Chapter 3

The next afternoon.

I'd checked into a budget hotel near the hospital.

My phone rang.

"Is this Miss Donaldson? Your father's had a sudden acute heart attack. It's critical. You need to get to the hospital right away!"

By the time I made it to the city hospital, my father had already been wheeled into the trauma bay.

A nurse pushed a critical-condition notice into my hands.

"Miss Donaldson, your father's suffered a massive heart attack with a complicating arterial tear. He needs surgery immediately!"

My fingers were shaking so hard I couldn't hold the pen.

"Then do it, please, just save him first..."

The nurse sighed and slid the form toward me.

"A hundred-thousand-dollar surgery deposit, paid in full within thirty minutes. The special imported materials have to be pulled in advance, so move fast. We really can't afford to lose any more time."

A hundred thousand.

I went through every account I had. Everything together came to less than ten thousand.

The hardest year of Jim's startup, I'd handed over every dollar of the dowry my father gave me. He said he'd build me a home someday to make up for it.

Now Shirley Matthews was living in that home, my father was lying in the trauma bay, and I couldn't even come up with a hundred thousand.

The doctor pressed me again, so I had no choice but to call Jim. It rang a long time before anyone picked up.

It was loud, someone laughing, shouting, "Shirley, make a wish!"

My throat went tight.

"Jim, lend me a hundred thousand. My dad's having a heart attack, they're trying to save him, the hospital needs a deposit."

Two seconds of silence on his end.

"Olivia, this again?"

"Jim, I'm not messing with you! I'm at the ER downtown right now, you can check for yourself if you don't believe me!"

"Your dad's had heart disease for years, all controlled with medication. Never acted up before, and now, out of all days, he needs emergency surgery on Shirley's birthday?"

That little scoff of his, and my head went blank with a roar.

"Yesterday you faked an allergy, today you're dragging your dad into the act. Can't you come up with something new?"

I gripped the payment form tight.

"Jim, I'm begging you, just this once. I'll pay the hundred thousand back."

Then Shirley's voice came through, soft.

"Jim, they're about to cut the cake, why aren't you over here yet?"

His voice went gentle at once.

"Coming."

Then it turned cold again.

"Stop calling. Don't come tonight and ruin the mood."

The call cut off.

Outside it was pouring. I didn't even grab an umbrella, just flagged a cab straight to the riverfront restaurant.

When I pushed open the door to the private room, the whole place was lit up bright.

Jim was standing in the crowd, head bent, fastening a necklace around Shirley's neck.

Someone beside them egged him on.

"Big spender, Jim. Over a hundred grand, custom piece, and he just hands it over."

I was soaked through, and the moment I rushed in, everyone turned to look.

At the sight of me, the smile faded off Jim's face.

"Olivia, what exactly do you want?"

I ran up to him and grabbed his arm.

"The hospital needs a hundred-thousand-dollar deposit, my dad isn't going to make it! That necklace you just gave her cost more than that, so save a life first, all right?"

The words dropped the room into instant silence.

Shirley lifted a hand to touch the necklace at her throat, her eyes reddening on cue.

"Olivia, is it because this necklace is too expensive, is that what's bothering you? Then I'll take it off right now and return it, I'll give you the money..."

Her fingers had barely reached the clasp when Jim pinned her hand down.

"Don't mind her."

He shot me a glance.

"Olivia, you're so jealous you'd invent an excuse like this?"

The words stopped me cold.

"You think I'd use my father's life to lie to you?"

"You collapsed at the Gilbert house last night, and didn't that look pretty convincing too?"

My phone buzzed again.

Payment reminders from the hospital, one after another, popping up on the screen.

My legs went weak. I stopped caring about any shred of dignity and bent down to clutch at the hem of his jacket.

"Jim, I'm truly begging you, my dad can't die... he's the only family I have left!"

He looked at me, his eyes full of disgust.

"You want money? Fine."

My head snapped up.

He tipped his chin toward Shirley.

"Kneel. Apologize to Shirley. Admit you faked it yesterday, and that today you came to wreck her birthday on purpose."

Shirley waved her hands in a flustered rush, tears falling fast.

"Jim, don't do this, Olivia was just panicking, I'm sure of it..."

Jim didn't even look at her, his eyes fixed on me.

"Want to save your dad? Then act like someone who's actually begging."

I stared at him for a few seconds, and all I felt was how absurd it was.

This man had once sworn to my father that he would keep me safe, always.

Now he was making me kneel to the woman he doted on, in exchange for my father's life.

My knees buckled.

In the end I knelt anyway.

The cold tile pressed against my knees, and my forehead struck the floor with a dull thud.

"I'm sorry."

Shirley covered her mouth, tears spilling over.

"Olivia... don't do this, I really can't take it."

Jim looked down at me from above.

"Not sincere enough. Keep going."

I struck my forehead against the floor again.

It went numb, my vision starting to blur. I looked up at him.

"Can you give me the money now?"

Jim was silent a moment.

Shirley backed away, crying, a hand pressed to her chest.

"Jim, I feel awful... I never thought Olivia would go this far for money, did I do something wrong?"

Jim reached out at once to steady her, then turned back to me.

"Olivia, you'd really go through with kneeling."

I froze solid.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your lie's been exposed and you can still kneel this smoothly. People like you, give in once and there's always a second time."

Then he turned his head and called security over.

"See her out. Don't let her keep making a scene."

I lunged and clawed desperately at the cuff of his pants.

"Jim, you promised me!"

He pried my fingers loose one by one.

"I only said to apologize. I never promised any money."

Two security guards seized my arms and dragged me toward the door.

I fought with everything I had, screaming until my voice went raw.

"My dad's going to die! Jim, if you don't lend me the money today, my dad is really going to die!"

His arm around Shirley, he didn't even turn his head.

"Then that's his fate."

I was shoved roughly down the steps, my phone falling beside me, the screen suddenly lighting up.

I threw myself at it and answered.

The nurse's voice was low and urgent.

"Miss Donaldson, the patient just went into severe ventricular fibrillation. The doctors are trying to save him, but it doesn't look good..."

My hands shook so badly I could barely hold the phone.

"I'm coming right back, I'll pay right now! Just wait for me a little longer, please, wait a little longer..."

Through the glass door, Jim was bent down wiping Shirley's tears.

She leaned against him, that necklace worth over a hundred thousand swinging in front of my eyes.

The other end of the line suddenly broke into chaos.

Someone shouted for the defibrillator, someone shouted for epinephrine.

A moment later, when the nurse spoke again, her voice was much softer.

"Miss Donaldson, your father may... not make it until you get here."