Chapter 1 One Day Left

The hospital hallway blazed with painful brightness, each fluorescent bulb drilling deeper into my throbbing skull. I slumped against the wall, eyes fixed on my phone screen. I only had 2,847.23 dollars left.

"Sir, the patient is in critical condition. She needs surgery immediately."

An ER doctor hurried over and handed me a stack of paperwork. "The surgery will cost around 5,800 dollars. We need you to pay the deposit as soon as possible."

I clenched my jaw. "Doctor, can you start the surgery first? I'll get the money. I promise."

The doctor hesitated, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, but it's hospital policy. She has a ruptured spleen. If we wait much longer, her life will be at risk."

My heart plummeted. I was nowhere close.

Desperation clawed at me as I dialed Jake Gonzalez, an old college friend. My hands trembled, sweat slicking my grip, while I waited for him to answer.

"Hey, Jake. Can you lend me 500 bucks? It's an emergency."

A long silence followed before he finally spoke, "Felix, I'm sorry. I really am. But your wife made it clear that anyone who gives you money will be blacklisted by the Sampson Group."

The call ended before I could say anything else.

I called person after person, but every conversation ended in defeat. No one dared risk Reese's wrath for my sake. When my contact list ran dry, I was still 3,000 dollars short.

I paused by a humming vending machine at the end of the hallway, staring at the top name in my contacts: Reese Sampson, my wife and the formidable CEO of the Sampson Group.

She was a billionaire, wealthier than most could ever imagine. Yet somehow, asking my own wife for 3,000 dollars felt like the hardest thing in the world.

Three years ago, I married into the Sampson family. Reese had been convinced from the very beginning that I was only after her money, so before agreeing to marry me, she came up with a way to test me.

She made me sign a three-year prenup.

Under the agreement, I had to get approval for every dollar I spent through an app she controlled. No matter how big or small the expense, if Reese didn't approve it, I couldn't spend it.

Once, I asked for money to buy new clothes, but she refused because she thought my clothes were good enough. Another time, I asked for money to have dinner with a few college friends, and she denied that too, saying I should stop wasting my time. She even refused to give me bus fare once because, according to her, there was no point paying for a bus when I could walk home.

For three long years, that was my reality.

At last, today marked the final day of our agreement. When midnight struck, those humiliating restrictions would vanish, and Reese's grip on my finances would finally end.

However, with a life on the line, midnight felt like a distant, unreachable promise.

I took a deep breath and opened the app. Under the emergency expense section, I explained that my mother-in-law had been in a car accident and needed 3,000 dollars for surgery. Then I hit submit and leaned back against the wall, staring at my phone as I waited for Reese to approve the request.

One minute passed, then five. Before I knew it, ten minutes had gone by with no response.

Each passing second twisted my insides tighter.

The red light above the operating room was still glowing when the doctor approached me again. "Sir, I'm sorry, but if you don't pay the deposit, we can't proceed with the surgery."

"Just give me a little more time," I pleaded. "Please. I'll get the money."

The doctor gave me a worried look, then walked away.

Cold sweat slid down my forehead as I checked my phone again, desperate for a sign of Reese's approval.

There was still nothing.

I was just about to call her when my phone finally buzzed.

My heart jumped as I looked down at the screen. With trembling hands, I opened the notification.