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All Chapters of The Price of Her Indifference: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

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 s

Chapter 2 Every Last Cent

The notification appeared on my screen."Your request has been denied. Reason: You seriously couldn't wait one more day? Guess you finally showed your true colors."I gaped at the message, unable to believe what I was seeing.My thoughts barely caught up before my phone buzzed again.Reese was calling.I answered immediately. "Hello—""Felix Mayer!" Her icy voice cut me off. "You made it three whole years, and with only one day left, you finally showed your true colors?""Reese, listen to me. Mom was in a car accident—""Stop!" she snapped. "Mom? You seriously have the nerve to bring up your mom? When you married into my family, you told me she was dead. Now, with the agreement about to expire, you're using a dead woman to scam me out of money? Felix, I can't believe I ever trusted you.""No, that's not what I meant." Frustration shook my voice. "Not my mom. Your mom. I mean your mom—""Shut up! My mom has been in meetings all day. I just spoke to her! You're so desperate for

Chapter 3 Too Much to Ask

Suddenly, the operating room doors burst open. The doctor emerged, peeling off his mask, his face so grave it sent a chill straight through me."Sir, her condition is worse than we expected. She needs a more extensive procedure immediately, and we'll need another 20,000 dollars."My throat tightened. "What happens if I can't pay?""We'll continue with conservative treatment, but her chances of survival will be less than thirty percent. Even if she survives, she could face serious long-term complications."A bitter laugh almost escaped me. 'Twenty thousand? I barely have two dollars.'Still, I forced myself to speak. "Doctor, please. Just do the surgery. I'll find the money."I was practically begging him, but the doctor only sighed. "I'm sorry. There's only so much I can authorize without payment. We'll do everything we can for her, but you should prepare yourself for the worst."He walked away, leaving me stranded in the hallway. My legs buckled, and I collapsed onto the cold,

Chapter 4 Her Mother's Ashes

The pawn shop owner gave me a long, sympathetic look before reaching into the register and counting out another 450 dollars."Here. That makes 1,500. Take it."I looked at the money, then back at him. "But—""Just go," he said, waving me off. "I run a small shop. This is all I can do."For a heartbeat, words deserted me.In the end, I took the money, thanked him softly, and left....Three days later, I sat alone in the Sampson Residence living room, cradling a plain urn. It was the cheapest the funeral home offered: black plastic, with no engraving or decoration.Linda's whole life was now reduced to ashes sealed inside a cheap plastic urn.The mansion was empty. Reese had given the staff a few days off while she went to the Maravelle Islands with Joe.While her mom was cremated, Reese was vacationing with her first love.Her social media was filled with photos from their trip—scuba diving, sailing across crystal-clear water, and candlelit dinners on the beach. Every photo

Chapter 5 Let Her Rest

I said, "Your mom's ashes.""No way."Reese staggered back, but Joe moved quickly. He steadied her with firm hands before she could fall."Reese, don't let him get in your head. It's obviously fake," he said calmly. "Felix is trying to scare you. He wants you to feel guilty so you'll give him money."She met his gaze, her hands trembling and her breath uneven."I looked into him before," Joe continued. "He's more calculating than you think. His mom died three years ago, and I found the cremation records. Those ashes had to be hers."He took out his phone, opened a document, and showed her the screen. "Look. Here's the death certificate. She died three years ago. Felix brought his mom's ashes here and tried to pass them off as Linda's. He wanted you to panic to win back your trust and take money from you."Reese studied the document in silence, her eyes clouded with doubt that gradually cleared. When she finally looked at me, her expression was pure revulsion."Felix, you're sic

Chapter 6 The Truth Beneath the Grave

I didn't have a car, so I ran.The cemetery was over twelve miles outside the city, but I refused to stop. My lungs blazed, my legs screamed, and every breath scorched my chest. Still, I pushed forward.Nearly two hours later, I finally stumbled into the cemetery. Even from afar, I spotted a cluster of people gathered at my mom's grave.Reese and Joe were there with several cemetery workers.A cold weight sank in my gut.The grave had already been torn open.One worker gently lifted an urn from the burial vault just as I broke into a desperate run toward them."No!"My scream rang out across the cemetery, but I was too late. The worker had set the white urn gently on the grass.It sat there, untouched and whole.I halted a few steps away, gasping for air. Reese stared at the urn by the open grave, frozen as her mind refused to accept what her eyes saw.After a long silence, she slowly turned toward Joe."Joe, what is this?" Her voice trembled. "Why are Felix's mom's ashes s

Chapter 7 The Real Liar

I unfolded the agreement and let my eyes linger on each clause. Reese's properties, shares, cash, jewelry—every asset she owned and could give away was spelled out in black and white.When I reached the last page, the lead attorney pulled out another file and set it on the table. "There's one more thing we need to discuss, Mr. Mayer. It concerns Mr. Joe Woods."I looked up as he went on, "Our investigation uncovered evidence linking him to several financial crimes. He used his relationship with Ms. Sampson to engage in insider trading, misappropriated Sampson Group funds for personal investments and falsified financial statements."He slid the file across the table toward me. "The evidence is substantial. If he's convicted, he could face more than ten years in prison."I flipped open the file and let the investigation report pull me in. With each page, the tangled web of truth unraveled.Joe never loved Reese. From the very beginning, he had a plan, and their so-called first-love

Chapter 8 What Money Couldn't Buy

"Because even though she wasn't always kind to me, she was still your mom. I wanted you to see that I was genuinely trying to be part of this family."After three years, I finally unleashed everything I had locked away inside."You called that agreement a test, but it wasn't—it was humiliation. What did you take me for, Reese? Your pet? Someone you could control just because you had money?"For three years, you controlled every cent I spent, convincing yourself you were testing my character. Then, when I truly needed you—when your mom's life was at stake—you chose to believe Joe over me."A bitter laugh escaped me. "You spent three years putting me to the test, Reese, but you never realized you were being tested too. In the end, you were the one who failed."With those words, I turned and walked away.Behind me, I heard Reese collapse into sobs.Still, I kept moving forward without glancing back....A month later, Joe was formally charged with fraud, embezzlement, and several

Chapter 9 No More Tests

Deep down, Linda had always seen me as her son-in-law."I'm sorry."Reese's voice pulled me from my thoughts.I glanced up to find her gazing at me, eyes shimmering with unshed tears."Felix, I'm so sorry. I know nothing I say can make up for what I did, and I'm not asking you to forgive me." Her voice trembled. "I just hope that you can finally be happy after all this."She bowed her head, turned, and walked away in silence.The attorney waited until Reese disappeared down the hallway, then asked, "Mr. Mayer, how would you like to proceed?"I remained silent for a moment before answering, "Do what she asked."Then another thought came to me."And draw up a donation agreement for me."The attorney looked surprised. "A donation agreement?""Yes, I want to donate all my shares in the Sampson Group to the Linda West Foundation."I explained, "The foundation was recently established to help patients who can't afford lifesaving medical treatment. Reese will run it but won't have

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