For Myself, I Left My Wife and Her First Love

I saw Claire again at the hospital.

She had called my assistant Zack to say that Margaret was in the ICU.

I was drinking when I heard the news and instantly sobered up. Without thinking about the risks of drunk driving, I grabbed the keys from Zack and sped to the hospital.

Margaret's birthday was just three days away.

My father had died the year Claire and I got married. As Margaret aged, her health had declined.

Ever since my business took off, I'd made a point to celebrate her birthday with Bella every year. This year was supposed to be no different.

I'd promised Margaret a month ago that we'd throw a big party for her at home.

But Claire's mess had distracted me, and I'd forgotten all about it.

I turned on my phone and found several messages from Margaret.

She'd seen Claire's Instagram post about coming home. Margaret had tried to call Claire many times to tell her the party would be at our house, but couldn't reach her.

Thinking of Bella, Margaret had bought all of Bella's favorite snacks and headed over to my new house.

The cold wind sobered me up completely as I drove.

Arriving at the hospital, I didn't bother to park properly. I sprinted toward the entrance.

At the emergency room doors, I faced a moment I'd never forget.

Covered up, Margaret was being wheeled out.

I stumbled to her side, collapsing in tears on the white sheet. The pain was overwhelming.

The doctor gently said, "I'm sorry, sir."

I looked up, choking out, "How did my mother die?"

"She had a heart attack, triggered by extreme distress. She arrived too late for us to save her. I'm sorry, there was nothing we could do," the doctor explained.

'Extreme stress' echoed painfully in my head.

As the doctor walked away, I knew they were taking Margaret to the morgue.

Anger surged through me. "Why did Mom end up in the hospital right after visiting my house? Claire, what the hell happened?"

I grabbed Claire's arm, furious, and shouted, "What the hell did you do?"

Claire, seeing Margaret being wheeled away, was frozen in shock, unable to snap out of it.

Claire's blank stare only fueled my anger.

I swung my hand up and slapped her across the face. She came to her senses and screamed, "Yosef, are you crazy? How dare you hit me!"

I laughed bitterly, tears streaming down my face. "Yeah, Claire, I am crazy! My mother just died! She was only three days shy of her 60th birthday!"

Claire was speechless.

Just then, Frederick, feigning regret, chimed in, "I'm sorry, Yosef, this is all my fault. If it weren't for..."

Claire, annoyed by Frederick being so humble, cut him off, "No, it's not your fault. It was that damn old woman barging in without knocking. She brought it on herself!"

Her words were so vile, and I nearly slapped at her again.

Zack rushed over and held me back, saying, "Mr. Lambert, stop. You could get arrested for this."

I shrugged off Zack's grip, shouting, "Let go. I'm going to make those two pay for my mother's death today!"

My outburst scared Claire, and Frederick quickly led her away.

Watching them flee, I vowed quietly, "Claire, I will make you and Frederick pay for my mother's death."

Zack, seeing how upset I was, suggested, "Mr. Lambert, should I look into why your mother was brought to the hospital?"

That reminded me.

We had installed cameras at home. Claire didn't like having a nanny around, but since she was rarely home, I had hired a part-time nanny to watch over Bella. Concerned for Bella's safety, I had installed hidden cameras.

I immediately pulled up the surveillance footage on my phone.

The image of a lively Margaret on the screen filled me with sadness.

I scrolled to the part where Margaret arrived at my house.

What I saw next in the footage made my blood boil again. I gripped my phone so tightly it almost cracked.

"Claire, Frederick! How dare you do such a thing in front of my mother?" I raged silently.