I agreed and hung up.
I had zero intention of returning. They didn't want my expertise; they wanted a scapegoat. If I went back now, I'd be walking into a trap.
A smile tugged at my lips as I looked back at the screen. Ryan's movements were sluggish now. His chest barely rose.
Vivian was hysterical, shaking the dice again and again, begging the dead for an answer that wouldn't come. Finally, she broke. "Call 911!" she wailed. "Mom, call the ambulance!"
I watched their panic with a heart as cold as stone.
As a medical student, I knew the signs. Ryan was past the point of no return.
In my previous life, I had given everything to save him. Every connection, every dime—I secured him a future despite his vile attitude. His repayment? He beat me to death with a shovel.
My gaze hardened on the dying boy in the pixelated video.
You made your choice. Now rot in it.
I took a taxi straight to the hospital.
When I arrived at the emergency ward, my family's wails were already echoing down the corridor. James and my parents were crying hysterically. I forced two tears from my eyes, masking my indifference with a performance of panic as I ran toward them.