arm through Carla’s, worried she might not be able to stand.
Carla slowly straightened up, brushing off Davina’s hand. She wiped her tears, her voice ragged and hollow. “I’ll have to trouble you all to handle Micah’s funeral arrangements…”
Ivy’s unease only deepened at those words.
Jamison spoke up, his voice firm. “And what about you? Don’t do anything foolish. Micah may be gone, but you still have us. You still have Mom and Dad.”
Carla looked at him and laughed bitterly, the sound sharp and empty. “You? Haven’t you all just thought I was nothing but trouble?”
“We’ve never looked down on you,” Thad said gently. “We just want you to pull yourself together and live your life.”
Carla shook her head, unreadable, her gaze drifting fearfully back to her son’s body. She choked out, “Let’s take Micah to the funeral home. Make sure the ceremony does him justice…”
The hospital had a whole procedure for these things. Once the family said their final goodbyes, the funeral home staff would come and take the body away.
Carla left the room with slow, heavy steps. Farley Shepherd was still standing in the hallway, head down, smoking a cigarette. She looked up at him, her eyes icy cold—like the edge of a blade.
Farley stubbed out his cigarette, frowning, and stepped closer. “Now that our son’s gone, it’s time to settle things between us. The court divorce is a hassle. Just drop the case—we’ll settle this amicably.”
He truly was beneath contempt. After more than twenty years of marriage, even if the love was gone, how could he be so heartless, rubbing salt in her wounds now?
“So, is this your revenge for me refusing to divorce you? Did you do this to our son?” Carla turned slightly, facing him fully, her voice steady but eerily calm.
Farley said, “If that’s what you want to believe, I can’t stop you. But you bear most of the blame for what happened to Micah. If you hadn’t spoiled him so much, maybe he would’ve amounted to something.”
He didn’t give her a chance to respond before continuing, “But it’s too late now. He’s gone. Nothing left to say.”