Chapter 4

The hospital cafeteria smelled of burned coffee and disinfectant. I sat across from Chloe, my untouched sandwich curling at the edges. Five days had passed since Eleanor's stroke. Five days of watching machines breathe for her while Ryan sipped champagne in Miami.

"I can't do this anymore," I whispered, my voice cracking. The dam finally broke, tears streaming down my face. "The ICU costs alone are over five thousand a day. I've sold everything I can sell."

Chloe reached across the table and squeezed my hand. Her touch—the first genuine human contact I'd had in days—nearly undid me completely.

"Let…