Chapter 2

I climbed out of the snow, brushed the grime and flakes off myself, picked up the filthy photo, and headed toward the hospital.

My mom was still in her hospital bed.

Seven years ago, I went to prison. The Ballard family went bankrupt. My dad's hair turned white overnight, and he passed away from grief two years later.

My mom couldn't take the shock, and her health fell apart. She scraped by in the hospital, living off a tiny pension and whatever help the neighbors could spare.

"Nia? You... you're out?" Mom's voice trembled, barely believing her eyes.

When she saw me, her cloudy eyes suddenly sparkled, and she struggled to sit up.

I quickly held her down gently. "Mom, I'm back."

Her hand, thin as a twig, clung to mine, and tears wouldn't stop streaming down her face.

Mom asked, "I'm so glad you're back. Did Tobias come to get you? Where is he?"

My heart gave a painful twist, but I forced a smile. "He's busy. Something urgent came up at work, so I told him to head back first."

"Well, he's a celebrity now, always busy." Mom sighed, then smiled with relief. "He promised me he'd always look after you. That puts my mind at ease."

Seeing her expectant face, I was at a loss for words.

The doctor called me into his office, his face grim.

"Your mother's kidney failure has reached the final stage. She needs a transplant as soon as possible, or she won't make it past three months," he said.

My voice trembled. "How much... will the surgery cost?"

"With follow-up treatment, you'll need to prepare at least 150 thousand dollars," he replied.

150 thousand dollars. It felt like a mountain had just landed on my chest, crushing the air out of me.

I walked out of the hospital, my mind completely blank.

Where the hell was I supposed to get 150 thousand dollars?

I pulled out my phone, almost involuntarily, and dialed Tobias's number again.

This time, it wasn't him who picked up. It was a woman with a crisp, professional voice.

"Hello, this is Ruth Shaffer, Tobias's manager," she said.

I said, "I need to speak to Tobias."

"Ms. Ballard, right?" Ruth's tone was polite but distant, like she was just going through the motions. "Tobias is busy. If you have something to say, you can tell me."

I took a deep breath and let go of all my dignity.

I said, "My mom's sick. She needs 150 thousand dollars for surgery. Can you... have him lend it to me? I swear I'll pay it back. I'll sign whatever you need, and I'll do anything!"

There was a long silence on the other end.

Then, Ruth's voice grew cold and sharp. "Ms. Ballard, are you overestimating your own importance?

"Seven years ago, you took the blame for Tobias, and our company gave your family 300 thousand dollars as compensation. We've been paying your mom's medical bills all these years. Wendy just handed you another 100 thousand dollars today. What else do you want?"

I was completely dumbfounded.

A hundred thousand dollars payout? When did we ever see a dime of that?

I said, "I have no idea about any 100 thousand dollars! You paid for my mom's medical bills? You..."

"Ms. Ballard." Ruth cut me off, her patience wearing thin. "You should be grateful. Do you even realize who Tobias is now? And who are you? Just an ex-con with a record. Do you think you're worth 150 thousand dollars?

"Don't call again, or we'll have no choice but to call the cops for extortion. And remember, Tobias doesn't owe you a thing. You were the one who begged to take the fall for him back then."

The line went dead with a sharp click.

I stood at the hospital entrance, the icy wind cutting right through me, leaving me frozen to the bone.

It turned out that in their eyes, my seven years of sacrifice were nothing but a shameless, pathetic transaction.

To them, the money that could save my mom's life was my endless, greedy demands.

I rifled through my contacts, desperate, until I found Wendy's number.

"Hello?" Wendy answered, her voice lazy and groggy, like she'd just woken up.

"Wendy, did you take the 100 thousand dollars compensation the company was supposed to give my family?" I cut straight to the point.

Wendy gave a light chuckle on the other end.

"Yeah, I took it. So what?" She admitted it nonchalantly.

She continued, "Nia, don't forget, I was the one who made Tobias give your family the money. Otherwise, do you really think he'd care if your parents lived or died?

"Your dad's company went under, buried in debt. That 100 thousand dollars was barely a drop in the bucket. I used it to grease some palms for you, so your time in prison wouldn't be hell. Is that so wrong?

"And your mom's medical bills? I've been paying them myself every single month. Nia, I've already gone above and beyond for you."

Wendy's words were like knives, cutting me up inside.

"So, I'm supposed to thank you for that?" I asked.

Wendy replied, her tone dripping with condescension. "No need. Just stay out of trouble and stop causing drama. That's all I want. Because, in case you forgot, I'm Mrs. Patel now."

Her last words shattered me completely.

I hung up, dropped to the ground, like a stray dog abandoned by everyone. I was so broken I couldn't even make a sound.