Chapter 1

"Your baby has pneumonia. She needs to be admitted to the hospital right away."

The doctor handed me the bill. "You need to pay a three-thousand-dollar deposit first so we can start treatment right away."

I took the bill, my hands trembling slightly.

I only had 600 dollars left in my account. It wasn't even enough to cover a single day's stay in the hospital.

I walked into the stairwell and dialed Edmund Zeller's number. He was part of a classified project team overseas.

According to the rules, he could only make calls for two hours a week. Usually, I could only leave him messages, and I never knew when he would see them.

I tried calling Edmund over a dozen times. It wasn't until the nurse came to remind me to make payment for the third time that the call finally went through.

"What's up?" Edmund's voice was low, and he sounded exhausted.

"Kayla's sick. I don't have enough money right now. Could you transfer me some more?"

Edmund fell silent on the other end of the line. "Got it. You just had the baby, so don't go running around with her. I'll get Taylor to cover the bill for now."

He paused before continuing in a low voice, "I just transferred some money to you for living expenses. How did you end up with nothing left?

"Britney, you can't just spend money without keeping track of your expenses. You should keep some for emergencies."

A sharp pain shot through my chest, and an inexplicable rage surged through me.

Edmund only gave me eight hundred dollars a month for living expenses. How did he have the nerve to tell me to save money?

Before I could even retort, I heard someone urging him on the other end.

He quickly said, "We'll talk later."

Then he ended the call.

I watched the screen go dark before slowly sliding down the wall. For a moment, I felt completely pathetic and miserable.

Half an hour later, Edmund's sister, Taylor Zeller, hurried over. "Britney, didn't I already tell you? Come to me if you need anything. You don't have to call Edmund."

I ignored what she said and hurriedly asked, "Has Edmund transferred the money yet?"

Taylor stopped in her tracks and let out a troubled sigh. "Yes. He only gave me a thousand dollars. But don't worry. I've already covered the balance."

My heart sank.

Taylor let out a sigh too. "My brother's gone too far! His kid's sick, and he's still being so stingy with his money."

Taylor took my hand. "Britney, don't worry. I've taken on a few more part-time jobs lately. I'd rather work three jobs than let you and the baby starve."

I quickly shook my head.

Taylor wasn't making much money. Over the past year, I had lost track of how much she had already spent helping me cover my expenses. How could I let her keep paying for me?

I fell silent for a moment before taking off the diamond ring on my ring finger.

Edmund had put that ring on my finger when he proposed to me. In the past three years we had been married, I had never taken it off.

But now, I was left with no choice. I tugged hard at the ring and placed it in Taylor's palm.

"Taylor, help me sell this. I know it hasn't been easy for you, so I can't let you keep paying for my expenses."

Taylor stared at the ring for a few seconds before her eyes lit up. "Sure."