Chapter 4

Luckily, my best friend, Zach Quinn, passed by and found my grandma collapsed on the ground. He rushed her to the hospital just in time. Only then did the weight on my chest ease a little.

At the hospital, I saw Ruby Chow standing beside Hank Yardley as a doctor checked on him.

The doctor said Hank's teeth were at risk of infection. His blood type was rare, making it difficult to match for surgery.

Suddenly, Ruby's eyes lit up as if she remembered something. She shouted, "Jack Grayson has the same blood type! As long as we find him—even if we have to drain every drop—I'll save Hank!"

Without another word, she stormed out of the room. But as she reached the hallway, she saw several police officers.

Two nurses nearby were whispering.

The tall nurse lowered her voice, "Did you hear about Dr. Ellis? That malpractice case? They say he took a bribe to kill a patient on purpose."

The plump nurse nodded. "Wasn't it that one guy who had all his teeth pulled? No anesthetic, bled to death—he died in agony."

"You were there that day, too. The cops will probably question you later."

The tall nurse sighed and shook her head quickly. "Not my fault. I'm just a nurse. I only assisted a little."

Ruby rushed toward them, her face tense. "Was the patient you're talking about named Grayson? Jack Grayson?"

The nurses exchanged a glance, but didn't answer. Before Ruby could press them, the officers called them over for questioning. They hurried away.

Ruby opened her mouth to stop them, but before she could speak, Hank grabbed her arm from behind.

"Ruby," he said weakly, "there are so many patients here. It couldn't be Jack."

"I think he's still angry with me. He's hiding because he doesn't want to save me. Maybe when I die, he'll finally come out."

Ruby quickly covered his mouth, tears in her eyes. "Don't say that nonsense! I won't let anything happen to you!"

Just then, a bodyguard ran over, panting. "Ms. Chow, the payee's phone is still inside this hospital. We've got a live signal."

Ruby sneered, impatience flashing in her eyes. "Jack Grayson, let's see where you're hiding now."

"Take me to him. I'll make sure he donates blood to Hank today!"

Following the phone's location, they stopped in front of a hospital room. Ruby kicked the door open.

"Jack Grayson! I've had enough of your games!"

But inside, it was only Zach, carefully feeding my grandma some soup.

There was no sign of me.

Ruby stormed in, grabbed the bowl, and poured the soup over Zach's head. "Where is Jack? Did you hide him?"

The hot soup spilled down Zach's face and neck. He winced in pain, his body trembling. But his eyes burned with fury.

"Jack is already dead," he said through clenched teeth. "His grandma has cancer. Why can't you leave them alone?"

Ruby didn't flinch. She ordered her men to tie Zach up and immediately started a livestream.

"You're all liars! You're covering for Jack Grayson! I'll find him today, even if I have to bring this place down! He's going to save Hank's life!"

Then she pulled out a stack of photos—fake, doctored pictures of me with a heavyset woman and a few women in their fifties and sixties. The poses were indecent, disgusting.

She screamed into the camera, "Jack Grayson, you bastard! If Hank hadn't shown me these, I'd never know how filthy you really are!"

"If you don't come out now, I swear I'll post these online! I'll make sure your reputation is ruined!"

I sighed. Ruby couldn't see through those fake photos. She believed everything Hank told her.

Grandma struggled to sit up in bed. Her voice trembled but still rang clear. "Don't slander my grandson! He's not that kind of person."

Ruby yanked out the IV from my grandma's hand and turned to the camera again. "Jack Grayson, if you don't show yourself, I'll throw your grandma off the roof!"

Grandma's breathing grew labored. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded document.

"Jack is already dead," she said, holding up the death certificate. "Why can't you let him rest in peace?"

Ruby waved the paper away. Her voice cracked with rage. "You think I'll fall for another fake? Don't try to trick me again! I won't believe a word of it!"

Just then, police officers burst into the room. One picked up the death certificate from the floor, his tone steady and respectful.

"Ma'am, we've already identified the killer. Justice will be done. We'll clear Jack Grayson's name."

Ruby stared at the paper and saw my name on it—Jack Grayson.

She staggered back a step, stunned, her eyes wide with disbelief. She stood frozen in place.