Three Years After They Abandoned Me novel Chapter 203

Chapter 203

Chapter 203

Max froze. He’d heard rumors about Fiona’s downfall, but he never imagined this.

Fiona spotted him, her

widening before she shrieked, “Max!”

His first instinct was to flee. But guilt rooted him in place.

“That’s my son,” Fiona hissed at the guards. “Let me see him.”

The security team glanced at Max, who gave a suff nod. With a sigh, they stepped aside. “Fine. Go ahead.”

Fiona rushed over, her hands trembling as she clutched at him. “Max, you’re awake. You’re really awake!” Her voice cracked. “I thought I’d never see you again. Do you know how scared I was?” She threw her arms around him in a suffocating embrace.

Max stiffened, disgust simmering beneath his skin. He tried to push her away, but his weakened body Betrayed him. Helpless, he endured her clingy hold, the seconds stretching into an eternity.

Finally, Fiona pulled back, her tone shifting abruptly. “Sweetie, I’m starving. Do you have any food here?”

“No.” His answer was flat, factual, Beyond hospital meals, his room was a wasteland, no snacks, no fruit, no visitors. Just sterile silence.

Her eyes gleamed with desperation. “Then money, you must have some, right? I’m dying here. Last time, I had to beg for food at some diner and bolted before they could charge me. They sent a damn dog after me. I almost got bitten.”

She laughed, high–pitched and frantic. “God, was that yesterday? Three days ago? I can’t even remember.”

Max studied her, exhaustion etching his voice. “Mom. Look at me. Do I seem like I have money?”

Fiona froze.

Max said painfully, “You really forgot how we lost everything, didn’t you?”

She waved a dismissive hand. “Okay, so I took some for the family, but that doesn’t mean you’re broke. Where is it? Your wallet? Phone?” She darted toward his hospital room. “I’ll check—”

“Mom.” The word cracked like dry wood. “When you handed our savings to your relatives, did you ever imagine this?”

Fiona halted mid–step.

“It’s not that I won’t help you. I can’t. I’m dependent on strangers for my next meal.” His laugh was hollow. “Pathetic, right? All these years, and what do I have? A life spent enabling people who’d never do the same for us.”

“Helping family isn’t wrong. But you gave until we had nothing. And where are they now? We had a good life once. Not perfect, but good.” His throat tightened. “And now? We’re not just broken. We’re gone. Was it worth it?”

She didn’t turn around.

Max continued, “I’ve got nothing left. If I did, I’d pay my own damn medical bills instead of relying on charity. Even now, I’ve got some pride.”

Fiona shuffled toward the exit.

“That’s it?” Max called after her. “No ‘I love you‘? No ‘I’ll stay‘? Just… leaving because I’m useless to you?”

“I–I’d just be a burden,” she stammered. “I’ll… figure it out elsewhere.”

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Chapter 2031

“Burden?” He barked a laugh. “You’re my mother. Couldn’t you at least pretend to care? You don’t need money to do that

But Fiona was already fleeing. “I’ve got things to do. Bye.”

Max watched her retreating figure, the ache in his chest hardening into something darker. A chuckle escaped him, bitter, broken.

‘Of course. Who’d want a wreck like me?‘ If only he’d stood by Stella years ago, seen the truth sooner. Maybe things would’ve been different.

But it was too late. Now, he was just another burden–breathing, but already dead to the world.

Just as Stella’s supermarket chain was hitting its peak, someone threw ice–cold water on her success, literally. A viral rumor claimed her products were carcinogenic.

Stella didn’t need a detective to guess the culprit. Andrew and Anna lacked the resources, but Monroe? That silver–spoon Johnson heir had both the means and the motive. ‘Fine. If he wants war, he’ll get it,’ she mused.

She fired back with a verified public exposé on social media, documenting carcinogenic risks in the Johnson family business’s products. The Johnsons launched damage control, but the scandal spread faster than their PR team could contain.

Meanwhile, Stella pivoted, issuing a crisp statement: “Our shelves carry only certified brands. Unless those brands fail, we stand flawless.”

Jordan, ever efficient, slid Arthur Johnson’s private number into her DMs. Stella dialed without hesitation.

Arthur answered, oblivious. “Who is this?”

“Arthur Johnson? I’m Stella Hayes of the Hayes Group,” Stella replied.

Arthur frowned. “You have the wrong number.”

“I don’t.” Stella kept her voice honey–smooth. “You follow market trends. So you’ve seen the issues with your product line today.”

“Get to the point.”

“I orchestrated it.” A beat. “A response to your grandson slandering my business. I could’ve filed a lawsuit with proof and had him arrested.

But I didn’t.”

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