Chapter 28
The medical certificate clearly stated that Viola was over three months pregnant.
Ken sneered, his voice cutting through the stunned silence. “Viola, I didn’t even know you. three months ago. Are you seriously claiming this baby is mine?”
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
“Wait, is she pregnant and looking for someone to pin it on?”
“No wonder Ken refuses to marry her. This is outrageous!”
“If I were him, I wouldn’t either!”
Viola’s face turned ashen. Humiliated and cornered, she glared at Ken with eyes full of hatred. Her hands trembled as her breathing quickened.
suddenly, in a fit of desperation, she grabbed a pair of scissors from the dowry table and lunged at Ken.
“Ken!”
The crowd froze in shock as the blade sank into his chest. Blood blossomed across his shirt,
staining it crimson.
Screams erupted. People rushed forward to pull Viola away, while others tried to stop the
bleeding.
“Call an ambulance!”
“Ken, stay with us!”
Viola, her chest heaving, stared at the bloodied figure crumpled on the ground. Then, as if something inside her snapped, she began to laugh–a hysterical, unhinged sound.
Ken, you’ll die here. You’ll die, and I’ll finally be free of you!”
Hilt as the crowd grappled with the chaos, Viola suddenly collapsed to the ground. A dark pool of blood began to spread beneath her.
Her manic laughter turned into screams of terror. “Help me! My baby–my stomach hurts!
Please, someone help!”
Panic consumed the gathering. Paramedics arrived and rushed both Ken and Viola to the hospital.
Uncle Johnson stood apart, his face a mask of despair. “It was supposed to be a joyful day,” he muttered, shaking his head. “How did it all come to this?”
The incident brought shame upon the Brown family, and they quietly retreated, too embarrassed to confront the Johnsons further.
At the hospital, doctors managed to stabilize Ken. The blade had come dangerously close to his heart–only three centimeters away. A fraction closer, and he would have died.
Viola, unable to cope with the fallout, leaped from the hospital rooftop later that night. Her
death sent shockwaves through both families.
Yet even as the tragedy unfolded, Ken’s thoughts remained fixated on Calista. He convinced himself that Henry had manipulated her into marriage.
“If I can prove myself, if I join the satellite research base, Calista will see my worth again. She’ll come back to me,” he thought, clinging to the delusion.
That night, Ken approached Uncle Johnson in his study, brimming with determination.
“Dad, I’ve made up my mind. I want to apply for a position at the satellite research base. With your connections, I’m sure-
But the words died in his throat as he noticed his father’s grave expression.
“Ken.” Uncle Johnson began, gesturing for him to sit, “there’s something you need to know.”
Chapte
Ken hesitated, then sat, feeling a growing sense of unease.
Pack your things,” Uncle Johnson said with a weary sigh. “We’re moving out in a few days.”
Ken blinked, confused. “Movi
Why? What’s going on?”
Uncle Johnson leaned back in his chair, his shoulders slumped with defeat. “Because I’ve decided to retire early.”
Ken stared at him, baffled. “Retire? Why now? I was hoping you could help me with my application to the research base.”
His father’s gaze hardened, and he shook his head slowly.
“Ken, you’ve left me no choice. Breaking into the experimental base cost you more than you realize. You were punished for it, and even after that, you neglected your responsibilities at the hospital. Then came this disaster with Viola. You’ve been reported to the authorities, and the hospital is letting you go.”
The words hit Ken like a punch to the gut. His chest tightened as a wave of dread washed
taver
over him.
“I’m being fired?” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
Uncle Johnson nodded, his tone heavy with disappointment. “You brought this upon yourself, Ken. There’s nothing more I can do for you.”
Ken’s mind reeled. For days, he’d numbed himself to the consequences of his actions, but now, faced with the loss of everything, panic set in.
“Dad, please,” he pleaded, his voice cracking. “There has to be another way. I can fix this. Just–give me another chance.”
But Uncle Johnson only shook his head, the weight of his son’s failures etched deeply into his weary face.
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