Chapter 4

I was thrown out of the jewelry store.

After drifting through the streets alone for a long time, I went back to my apartment, held Lucky, and deleted every one of their contacts.

Time to let go.

But a week later, in the middle of the night, my phone rang. The caller ID showed Derek's number.

I didn't want to answer, but it kept ringing like a death knell.

I picked up, irritated. On the other end, Derek was half-screaming, half-sobbing.

"Vivian! Mom's dying!"

"Her appendix burst! The doctor says she needs surgery and the deposit is fifteen thousand dollars! Transfer it now!"

In the background, I could faintly hear Mom's weak voice cursing.

"...selfish brat... no sense of family..."

My heart lurched.

Even now, even after everything, hearing "she's dying" made my hand tremble.

"Fifteen thousand?" I took a deep breath and forced myself to stay calm. "I don't have it. All my money goes to Lucky."

"Cut the crap!" Derek roared. "Sell that mutt! Or melt down that gold chain! If anything happens to Mom, I will haunt you for the rest of your life!"

I scoffed.

"Then sell that luxury condo of yours. There's your money right there."

Two seconds of silence on the other end, then Mom's hoarse scream came through.

"Are you insane? That's your brother's image! Without that condo, how is he supposed to network?"

"Let me tell you something. Fine, don't pay. But if I die, it'll be your fault! You'll carry that guilt for the rest of your life!"

Right. Another shakedown.

I let out a long breath and smiled.

"Fine. I'll transfer it right now."

Expressionless, I typed the amount into my banking app and hit send.

Five seconds later, Derek texted a screenshot of the receipt. The amount read: $5.00.

"What the hell, Vivian? Five bucks? Who are you trying to fool?"

I replied coldly, "Five dollars should cover an IV bag. As for the surgery, if the condo can't be sold, I guess you'll just have to wait."

I hung up and blocked his number.

But I wasn't as calm as I expected.

Even with Lucky licking my palm as if trying to comfort me, my heart was still pounding.

Apparently, that last thread of family attachment still hadn't snapped.

I took a deep breath, threw on my jacket, and went to the hospital anyway.

When I got there, I'd just rounded the corner into a shadowed stretch of hallway when voices from the hospital room reached me.

Derek was complaining.

"...she's so stubborn. Five bucks. She actually sent five bucks. She really doesn't care about you anymore."

Then Mom's voice.

"...so what? She's always been the type to cave when you go soft on her. We'll press harder tomorrow. She'll pay up. I raised her to be capable for a reason. She's supposed to help you out. She can't just cut us off like that..."

My fingernails dug into my palms.

Of course it was a shakedown.

I was about to turn and leave when Derek said something next that nailed me to the floor.

"But what if she finds out you took out another three hundred thousand in loans under her name to buy a new condo?"

"Finds out what? I borrowed from loan sharks. They only care about who's on the hook.

"Even if I die, she can't shake that debt! If she keeps refusing to pay because of that stupid dog, they'll dox her and make sure she loses her job!"

"And that luxury condo stays in your name. Nobody touches it..."

My body went rigid. The blood in my veins froze solid.

So she'd bought Derek another condo.

And she'd taken out the loans in my name.

I wasn't just her ATM. I was the daughter she planned to saddle with every debt.

I backed away quietly, my steps hollow, and walked out of the hospital.

The cold wind hit my face. The spot where she'd slapped me days ago still ached faintly, but compared to the chill inside me, it was nothing.

After a long silence, I pulled out my phone and found a number I'd saved a long time ago: Attorney Daniel Lewis.

When he picked up, my voice was terrifyingly calm.

"Mr. Lewis, hello. I want to sue my mother."