Chapter 375

Serena’s POV

I shifted my body slightly.

Perhaps it was the high fever, but for once, I felt a hint of drowsiness—something remarkably rare for me. I closed my eyes, expecting the usual battle with insomnia.

To my surprise, I actually fell asleep.

In the past, my body would feel tired, but sleep always eluded me. The moment I closed my eyes, my mind would race uncontrollably, making it impossible to calm down, leading to my perpetual insomnia.

I had assumed this time would be no different. That closing my eyes wouldn't actually lead to sleep.

That's why I chose to be alone in the hospital room, dismissing the private nurse that came standard with the VIP suite. Though I knew well that falling asleep during an IV drip was risky—potential allergic reactions, or the IV finishing without anyone to remove the needle, causing blood backflow...

But I truly hadn't expected to fall asleep.

When I woke, it was to the sound of voices. I felt a flicker of annoyance that my rare moment of peaceful sleep had been interrupted.

I struggled to open my eyes and saw Mateo's tense expression as he urgently pressed the call button, saying, "Come quickly, Serena's IV is finished, and there's blood backing up in the tube!"

It took me a few seconds to process what was happening as I stared at the dark red blood in the needle. I realized what had occurred—I'd fallen asleep while the IV was running, and with no one to remove it once it finished, blood had begun flowing back into the tube.

"Serena, are you stupid?" Before I could say anything, Mateo began berating me.

I furrowed my brow. Who did he think he was to speak to me in that tone?

"If you needed to sleep, you should have at least had the nurse watch over you. Do you have a death wish?" Mateo spat out, his voice harsh. "You're a grown woman who can't take care of herself? Do you realize you're creating problems for everyone else?"

"Mateo, stop... Serena didn't do it on purpose," Hattie tried to calm him from the sidelines.

Mateo continued as if he hadn't heard a word, shouting at me, "You're a mother, for God's sake! How can you be so careless with yourself? As a mother, you should have the most basic sense of responsibility! How can you take care of your son when you can't even take care of yourself?"

His words ignited a fury within me. As someone suffering from severe insomnia, falling asleep naturally was incredibly difficult. Not only had he woken me from this rare peaceful sleep, but he was now lecturing me relentlessly!

Who did he think he was? What right did he have? I felt rage bubbling up from deep inside me.

I couldn't contain my anger anymore and snapped back at Mateo, "Did I ask for your help? You're the one meddling in my business! I was sleeping perfectly fine, and did I need you to wake me up? Did I need you pointing fingers at me? Whether I'm responsible for my son or not is my business. What right do you have to lecture me? You're not my son's father!"

"Serena!" Mateo gritted his teeth as he called my name, but I didn't care about his anger.

"Stop acting like you're on some moral high ground trying to guilt-trip me. Who do you think you are? God? Mr. García, even if I died today, it would have nothing to do with you. Your behavior right now is invading my privacy and violating my rights—I could sue you for this!" I lashed out without restraint, completely disregarding his feelings.

Mateo was so angry I could practically see steam coming from his ears.

His bloodshot eyes glared at me fiercely, and I could feel his fury about to erupt.

He stared at me for a long time before finally speaking through clenched teeth, "Serena, you'd deserve it if you died!"

Those words completely ignited my rage. "If I die, that's my business and has absolutely nothing to do with you! Save your self-righteousness—I don't want it!" I shot back without backing down.

Mateo's face turned impossibly dark.

He spun around and stormed out, his anger evident in every movement.

Hattie looked from Mateo's retreating figure to me, equally fuming, and hesitated for a moment.

By now, the medical staff had arrived and were dealing with the blood backflow in my IV line.

"Serena, I'm sorry," Hattie suddenly apologized. "Mateo was too harsh with you."