Chapter 6

Mark’s head spun.

They had one hundred thousand dollars in cash savings from money they had saved together.

He remembered the day they decided to start saving together; Claire had said with rare tenderness, “Mark, this is for our future family. I will keep it safe.”

Yet now, without even letting him know, she had given it all to Ryan. Then again, since they were not getting married anymore, the savings had lost their meaning anyway. It was only right that they took back their respective money.

“Claire, I don’t care who you lend your money to, but I need you to give me back my share of sixty thousand dollars.”

Claire walked to the kitchen, poured herself a glass of water, and took a sip. “I lent everything from our savings to him.”

Mark rushed forward, grabbed the glass from her hand, and smashed it on the floor. The glass shattered into pieces.

“That’s for my dad’s medical fees! Call him right now and demand it back! If you don’t get that money back, what am I supposed to do? Sell the house and the car?”

Claire frowned, displeased that he was losing his temper. He was never like that before.

“I’ve mortgaged the house and the car to the bank,” she said. “Along with the money from our savings, I put together five hundred thousand dollars for him.”

Mark was shocked. He looked at the woman whom he had been in love with for six years in disbelief.

“You mortgaged our house? Ryan knows my dad is in emergency care! He did this on purpose!”

The house belonged to Mark, but after they got together, he added her name to the deed.

At the time, she had said, “Honestly, there’s no need to put my name on the deed. I don’t care about material things like that. What I care about more is spending every day of my life with you.”

She had insisted on paying for part of the renovations, and out of respect for her, he agreed.

He loved her so much that he wanted to give her everything he could, so he bought her a car. He never imagined that she would hand it all over to another man just like that.

Claire’s expression turned grim. “Mark, watch your words. Ryan’s project is vital to him. Without this money, the project falls through, and years of his hard work will be wasted. It’s not easy for a single father to make a living. Stop being so selfish, will you?

“I understand that your dad is sick, but you can take out a loan from relatives and friends or sell the old house your father lives in. There’s always a way to solve this. Once Ryan’s cash flow frees up, he’ll pay you back.”

Mark slammed his fist against the wall, his knuckles instantly turning into a bloody mess.

“Claire!” He pointed toward the door and said, “Go to the hospital right now. I need you to use your position as the hospital director and guarantee an emergency financial clearance for my dad’s surgery. Otherwise, I’ll take legal action!”

Claire looked at his bleeding hand and frowned slightly. “That’s impossible. The hospital has a clear policy prohibiting special exceptions for anyone with large outstanding balances. If I make an exception for you, the system becomes meaningless.

“However, I can help you apply for public assistance. If we follow the proper procedures, you should hear back within fifteen to thirty business days. But I can’t guarantee that your application will be approved.”

Mark gritted his teeth so hard that he tasted blood in his mouth. Greg’s surgery had to be performed within seven days, and she was putting Greg’s life at risk!

Mark’s chest heaved. A sudden bout of dizziness hit him before his vision went dark and he passed out. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in the passenger seat.

Claire had one hand on the steering wheel. “You have a high fever. It’s probably because you got caught in the rain yesterday. I’m driving you to the hospital. Don’t worry about the medical fees. Without violating my principles, I’ll think of another way.”

Mark felt weak, and his body ached from the fever. He turned his head away, not wanting her to see his bloodshot eyes.

“Claire, how could you do this to me? You know that my dad is all I have left…”

Claire sighed and reached out, wanting to touch his forehead, but he ducked away.

“I’m sorry, but Ryan sounded so helpless on the phone. I couldn’t just ignore him.”

Mark closed his eyes in despair. It felt as though a gaping hole had been torn open in his chest, leaving it empty and cold.

With her, Ryan would always come first, and Mark did not have the strength to argue anymore. Dazed and semi-conscious, he fell asleep again.

When he was woken up by the stifling heat, he had no idea how much time had passed. However, the driver’s seat was empty, and Claire was nowhere to be seen.

The car was suffocatingly hot. Gasping for air, he struggled to push himself up and reached to open the car door, only to find the doors locked.

He was trapped inside the car.