Chapter 2

Even if a stranger collapsed in front of me, I couldn't just ignore them.

Especially not my own mother.

The ambulance arrived quickly.

Chloe followed me to the hospital.

She wasn't worried about Sarah's condition; she just stared at me intently.

I knew why. She was afraid I'd leave and no one would pay the medical bills.

Soon, Sarah was wheeled out of the room by a nurse.

The nurse told me.

Sarah had collapsed due to acute myocardial infarction.

She needed bypass surgery within three days, or her life would be in danger.

But the surgery would cost $100,000.

For five years, I'd scrimped and saved, doing odd jobs occasionally. My entire savings amounted to just $50,000.

I was just about to completely break free from Sarah and start my own life.

If I borrowed money to cover this sum now, my future would be incredibly difficult.

As I hesitated, Chloe loudly declared.

"Audrey, Sarah used her entire pension to buy a house in the city so you could go to school!"

"For all these years you lived at home, Sarah never made you lift a finger."

"Now Sarah is like this, and you have money but won't pay for her medical expenses? Are you just going to watch her die?"

Chloe's voice wasn't quiet.

People around us all looked over, their eyes filled with scorn.

I wasn't in the mood to argue about her half-truths.

But one thing she said was right.

No matter how much I resented Sarah, I couldn't just watch her die.

Fine.

This $100,000 would be my repayment for giving birth to me.

From now on, I owed her nothing.

It took me a full day to gather the $100,000.

The next morning, I went to the hospital cashier's office, ready to pre-pay the medical expenses.

Just as the money was about to be transferred, the cashier, Nurse Davis, suddenly whispered.

"The nurse who told you your mother needed immediate surgery... she seems to be related to your mom."

4

I was utterly confused.

But I could tell something fishy was going on.

So, I pulled back my phone.

"I won't pay for now, thank you."

I first found Sarah's attending physician and asked.

"Doctor, what are the chances of success for my mom's bypass surgery?"

The doctor looked confused.

"Bypass surgery? Your mom is just having a stent procedure, you must have misheard?"

My heart gave a sudden jolt. I tried to sound calm.

"I apologize, I might have been too anxious and misheard. So, what's the approximate cost for this stent procedure?"

The doctor rubbed his temples, looking extremely tired.

"Didn't I have Nurse Davis tell you? The surgery cost isn't high. If your mother has insurance, it'll be around ten thousand dollars after reimbursement."

After leaving the doctor's office, I went back to Nurse Davis. I got straight to the point.

"If you don't want me to report you and cost you your job, tell me the truth!"

Nurse Davis sighed reluctantly, then spilled everything.

It turned out Nurse Davis was Sarah's distant cousin, Carol.

Chloe, who had met Carol once with Sarah, had contacted her on the way to the hospital.

The two of them had conspired to stage this scam.

Anger consumed my reason.

I dragged Carol to the hospital room, ready for a face-to-face confrontation!

In the hospital room, Sarah was already awake.

Chloe sat in front of her, beaming.

"Audrey has already gone to pay."

"After your surgery, Carol will help us get the remaining money back."

"As long as Audrey doesn't see the surgery report, that money will magically end up in our pockets."

Sarah chuckled with glee.

"My daughter is so smart. After we get the extra medical money back, I'll add a little more and buy you that car you like."

Chloe snuggled into Sarah's arm, cooing.

"Thank you, Sarah! You're the best!"

Sarah dotingly ruffled Chloe's hair.

A loud bang went off in my ears. My mind went blank.

After a long moment, I regained my composure.

Since she was so heartless, I didn't need to consider any 'debt of upbringing' anymore.

From this day forward, whether she lived or died was no longer my concern.

I walked into the hospital room openly.

The mother and daughter quickly clamped their mouths shut in a panic.

Chloe put on an act, squeezing out a few tears.

"Sarah, why did your heart condition suddenly worsen?"

"But Audrey has already gone to pay, you can have the surgery tomorrow, you'll be fine."

Then, she pretended to just notice me entering the room, asking excitedly.

"Audrey, did you pay the medical bill?"

Sarah glanced at me, snorting coldly.

"This is all because of certain people making me angry. She wouldn't dare not pay!"

At that moment, I spoke with incredible calm.

"Why should I pay for you? You're going to charge me rent, so we're just landlord and tenant."

"You don't ask your own biological daughter for money, but you expect me to pay your medical bills? Don't you think that's funny?"

Sarah was so angry she couldn't speak a complete sentence. I suddenly remembered how she'd blocked me from the restroom earlier.

I pulled out my PayPal QR code and held it in front of Sarah.

"Oh, and I took care of you here last night. According to caretaker rates, you owe me $500."

"Please pay!"