Chapter 4

"Who told you that?"

Mrs. Trey sneered.

"His real wife came by earlier. She even showed us their marriage certificate.

"I knew something was off. You've been here so long and the father never once showed his face.

"You kept saying he was busy with work. Turns out you're just a mistress without a ring.

"Your poor girl was probably so ashamed of having a mother like you that she swallowed those pills."

My mind went completely blank. I stumbled blindly out into the hallway.

I crashed straight into Dr. Mark Evans, Lily's attending physician. His face was pale with panic.

"Mrs. Clara Collins, your daughter is in critical condition. You need to pay her emergency surgery deposit immediately."

I scrambled to follow him to the cashier, pulling out my credit card.

The clerk swiped it, then paused with a frown.

"Mrs. Collins, this card has been frozen."

My stomach dropped. I whipped out my phone and dialed Ramsey Collins.

It rang three times before he sent it straight to voicemail. I dialed again. Hung up.

Desperate, I called Caroline Paul, an old classmate who worked as a senior loan officer at the bank.

"Caroline, I need an emergency personal loan right now. Put up my clinic as collateral."

The line went quiet for a long moment before Caroline spoke in a low voice.

"I can't do that, Clara.

"You don't own that clinic anymore. Ramsey transferred the deed to Evelyn Reed months ago.

"He said Evelyn had a hard life and needed assets for security. He was afraid you'd make a scene, so he asked us to keep it quiet."

The words hit me like a physical blow. The hallway seemed to spin around me.

Dr. Evans looked at me helplessly.

"Mrs. Collins, without payment, the surgical board won't release the necessary equipment..."

I fought to keep my voice from breaking, practically dropping to my knees.

"Doctor, please give me a little more time. I will find the money. I swear I will."

Dr. Evans softened.

"I will keep her on life support for as long as I can. But you have one hour. Not a minute more."

"Thank you, thank you."

I sprinted toward the surgical wing.

Noah was already prepped on a gurney, sedated and ready for transport.

Ramsey was helping Evelyn push the gurney toward the operating room doors.

I threw myself in front of him, grabbing his arm with everything I had.

"Ramsey! Lily is in the emergency room right now! It's a life-or-death situation and I need money for her deposit!

“Can you please transfer it to me? I will pay you back double!"

Ramsey ripped his arm out of my grip, his eyes cold with utter contempt.

"Are you insane? Lily was completely fine half an hour ago! How could she suddenly need emergency surgery?

"Clara, I freeze your credit card for half a day and you make up a sick lie like this just to demand cash?"

Evelyn Reed stood beside him, looking down at me with a smirk.

"I thought you had more pride than this, Clara. Turns out you couldn't even last half a day without Ramsey's money."

"I told you that you'd regret acting out today."

The explanations choked in my throat.

Ramsey took Evelyn's hand, turning to push the gurney forward.

I bit my lip so hard I tasted copper, and dropped straight to my knees on the cold tile floor.

"Evelyn Reed!

"I am sorry! I apologize to you, and I apologize to Noah on behalf of my daughter!"

Passersby stopped in their tracks, staring and whispering.

Ramsey froze. For a fraction of a second, hesitation flickered across his eyes before he hardened his expression again.

"If you had just apologized earlier, you wouldn't have humiliated yourself like this."

He pulled out his phone, unlocking it to call the bank.

Beside him, Evelyn suddenly shrieked.

"Ramsey! Look! Noah's heart rate monitor is dropping fast!"

Ramsey's face went white. He canceled the call instantly.

"Clara, I'll deal with your card later. I have to get Noah inside right now."

He turned to run. Panic seized me. I threw myself forward and grabbed the hem of his pants.

"Ramsey Collins, I am begging you! Lily is dying in the room down the hall! If I don't pay right now, she won't make it!"

Ramsey kicked his leg free, his face twisted in pure irritation and suppressed rage.

"Enough! Clara, stop spouting this vile nonsense!"

"If anything happens to Noah today, ten lives from your daughter wouldn't be enough to pay for it!"

His words landed like a sledgehammer directly on my chest.

When I raised my eyes again, Ramsey had already rushed through the double doors into the operating suite.

A second later, my phone buzzed in my hand.

I pressed answer. Dr. Evans' quiet, broken voice came through the speaker.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Collins... We lost her. Please come down to claim your daughter's body."

The phone slipped from my palm and crashed onto the floor.

The grief was so vast, so suffocating, that no tears came.

---

After taking care of the arrangements, I held a small, heavy urn in my arms.

Tucked underneath the box was a crumpled scrap of paper. Written on it were shaky, uneven letters in Lily's childish handwriting.

[Mommy, Lily doesn't want to be a burden anymore. Lily is going to become an angel and guard Mommy's happiness from the sky.]

Outside, the rain had finally stopped.

I booked the fastest one-way ticket to London on my phone, stepped out to the curb, and flagged down a cab.

"Airport, please."

From this day on, there would be oceans between us. We would never meet again.

---

Third-Person POV

Inside the surgical wing, Noah's procedure was progressing smoothly.

Evelyn scratched her head with an embarrassed smile.

"Ramsey, I'm so sorry. I was just so nervous earlier that I didn't realize Noah's monitor lead had just come loose."

Ramsey offered a faint smile.

"It's fine. You were just worried about him."

He glanced back toward the waiting area out of habit.

The corridor was completely empty. Clara was nowhere to be seen.

For some reason, an inexplicable tightness seized his chest.

Ramsey made an excuse to step out for fresh air and walked into the hallway.

He checked his phone and saw nine missed calls from his mother, Juliet Collins.

Just as he was about to dial back, his phone rang again.

He answered it, and Juliet's panicked voice shrieked into his ear.

"Ramsey! Thank God you finally answered!

"Something terrible happened! Lily is dead!”