Chapter 1

“Max! What are you doing?”

I charged forward like a madwoman and grabbed the man that my husband, Mas, addressed as “John.”

I reached out to snatch that stack of cash from his hand.

Max, however, seized my wrist firmly.

“Have you lost your mind? Quit acting crazy in public!”

I stumbled and fell hard to the floor.

Max straightened his suit tie and did not even glance at me.

The family members of other patients nearby all turned to stare.

Noticing the crowd’s attention, Max said loudly, “Excuse me, everyone! My wife doesn’t know any better. She’s never been out in the real world.

“John’s mother is in the ER right now. Without these thirty thousand dollars, she’s done for.

“You have to have a sense of decency. I’m a successful business owner, for crying out loud. How could I just stand by and let someone die?”

John wiped his tears and said, “Mr. Grove, you’re a lifesaver! My whole family thanks you. I swear, I’ll pay you back first thing tomorrow morning!”

John stuffed the cash into his jacket pocket and walked toward the stairwell.

“Stop! That money was for my mom’s bypass surgery! Give it back!”

I scrambled to my feet, crawling and stumbling. I tried to chase after John.

Max blocked my path firmly.

“Enough already! It’s just thirty thousand dollars!

“Do you have to make such a scene? You’re embarrassing me!”

Just then, the nurse pushed open the resuscitation room door. She held several forms in her hand and looked around anxiously.

“Is the family of the patient at Bed 3 present? Has the deposit been paid or not?

“The patient’s in a critical condition. We need to start surgery right now, or we’re going to lose her.”

Hearing this, my legs went weak, and I collapsed in front of Max.

“Max, please get the money back!

“My mother’s still lying there! Without the money, they won’t give us the equipment, and she’s going to die because of it!

Max just pursed his lips and said indifferently, “Will you calm down? John promised he’d pay it back tomorrow. He got two houses on the market.

“Just think of it as helping out a friend in a pinch! You don’t get anywhere in life without networking, you know?”

At that moment, it finally hit me. He was never going to help me get that money back.

I could only rely on myself.

I did not even bother to put on my shoes. I ran barefoot toward the payment counter.

I pulled up PayPal and Cash App, scraping together the only few hundred dollars left in my balance.

“Can I put down six hundred dollars for now? I’ll get the rest immediately. Please, just operate on my mom first!”

The cashier looked at me helplessly at the counter.

“Sorry, ma’am. We have to follow the hospital policy. These are expensive medical supplies. We need the full deposit upfront before we can pull them from the blood bank.”

I walked to a corner and scrolled through my phone to search for any contact who might lend me money.

Just then, my eldest uncle, Oswald, called.

“Lainey, your mother can’t afford to wait. I pulled my savings out early and have twenty thousand dollars for you. I’ll lose the interest, but it’s fine. Just take it and save her.”