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Chapter 6 A False Alarm

Suddenly, I heard a voice behind me, "Kathie, what are you doing here?"

I turned around slowly and saw Beckett's familiar face. Instantly, my tense emotions melted away.

It felt like I'd just been pulled out of deep water, lungs burning, and the relief of finding something lost left me speechless, just gasping for air.

After a moment, I finally got a grip. I looked at Beckett closely and even reached out to touch his face.

Thank God, Beckett was okay. I couldn't hold it in any longer, and tears started streaming down my face.

Beckett panicked and awkwardly tried to wipe my tears, but I noticed his left hand was twisted at a weird angle.

"Dad, what happened to your hand?" I asked.

Beckett instinctively tried to hide his arm behind him, but I grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.

A man's voice chimed in, "Your father hit the guy lying on the ground with his car and needs to go to the hospital with the ambulance."

That was when I noticed a police officer standing behind Beckett.

The officer said, "Surveillance shows your dad was probably driving while tired and hit a cyclist who was riding properly, causing the accident. So, your dad's fully responsible for this."

The officer added, "We'll discuss the compensation details after the injured person is checked out at the hospital."

After the cop finished talking, I stood there in a daze for a second before looking at Beckett, who had his head hung low like a kid waiting to be scolded.

Seeing Beckett's apologetic face, my heart broke. I knew he was exhausted. He'd barely slept in the past few days trying to find a way to raise money.

As I helped Beckett walk towards the ambulance, I comforted him, "It's okay, the doctor just told me the injured person only has a concussion and is in a coma."

However, the final judgment revealed that the injured person had a mild concussion and four broken ribs. We needed to cover his medical expenses and lost wages, totaling three hundred thousand dollars!

I brought a fruit basket to visit the injured person and begged him, "I'm really sorry, but three hundred thousand dollars is too much. My mom is still in the ICU, and my family can't come up with that much money."

At this point, I had already swallowed my pride.

But when the injured person's mom showed up, she started yelling at me, "Are you crazy? Three hundred thousand dollars is nothing compared to what could have happened to my son. Stop making excuses and just pay up."

Seeing the woman looking like she wanted to tear me apart, I felt a wave of panic. The pressure and desperation were overwhelming.

I knew I should handle this through my insurance company, but in that moment, I couldn't see any other way out. I took out my phone, gritted my teeth, and transferred the money.

Back home, I helped Beckett sit on the couch and went to the kitchen to make him some spaghetti, soon placing the steaming plate in front of him.

Beckett shakily picked up the fork, and finally, tears fell into the plate. "Kathie, I'm really useless! I feel sorry for you!"

Beckett, a strong man, was now crying in despair.

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