CHAPTER TWO THIS IS INSANE

NAYA'S POV

I read the email three times then pinched my arm hard, just to be sure I wasn't dreaming.

Someone behind me coughed. A chair scraped the floor. The fan kept clicking overhead. That was all I needed to know this was real.

The email was still there.

"Scam," I said quietly, and I closed the tab.

Then I opened it again.

Two simple words sat at the bottom of the message. L. K. There was no photo, no full name. Nothing about who this person was or where they were from. It was just two letters and a short sentence that said they were interested.

I pressed reply, then deleted it without typing anything. What was I supposed to say? What price do you put on a year of your life?

Before I could decide, another email came in from the same address.

Do not waste my time. If this is real, respond.

I sat up straight. This was real.

I typed: This is not a joke. I need money for my sister's surgery. I pressed send before I could change my mind.

The reply came fast. Full name.

No hello. No please. Just ‘two words?’

"Rude," I muttered, but my fingers were already moving. Naya Whitlock.

Background.

I pressed my lips together and typed everything. I am twenty-three years old. I work two jobs. My parents are not in my life. I take care of my sister alone and she is sick and needs surgery.

There was no reason to hide anything.

Medical proof.

I took photos of Lily's hospital file, the test results, and the doctor's report right there at the desk and attached them all. My hands were not completely steady.

I waited. Five minutes passed, then ten.

I was about to stand up and leave when the next email came.

Meet me tomorrow at 10 AM. Grand Crest Hotel. My lawyer will be present.

I read it twice.

"This is insane," I said under my breath.

I closed the computer and stood up. My legs felt like they did not belong to me as I walked out of the cafe into the night air.

* * *

The hospital was quiet and cold when I got back. I walked straight to Lily's room.

She was awake, her eyes tired but open. Her lips still looked dry.

"You came back," she said softly.

"I always come back."

She looked at me for a moment. "Did you eat?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Naya."

"I'm fine, Lily."

She studied my face the way she always did, looking for the crack in whatever expression I was wearing. "You look like you're about to fall over."

"I'm not falling over."

She smiled weakly and reached for my hand. I gave it to her.

The door opened and the doctor walked in. My heart jumped.

"Miss Whitlock," he said. "I need to speak with you outside."

I followed him into the corridor. The serious look on his face made my stomach drop before he even opened his mouth.

"The test results came back while you were out," he said. "We cannot delay any further. We need to move to surgery as soon as possible."

"I'm still trying to get the money," I said quickly.

"You need to make a deposit first. One hundred and ten thousand dollars. Once that is received, we can begin immediately."

My eyes went wide. "Doctor, please. Can you not start treatment while I gather the money?"

He shook his head. "I am sorry. Without the deposit, we cannot proceed."

I stared at him. I wanted to argue. I wanted to grab him by his coat and make him understand that my sister was in that room and she was running out of time and I was doing everything I could.

Instead I said, "Please, give me one more day."

He was quiet for a long moment. Then he nodded once. "One day. That is all I can do."

"Thank you," I breathed.

I stood in the corridor after he walked away and told myself that the meeting tomorrow had to work. There was no other option left.

I went back into Lily's room and sat down beside her.

"What did he say?" she asked.

"He said you are going to be fine."

She watched me for a moment. "You're lying again."

"I'm not."

She squeezed my hand and closed her eyes. I stayed beside her until she fell asleep, then I just sat there in the quiet of that hospital room and watched her breathe and thought about one hundred and ten thousand dollars and a meeting at the Grand Crest Hotel in the morning.