Chapter 3

The bills smacked against my face and scattered into the spilled soup on the floor. All the grease from the soup got onto them.

I stared intently at Edwin's arrogant face. My fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles cracked, and my nails dug deep into my palms.

The siren of the ambulance grew louder in the distance, piercing through the noise on the street.

"Move aside! Everyone move aside!"

The medics rushed in carrying a stretcher and quickly began administering emergency treatment to Mom.

"Her blood pressure is critically high, and her heartbeat is irregular. We must get her to the hospital immediately!" the doctor shouted with a grave expression.

I couldn't spare any attention for Edwin or Celia anymore. I scrambled after the stretcher and climbed into the ambulance.

As the doors shut, I looked through the window and saw Edwin flashing a victory sign at the livestream camera. Celia leaned against his chest, smiling.

At the hospital in the city center, outside the emergency operating room doors, the glowing red sign above weighed heavily on my heart. I sat on the freezing plastic chair, still covered in greasy soup stains.

The attending physician walked out holding a critical condition notice and spoke in an urgent tone. "The patient suffered a severe cerebral hemorrhage. She needs immediate cranial surgery. For the surgery and ICU expenses afterward, you need to pay a 20-thousand-dollar deposit first."

I shot to my feet, my hands trembling as I accepted the thin sheet of paper.

20 thousand dollars...

All my savings were with Celia. She had also changed the password for the card linked to my bank account to which my earnings were paid.

At that moment, aside from the lottery ticket worth 120 million dollars hidden in my inner pocket, I couldn't even scrape together 200 dollars.

Claiming the prize money would take time. Even if they were quick, I wouldn't get the money until tomorrow.

Grinding my teeth, I pulled out my phone and started calling relatives and friends I'd once been close to.

"Hello, Uncle Will. Mom is suffering from a brain hemorrhage. I urgently need 20 thousand dollars for her surgery. Could you lend me some money first?"

There was silence on the other end for three seconds before Will Lorenz's cold voice came through.

"Zac, it's not that I don't want to help. It's just… Celia was livestreaming earlier. She said you owe loan sharks 100 million dollars. What little money we have wouldn't be enough for you. You should figure something out yourself…"

In the next second, a long beep rang out. He had mercilessly hung up on me.

I made seven or eight more calls in a row and received almost identical answers every time.

Celia's livestream hadn't just ruined my reputation. It had severed every social connection I had.

I had run out of options. Just as I was about to swallow my pride and turn to loan sharks, the sound of high heels clicking against the floor echoed from the end of the hallway.

Celia walked toward me holding a selfie stick while speaking to the livestream camera. Meryl and Edwin followed closely behind her.

She said, "Guys, I'm at the hospital right now. No matter what, his mom ended up here because of him. As her former daughter-in-law, I should still pay her a visit."

Celia stopped in front of me and pointed the camera at my exhausted face while asking, "Zac, I heard the old hag needs to undergo surgery. But then, you don't have any money to pay the deposit. Is that right?"

She pulled a bank card from her Hermès bag and waved it in front of my eyes. "There's 30 thousand dollars on this card. It's the money you handed over to me for safekeeping these past two years.

"As long as you kneel in front of the camera right now and sign the debt assumption agreement to admit that the 100-million-dollar debt is yours, I'll pay the surgery fees for you immediately."

I lifted my head and stared coldly at the woman I had once deeply loved. It was clear she had no regard for the dying woman inside the operating room. She kept calling her "old hag" without any respect.

"Celia, that's the money I earned," I said in a hoarse voice.

"It's mine now," she said, lifting her chin arrogantly. "You hid the debt from me. That makes you the guilty party in our marriage. That money is to compensate me for the emotional damage."

Meryl chimed in from the side, "Exactly! My daughter spent three years with you. You should be grateful she didn't ask you for compensation for wasting her youth."

Edwin stepped forward and let out a sigh. "Zac, don't be so selfish. Your mother is lying in there waiting for the money that can save her life. Can't you let go of your pride just once? What matters more—your pride, or your mother's life?"

A flurry of livestream comments poured in instantly.

"My gosh! Celia is too kind. She's still willing to fork out money at a time like this."

"That guy is disgusting. To avoid paying back the debt, he doesn't even care whether his own mother lives or dies."

"Just sign it already! Don't delay the old lady's surgery!"

The three of them used the most righteous excuses to crucify me on moral grounds.

I looked at the bank card in Celia's hand, and then at the tightly shut operating room doors.

If I didn't have that lottery ticket… If I really were just an ordinary lottery shop owner… My only option right now would be to kneel down, sign the papers, and helplessly take on a debt of 100 million dollars. But what other choice did I have?

I took a deep breath, and my hand slowly slipped into my inner pocket.

Just as my fingertips brushed against the edge of the lottery ticket, the operating room doors suddenly swung open.

A nurse hurried out and said, "Is Darla Ford's family here? An anonymous donor has already paid the full 50-thousand-dollar deposit for the surgery and hospitalization fees. We will start the surgery immediately!"

Celia's hand that was holding the selfie stick froze midair.

Meryl and Edwin looked at each other. The smug expressions on their faces froze.

I slowly withdrew my hand and looked at them icily. "Take your filthy money and get out of the hospital."