Chapter 3

“I already sent the twenty thousand dollars to John.”

My mind went blank as I looked at him.

“W-What did you say?”

“John texted me on WhatsApp and said that his mother’s surgery and the follow-up care are still short by twenty thousand dollars,” Max said while holding out his palms as if it were the most natural thing.

“Look, I said I’d help him. I don’t do things halfway. I go all the way.

“I’ve got an image to keep, so I just covered the rest for him. No way I’m letting him look desperate and cheap running around asking people for money. That’d reflect badly on me.”

My vision almost went dark as I looked at him.

Oswald sent the money to me to save my mother’s life. How could he just hand it all over to a stranger just to feed his own ridiculous vanity?

I had to get it back!

I stood up and dashed frantically toward the stairwell.

Max grabbed my hair from behind and pinned me down onto a bench in the hallway.

“Stay put! I’m not having you humiliate me out there!”

He then turned toward the bystanders with a smile and handed out cigarettes to those around him.

“Hey man, cigarette? Don’t mind her! She’s just being dramatic. Women, right? They just can’t see the big picture. They don’t get how the world works.”

I collapsed onto the bench and stared at the tightly closed doors of the resuscitation room.

Just then, a rapid set of footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway.

My best friend, Holly, ran over as she panted.

“Lainey! I sold my old car. It only got me ten thousand dollars, but it’s fine. Just take the money and go save your mother.”

Max, who had been smoking nearby, saw that stack of cash, and his eyes lit up.

He lunged forward in one swift motion and reached out to snatch it.

“Well, well… Look at you, Holly, being all helpful and sensible!

“Perfect! Now I’ve got the cash to take the chief to that five-star restaurant across the street.”

Holly flew into rage. She kicked Max hard in his knee.

“Get lost! Who do you think you are? How could you steal this money to go eat and drink while Lainey’s mother is dying?”

Holly shielded me, grabbed my arm, and pulled me toward the cashier.

Max felt utterly humiliated in front of everyone because a woman had kicked him.

He chased after us in a fit of angry embarrassment and blocked the counter.

“Holly, stay out of this! This is my family’s business.

“As long as I’m standing here, this money is not getting handed over like some pathetic surrender! You think I have no dignity?!”

Holly and I exchanged a glance. We charged at Max together.

He lost his balance. We slammed into him hard, and he fell flat on his back.

I seized the moment and gave the ten thousand dollars, along with the crumpled few hundred dollars, to the cashier.

“Here, please just take what I’ve got!”

The cashier looked at her screen, typed something in, and then shook her head.

“I’m sorry, but we just got word that the cheaper stent is out of stock.

“That means we have to go with the imported version. On top of what you already owe for the bed and the ER care, your new deposit is fifty thousand dollars.

“Ten thousand dollars is nowhere near enough.”

Hearing that, I collapsed to the floor.

Fifty thousand dollars!

I had already called everyone I knew. Holly had even sold her car.

I truly could not borrow a single cent more from anyone.

Max brushed the dust off his pants and stood up.

“I told you from the start this was pointless.

“Your mother already had one foot in the grave. She was never worth spending that kind of money on.

“You’ll just be dumping fifty thousand dollars down the drain. You’d be better off giving it to me so I can network with the right people.”

I did not say anything. I just stared at Max.

I could not say how long I waited. Then, without warning, the red light above the resuscitation room went out.

The lead doctor walked out wearily, looked at me, and shook his head.

“I’m so sorry. We did everything we could.

“She didn’t make it. We couldn’t bring her back. I’m so sorry for your loss.”