CHAPTER FOUR

By the time I reached the hospital and got out of the cab, I was barely breathing. I was already running off before the driver called me back, saying I hadn't paid him. I rushed back to him, threw the money at him, and then ran through the automatic doors.

Entering the hospital, I scanned frantically for my sister, but there was no sight of her.

Then a nurse walked past me, and I quickly grabbed her by the arm, desperation in my voice as I asked for a patient named Melanie Saltzmanter.

The nurse gave me a description, and without wasting any time, I rushed to where she directed me, only to find my sister, Tiana, sitting outside the ward with her head down on her knees.

As she heard approaching footsteps, she raised her tear-streaked face. When she saw me, she quickly stood up and practically collapsed in my arms.

I tried to calm her down. “It’s okay. I’m here now.”

She sniffled, wiping her tears.

“What happened? She was fine when I left yesterday morning. She even mentioned something about taking a yoga tutorial.”

My sister shook her head. “I don’t know. I was at the mall when she called, asking me to grab some groceries on my way home. We were just talking and then suddenly, she said she felt dizzy. The next thing I heard was a crash, and then… nothing. She wasn’t answering anymore.”

Her voice was trembling, her whole body shaking against mine.

“I called an ambulance immediately and rushed over. The doctors ran scans and tests, and now they’re saying she has a brain hemorrhage and it was caused by her heavy drinking.They said she needs immediate surgery…”

She broke down completely, sobbing into my shoulder.

The words hit me like a truck.

Slowly, I pulled away and turned toward the small window into the hospital room.

Mom looked so weak on that bed, hooked up to machines that beeped and hummed. Her face was pale—gray, even. An oxygen mask covered her nose and mouth, rising and falling with her shallow breaths.

“Then why aren’t they doing the surgery? What are they waiting for?”

My sister’s voice was barely a whisper. “They said… five hundred thousand dollars.”

The air left my lungs. “What?!!!”

She swallowed. “But they can start with a deposit of two hundred and fifty thousand. The hospital will arrange a payment plan for the rest.”

Two hundred and fifty thousand?

I let out a hollow laugh. “Even if it was just a hundred thousand dollars, I wouldn’t have it. Where the hell am I supposed to find that kind of money? Within a short period?”

I leaned my forehead against the cold glass, staring at her through the window.

This woman—my mother—was larger than life. She had done everything for me, fought for us and sacrificed for us…especially me.

I felt my chest tightening as I could not blame her for finding solace in alcohol. It’s all because Dad left that our family has fallen this much apart. If he’s still alive, she wouldn’t be here now—hooked up to machines, fighting for her life.

And I had no way to save her.

“What do we do now? I really can’t lose her,” Tiana whispered, sliding down the wall until she was curled up on the floor, her knees pulled to her chest.

I stood there frozen, watching her fall apart.

Because I had no idea either.

Where would I get that kind of money in time? Even if I—

Then it hit me.

My gaze dropped to the black bag in my hand.

With shaky hands, I unzipped it and dumped out the cash.

Piles of green, thick stack of money spilled onto the floor in a chaotic heap. I had been too proud to even look at just hours ago but now I stared at it like it was a lifeline.

In a way, it was.

I hated it. Hated everything about it—what it represented and what it made me feel inside. But it was just here, and it’s the only thing standing between my mother and death.

I couldn’t let her die.

Not when I could do something about it.

"Is that... money?" Tiana's voice cut through my thoughts.

She quickly wiped her tears and stood up, her eyes locked onto the cash. “What the hell? Where did you get all this?”

I didn’t answer. I just bent down and started counting.

"Help me count. Hurry."

She hesitated for a second before kneeling beside me. We counted in silence, our hands shaking as we flipped through the stacks.

And then—

"Holy shit, Billy!" Tiana gasped. "It’s exactly two hundred and fifty thousand."

Her voice barely registered in me. I just sat there, staring at the cash.

I knew it was a lot, but… this much?

Was this just a coincidence?

Or did he leave it behind on purpose?

What kind of man leaves such an amount… for just a night and just disappears?

Am I missing something?

"Mom can get her surgery with this!" Tiana suddenly grabbed my hand, squeezing it. "She can finally be saved!"

She hurriedly gathered the cash and stuffed it back into the bag. Then she stood up, ready to leave—

But then, she stopped.

Her back stiffened.

Slowly, she turned back to me.

Her eyes narrowed, her expression hardening.

"Wait…" Her voice dropped. "Have you gotten my tuition fees?"

My stomach twisted as she shot me that question.

I shut my eyes, taking a deep breath.

That’s another headache.

"How about we just pay for Mom's surgery first and talk about that later?"

Her stare didn’t waver. "And when ‘later’ comes, will you tell me, ‘Yes, Tiana, I have your tuition fees’?"

I swallowed hard, feeling a lump in my throat because there was no way I could say yes.

Because right now—

I was more than broke.

She scoffed and dropped the bag to the floor. Without hesitation, she yanked it open and began to pull out a fistful of cash.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

She ignored me.

"Tiana, what the hell do you think you're doing?" I lunged forward, grabbing her wrist to stop her.

But she ripped her arm away with so much force that I lost my balance and crashed onto the floor.

"I'm taking my money!" she snapped, her voice shaking with rage. "My future! You're so focused on Mom, but what about me? What about my tuition? How am I supposed to survive after this semester? Do you want to ruin my future too?"

I stared at her, disbelief crawling up my throat.

Our mother was lying in a hospital bed, fighting for her life—and all my sister could think about was her tuition?

"Your tuition is important, I know" I said, forcing my voice to stay calm even as anger clawed at my insides. "But this isn’t about us right now. This is about Mom. If we don’t pay for this surgery, we’ll lose her. Forever."

She shook her head and began shoving the money out of the bag. “ Why should I lose my dream because of her surgery when the doctor says she might suffer from side effects after the surgery? She might not even remember us again.”

"Are you serious right now?" I stared at her in disbelief. "So you want her to die because of that?"

"Don’t twist my words!" she snapped, clutching the money tighter. "You promised me, Billy, and if you had done that, this wouldn't have happened. Last month, you swore you’d have my tuition covered. You told me not to worry!"

"And I meant it! But things have changed. This is an emergency—"

"It’s always an emergency with you!" she interrupted, her voice rising. "First it was the rent. Then the electricity bill. Now this! There’s always something! When is it ever going to be my turn?"

I felt my blood beginning to boil.

"Those were actual emergencies, Tiana! What was I supposed to do? Let us get evicted? Let us sit in the dark? Or let Mom die?"

She didn't even know how I got this money and was acting like this? Oh I forgot to say that I have one hell selfish sister.

"You’re supposed to keep your promises!" she shouted, her entire body trembling. "I have exams coming up! My final project is due next week! If I can’t pay my tuition, they’ll kick me out and I’ll lose everything I’ve worked for!"

I stood up, looking down at her as I tried to make her understand.

"And if we don’t pay for this surgery, we’ll lose Mom! Don’t you get that? This isn’t about your grades or your project or even your diploma. This is about someone's life. Our mother's life."

She let out a bitter laugh.

"Of course you’d say that." She shook her head, her expression dark. "College doesn’t matter to you because you dropped out. You don’t care if I end up like you."

That stung.

I forced myself to push the pain aside. "That’s not fair, and you know it. I dropped out so you could stay in school. I’ve been working several jobs—"

"And now you’ve lost one of them, haven’t you?" she sneered, cutting me off.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as she was right. I have lost my job, and I didn't even get paid for my work. It's all because of that jerk.

“What did you do this time, Billy? Let me guess. You packed a few extra toiletries in your bag? Or maybe you mouthed off to another manager?"

I felt my face flush with shame, anger, and hurt.

When have I ever done that?

"Shut your dirty mouth!" I hissed through gritted teeth, my hands trembling at my sides.

"No! I’m not shutting up!" Tiana shot back, her voice sharp with rage. "You're not thinking about me at all! Don’t you want me to graduate?"

"Of course, you will!" I insisted. "I’ll make sure of it. I’ll find another job—six jobs if I have to! I’ll work day and night. But right now, that money needs to go to the hospital."

"No!" She staggered back, clutching the cash to her chest like a lifeline. "I’m not going to end up like you! I won’t be a dropout who scrapes by with one filthy job after another! I have dreams, Billy! Life isn’t fair—I get it!" Her voice cracked, but she kept going. "But just this once—just once—I want something to go my way! Please don’t take it away from me."

My chest tightened. "I don’t want to take anything from you, Tiana! I want to save our mother’s life!"

"Then find another way! Sell your stuff! Take out a loan! Beg your friends! There has to be another option!"

"There is no other option! We need this money now, not next week or next month! Mom could die tonight if we don’t pay for this surgery!"

"That’s not my fault!" Her voice broke into a sob. "Why should I have to sacrifice everything I’ve worked for? Why is it always me who has to give things up? Why can’t you figure this out without ruining my life?" She glared at me, her eyes red with frustration. "Or is that what you want? To drag me down with you? I know you have no self-respect, but I refuse to do dirty jobs and bow my head without dignity!"

Her words burned through me, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. Every sacrifice I’d made, every humiliation I’d endured—it meant nothing to her. And then, before I even realized it, my hand moved on its own. A sharp crack echoed through the corridor as my palm met her cheek.

Tiana froze.

Her breath hitched as she raised a trembling hand to her cheek. Tears welled up in her eyes, but I was too blinded by anger to care.

How dare she talk to me like that?

Who had quit school so she could stay in it?

Who had given up their dreams just to make sure she had a future?

Who had worked those "dirty jobs" so she wouldn’t have to?

Although we are just a few months apart, she’s the eldest, but I still chose to sacrifice for her.

And now she dared to throw that in my face while our mother lay dying?

Without a word, I ripped the money from her grip, shoved it back into the bag, and zipped it up.

"I’m paying for Mom’s surgery first," I said, my voice low and cold. "End of discussion."

I turned on my heel, my entire body vibrating with fury as I walked toward the hospital’s billing department.

"Of course, you will!" Tiana’s voice, thick with bitterness, rang out behind me. "If I were really your sister, you wouldn’t have treated me like this!"

I stopped.

The air around me turned heavy, suffocating.

Then she delivered the final blow.

"You’re not even her real daughter! Why do you care so much about her? Oh I get it. You're trying to buy her love, you pathetic bitch! But I want you to remember that you are nothing but a stray we picked up out of pity, and no matter what you do, you’ll never be her real daughter!"

Her words sliced through me, but I didn’t turn back or let her see how much she had hurt me.

I just kept walking.

Because no matter what she said, no matter what anyone said…

I was my parents' daughter.

Maybe not by blood.

But in all the ways that truly mattered.

And I wasn’t going to let my mother die.