Chapter 5

“Isla, your mom ... she has lung cancer. She's in the hospital now. The doctor says she might not have much time left.”

“Can you come see her?"

Hanging up the phone, I sat in a daze for a long time.

Caleb urged me to go and see her.

In the hospital room, my parents seemed to have aged ten years overnight and no longer had the energy and spirit of the past.

Hans sighed with a worried expression. “Isla, you're finally here. Please talk and persuade your mom. She's afraid of the costs and refuses to cooperate with the doctors.”

Isabel choked up in silence, saying, "I'm sorry, Isla. I shouldn't have given all the demolition money to Viola."

It was the first time my mother had said 'sorry' to me.

Years of pent-up grievances and resentment weighed heavily on my chest.

"Ronan, he's a scoundrel! He gambled all the demolition money and even lost the investment money from our relatives."

She trembled and took out a bank card from under the pillow, stuffing it into my hand. "This is the savings your dad and I have saved for half of our lives. It's not much, but consider it as compensation from us."

“I have lung cancer now and doesn't have long to live. I don't want to go through the hassle of treatment anymore.”

"Then, when I'm gone, you can send your father to a nursing home and visit him once a month when you have time, so that I can rest in peace."

Now, it would be a lie to say I wasn't moved.

Those words, "compensation from us," were like a warm current, instantly melting the ice that had frozen my heart for years.

So, my mother still cared about me.

My throat tightened, tears welled up in my eyes and afraid of losing my composure in front of her, I forced myself to say, "Mom, don't say that. You still need to get treatment. I'll go pay your hospital fees."

I ran out of the ward as if escaping, my emotions so complicated that I couldn't help but shed tears and couldn't calm down for a long time.

As I handed over the last two thousand eight hundred dollars I had and returned to the ward door with the towels and water bottles I had bought, I heard a conversation coming from inside and my steps faltered instantly.

"Isabel, didn't we use all the money to pay off Viola's debts? Where else do we have money?"

My heart sank and my hand, which was about to open the door, froze in mid-air.

I heard Isabel lower her voice, her tone completely devoid of the vulnerability she had shown moments before. "That card was empty. I lied to Isla."