Chapter 5

Chloe lifted her eyes slowly, looking at Maya's picture-perfect face of innocence.

The day she received her acceptance letter, Maya was the very first person she shared it with.

That day, her hands trembled with excitement, yet she felt anxious. She gripped Maya's hands, repeating the same words over and over:

"Maya, please don't tell Michael yet. I haven't figured out how to break it to him..."

Maya laughed and reassured her. "Trust me, Chloe! My lips are sealed. You're incredible. I always knew you could do it!"

That genuine, beaming face overlapped with the woman standing before her now.

Chloe's blood turned ice-cold.

"Chloe!" Michael growled her name, veins bulging along his arms. "I don't give you permission! You're not going anywhere!"

Sarah rushed forward with bloodshot eyes, clutching the hem of Chloe's shirt.

"Chloe! Are you going abroad... to expose what happened years ago? Are you going to tell everyone I took your spot?"

Sarah sobbed, trembling. "Please don't do this. You'll ruin my entire career!"

"Sarah!" Michael immediately pulled Sarah into his arms. "It's okay. I'm here. What happened over that fellowship wasn't your fault. No one is going to ruin your reputation."

He looked up, his tone resolute.

"Besides, with your talent, you deserved that fellowship fair and square."

Chloe felt as if she were listening to the most absurd joke on earth. She brushed Sarah's hand away, her voice eerie in its calm.

"I never planned on exposing anyone. Anything that's been stolen from me, I don't want back anyway... because it's filthy."

Sarah's face was drained of color. She looked up, fragile and deeply wronged.

"If that's true... then why? Why keep it a secret from Michael and me?"

Michael's expression hardened, his eyes filled with cold disappointment.

"Chloe, is this how far you'll go over a fellowship? When did you become so petty and vengeful?"

Chloe felt a violent pang in her chest, the sharp pain bending her nearly in half.

Before she could speak, Michael's voice cut through the air, icy and unyielding.

"Chloe, if you leave, what about your mother? She has late-stage lung cancer.

"How much time does she even have left? Will you just abandon her?"

Chloe whipped her head up, her eyes bloodshot as she glared at him.

"Michael, how dare you bring up my mother?!"

Her voice was raw and raspy.

"She treated you like her own son! When you started your company, who sold her family home and gave you her entire life savings?

"She handed over three hundred thousand dollars without hesitation! Have you forgotten?!"

She gasped for air, tears tasting bitter and salt-heavy as they slipped into her mouth.

"And Sarah! Her parents died when she was young! My mother welcomed her into our home for ten years!

"My mother paid for her education, guided her hand when she first picked up a scalpel! She even washed her clothes when Sarah got her very first period!"

Michael flinched under the sheer despair in her gaze, but his posture quickly hardened again.

"Your mother treated Sarah like a daughter. That's why I take care of her, too, so your mother can rest easy knowing I'm looking after both of you."

Chloe stared at him, her right hand trembling uncontrollably once more.

Just then, her phone rang in her pocket. The screen flashed with the caller ID, "Mom."

Michael glanced at it, remaining remarkably composed.

"Answer it, Chloe. If you insist on going abroad, I will pull all the funding for your mother's treatment tomorrow."

His voice was quiet, but every word struck like a heavy blow to her chest.

"The choice is yours."

Chloe squeezed her eyes shut, her body trembling. "Fine. I'll stay."

A satisfied smile finally broke across Michael's face. He patted her head approvingly. "That's a good girl."

Chloe raised her hand and wiped away her tears, finally pressing accept.

She placed the phone against her ear, forcing a faint smile into her voice.

"Mom? What's wrong?"

On the other end, her mother's voice sounded faint and frail.

"Chloe, sweetheart, nothing is wrong... I just wanted to hear your voice. Is Michael with you?"

Chloe went rigid. Before she could answer, Michael calmly reached out and tapped the speakerphone button.

"Mom, I'm right here. We were just getting ready to come visit you. We'll be there soon."

"Oh, good, good... As long as Michael is with you, I can rest easy."

---

On the drive to the hospital, Michael held out his hand toward Chloe.

"We had an agreement, remember? You will hand over the acceptance letter."