Chapter 1
I was sick and needed 4000 dollars for the surgery.
I sent a message to our family group chat, but after 48 hours, there wasn't a single reply.
I called my parents, but my mom said, "We're also feeling the pinch right now. You need to find a way to manage on your own."
I reached out to three friends, borrowing money from here and there, and ended up signing the consent form on the operating table all by myself.
After being discharged from the hospital, I left the family group chat and never went back home for holidays.
This Christmas Eve, my dad suddenly called me.
I thought they had finally remembered me, but the first thing he said was, "Your nephew got accepted into a university abroad, and we need 500 thousand dollars. As his aunt, you should really chip in."
I laughed, "After refusing to give me 4000 when I needed it, how dare they ask me for 500 thousand now?"
*****
The diagnosis report felt light in Lydia Sullivan's hand, but it weighed a ton. She recognized every word, but together they hit her like a sledgehammer, leaving her reeling.
"You have a mass in your uterus. We recommend immediate surgery." The doctor's calm voice echoed in her ears.
"Get ready for the surgery fees. With the hospital stay and follow-up medication, it'll be over 10 thousand dollars," the doctor added.
Lydia clenched the paper in her hand.
She'd been out of college for three years, working as a clerk at a small company, making 2000 dollars a month.
After paying rent and covering her daily expenses, she had to send 800 dollars to her family every month. What was left was barely enough to get by.
All her savings together were less than 6000 dollars. She was still short by another 4000 dollars.
Lydia sat on the cold hospital bench, her fingers swiping across her phone screen. Pinned at the top was the family WhatsApp group.
Her parents were in there, along with his brother, Liam Sullivan, Liam's wife, Linda Sullivan, and a handful of relatives she barely ever spoke to. This was her only hope.
She took a deep breath and opened the chat box, her fingers trembling from nerves. She carefully crafted her message, not wanting to sound too desperate.
[I'm not feeling well, and the doctor says I need surgery. I'm still short 4000 dollars. Can anyone help me out? I'll pay you back as soon as I get my paycheck,] she typed.
Lydia hit send. But an hour passed, and nobody got back to her.
The group chat stayed dead quiet. He thought someone had seen her message, but nobody replied.
Lydia wasn't ready to give up. She tapped on Liam's profile, copied her message, and sent it to him directly.
At the top of the chat, she saw [Typing...]. Lydia's eyes brightened with hope. But the words flickered for a few seconds, then vanished. Instead, a cold red exclamation mark appeared: [Message sent, but rejected by the recipient.]
Lydia froze. Liam had blocked her on WhatsApp. Her heart plummeted in an instant.
She tried Linda next, sending her the same message. This time, there wasn't even a typing indicator.
Two hours later, the first message finally popped up in the group chat. It was from Linda, a photo of her freshly done nails, glittering with tiny diamonds. The caption read: [Feeling great today.]
Right away, someone liked the photo. It was a distant aunt who was always looking for a freebie.
Then Linda posted a video of herself at a fancy restaurant. Her son, Alex Sullivan, was struggling to scoop up a piece of tiramisu with his spoon.
In the video, Liam's voice was loud and clear. "Alex, slow down. If you want more, I'll order you another one."
The screen's harsh light made Lydia's eyes sting. They had money to splurge, but not even to lend her 4000 dollars.
She closed WhatsApp and, hands trembling, dialed her mom, Sienna Sullivan.
The phone rang for ages before Sienna finally answered. "Hello? What's up? I'm in the middle of a poker game." Sienna's annoyed voice came through.
"Mom, I..." Lydia's voice wavered. She tried to steady herself. "I've gotten sick. I need surgery, but I'm short 4000 dollars."
There was silence on the other end of the line. The noisy chatter and clatter from the poker game seemed to. After a few seconds, Sienna asked, "What's wrong? Is it serious? How did this happen out of the blue?"
"The doctor said there's a mass in my uterus. I need surgery right away," Lydia replied.
"4000 dollars?" Sienna's voice rose sharply.
"Yeah, I've got some saved up, but I'm still short 6000 dollars," Lydia replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
She could hear Sienna muffling the receiver, whispering to someone nearby. Lydia felt her heart sink.
Finally, Sienna moved her hand away. "Lydia, it's not that I don't want to help you," Sienna said.
"Liam got a new car, and he's got monthly payments. Alex is starting at that fancy bilingual preschool. The tuition is outrageous.
"All our money goes to Liam. Things are really tight for us right now.
"You should be able to handle things yourself out there.
"Anyway, it's probably a little problem. Maybe some medicine will fix it. Hospitals nowadays love to make a big deal out of nothing to scam you for money.
"Make your own decision, honey. I've got a poker game waiting for me."
With that, Sienna hung up before Lydia could say another word. Lydia sat there, still clutching her phone, lost in thought.
She had no idea when night had fallen. Outside, the city's neon lights spilled through the window, painting her face with broken patches of color and shadow.
Lydia stared at the family group chat as Linda flaunted the new designer bag Liam had bought her.
The relatives were all hitting like and tossing out compliments, acting as if Lydia's cry for help had never even happened.
Turned out, to them, her life wasn't even worth a new purse or a nice dinner.
So, she was never really family. She was just a tool that could be easily sacrificed or discarded at will.
Lydia managed a slow, twisted smile.
At last, her tears spilled out uncontrollably, splashing onto the icy phone screen.