Chapter 3

Timmy and his family left the house practically vibrating with excitement. They told me they were going to claim the prize, already dreaming about the massive fortune they were about to blow.

They started buying everything in sight without a hint of hesitation.

Buying a car for each person gave off a total upstart vibe.

When evening rolled around, they told me they weren't coming home. They were already out scouting for luxury properties.

"Don't worry, Mom," Timmy said smoothly. "I already paid the deposit on a retirement room for you. You're going to love it."

I nearly laughed out loud. The retirement room he mentioned was a 60-dollar-a-month janitor closet.

It was right next to the bus station bathrooms, dripping with filth and smelling of sewage.

I would be stepping on roaches and dodging rats every time I moved.

And he had the nerve to ask if it was a nice place?

"Oh, by the way, Mom," Timmy added. "Are you feeling okay? If you're experiencing any weird symptoms, you have to let me know."

I could hear Chloe whispering excitedly in the background, "The hospital sent her lab results this morning. The cancer markers should be causing symptoms by now. Ask her what hurts."

Timmy pressed on. "Mom, is your stomach hurting? Do you feel any sharp, stabbing pains in your spine?"

I let out a cold laugh to myself.

Usually, Timmy couldn't be bothered to stay on the phone with me for more than ten seconds. But today, he was playing the patient son.

He was practically begging for confirmation that I was dying.

In my previous life, when the cancer really took hold, the collectors were hunting us. Timmy was so paralyzed by fear that he went into hiding.

But he would call me in the dead of night, his voice dripping with venom. "Mom, when are you finally going to just die? If you don't want me to suffer from your debt, just hurry up and croak. You're running out of time anyway."

I was shaking uncontrollably. What kind of twisted monster would say something like that?

He had seen me at my absolute worst. He had watched me writhe on the floor in agony, slamming my head against the wall just to distract myself from the cancer eating my organs. He had seen my face covered in sweat and tears.

He didn't care. Instead, he eagerly cornered my oncologist, demanding, "Does this mean she's going to die soon?"

I was utterly stunned, my mind going completely blank. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that this monster was my own flesh and blood.

"Mom? Say something," Timmy snapped.

He was genuinely desperate now.

Since he had set the stage, I would play my part. It would be a pity to crush his delusions too early.

"Actually, I haven't been feeling well at all," I said, purposely making my voice sound weak and breathy. "My stomach is in knots. It feels like I'm being stabbed."

Even through the phone speaker, I could feel the sheer excitement radiating off him. "Oh no. Just rest, Mom. I'm sure it's just a stomach bug. You'll be fine," he lied effortlessly.

He quickly hung up and headed for the mall, burning through three hundred thousand dollars without breaking a sweat.

A sense of calm washed over me as I watched him dive headfirst into his own greed. This time, I was not the one falling into the abyss.

After what happened in my previous life, I knew I had to act fast.

Now that I finally had some money, it was time to save my own life.

When I was diagnosed in my previous life, my doctor had looked at me with profound pity. "If you had just come to me a month earlier, we could have caught this in the early stages. It would have been entirely curable."

Armed with my newfound fortune, I secured an appointment with the most renowned surgeon in the country.

After running a battery of tests, the doctor confirmed the incredible news: the cancer was still in its infancy. A minor surgical procedure would eradicate it completely.

For the first time in years, I felt like I actually had a bright future.