Chapter 5

After Grace finished her call, we went back to the hospital room together.

Yuri was already awake. She was sitting up against the headboard. When she saw me walk in, she lifted her eyelids a bit, with no expression at all.

"This is a big deal," I said. "Why didn't you tell Mom about it? I would do whatever it takes to get you better."

She looked at me, her gaze dead calm, like stagnant water. "How much can you really afford to get me treated?"

It took me a while to respond: "I'll talk to your dad. He can probably borrow it."

She let out a short laugh. "Have you seen the state he's in? You really think he could get the money for my treatment?"

She paused, then continued, "It's not expensive to raise you, but he's got another family out there to support."

"Who told you that nonsense?" I asked.

She looked at me, her eyes unexpectedly tinged with a teasing amusement. "He's cheated on you at least eight or ten times. Have you ever even tried to stop him?

"Isn't it everyone pretending nothing's wrong and going on with life?"

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

"Even if I handed you all the proof right now," she went on, "could you really bring yourself to leave him?"

I heard my own voice, dry and rough. "You need money for your treatment, and Ethan needs money for his tutoring classes.

"If I divorced him, how would we even get by?"

She gave a faint smile and said quietly, "There's really nothing worth treating. Go ahead and get me discharged."

Grace, who hadn't said a word until now, suddenly stood up.

Yuri looked up at her.

Grace said, "I'll lend you the money for now. Get your health sorted first, and we'll figure out the rest later.

"With your condition right now, there's no way you could work. No place would hire you."

Yuri looked at her and stayed silent for a long time.

"Listen for now," Grace said, her voice softening. "Focus on getting better. We all believe in you, and everyone's willing to chip in to help with the money."

Yuri's eyes grew teary. "It's okay, Grace."

Her voice trembled. "If the treatment doesn't work, I won't be able to pay you back.

"I've already used my savings to pay off the mortgage. If something really happens to me..."

She looked up at me. "I hope you can take care of my mom as much as you can." After she finished, she looked away.

*****

Grace quietly paid the hospital fees without telling me.

By the time I found out, it was already too late to stop her.

She said not to worry. Yuri should stay in the hospital for a few days for observation, and then we should decide what to do next.

I stood in the hallway, clutching the payment slip. The amount was five digits, enough to keep us going for months.

David called while I was spacing out by the hospital room door.

I told him about Yuri's condition: she'd got stomach cancer. It was already in the middle to late stage, and she needed surgery. It would cost 60 thousand dollars.

David showed up pretty quickly and stopped right outside the hospital room.

He pulled me aside and lowered his voice. "Since the mortgage is paid off. Sign the house back over to me. I'll take out a loan to cover her treatment.

"She's only been working for a few years and never got any medical insurance, so her coverage won't cover much."

He lowered his voice even more. "We might need more money later, so we need to be ready."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

I didn't even notice when the hospital room door opened, but Yuri spoke up from behind me, "If you dare sign the house over to him, he'll throw you out of the house."

I turned around and saw her standing by the door, holding onto the frame. "If you're not an idiot, don't believe a word he says."

David's face turned red, and his voice got louder. "Watch your mouth, kid! You barely paid off any of the mortgage. You really think this house belongs to you?"

Yuri stared at him, a cold smirk curling her lips. "If the house had been in your hands, it would've been repossessed and auctioned off long ago."

David's neck veins bulged with anger.

I looked at the two of them, completely unable to understand each other, and let out a sigh.

"Yuri," I said, stepping forward, "your dad wants to use the house to get a loan for your treatment. Don't make things difficult."

She looked at me and gave a small, sudden laugh.

"If you hand the house over to him," she said, "let's see if he'll ever give you a dime."

She leaned against the doorframe, her eyes locked on David Rivers, her voice suddenly dropping to a whisper. "What, the family you keep in that apartment on the west side won't help you with a loan?

"So, you're back to trying to get your hands on what little my mom has left? Don't even think about it."

Yuri looked away and turned to head back into the hospital room.

David fell silent. He gave me a guilty glance and left in a hurry, looking embarrassed.

The guilt in his eyes was unmistakable. In that instant, I knew Yuri was telling the truth.

He really did have another family on the west side of the city.

Tears streamed down my face, but I forced myself not to chase after him and confront him.

Ethan was about to apply to high school. I had to make sure he was taken care of.

David still took care of him, even paid for his cram school. That meant he still acknowledged Ethan as his son.

As long as he still acknowledged Ethan, this family wouldn't break up.

With that thought, I wiped my tears and took a cab home.

When I walked in, Ethan was in his room, working on his homework.

I sat by his bed for a while, wanting to say something, but I couldn't find the words.

After that, David never came home again.

I tried calling him, but he wouldn't pick up.

I sent him texts, but he never replied.

I couldn't help but wonder: was he with that woman? Was he off seeing his other son?

I sat at home, and the more I thought about it, the more anxious I got.

That night, I called my brother.

As soon as he picked up, I broke down in tears. "Alex, David's got a whole other family out there. He even has a son. That kid is already in grade school.

"What am I supposed to do? Ethan's application is coming up; he needs his dad right now. What am I supposed to do?"

Alex was quiet for a while, not saying anything.

"Yuri's sick, too. She's got stomach cancer, and the treatment costs 60 thousand dollars. I don't know what to do without David."

Hearing that, Alex sounded worried. "Where's Yuri? I'm coming over right now."