Chapter 3

In my semi-conscious state, I saw the medical staff wheeling me into the ICU.

Doctors swarmed around my bed, grabbing the defibrillator paddles to shock my heart.

First shock—failed.

Second shock—failed.

Before the third shock, the nurse suddenly grabbed my hand tightly, her eyes filled with desperation and sincerity.

“Sarah, please don't give up! You have to fight!”

“Think about your future! Think about your children! And your grandkids—don't you want to watch them grow up?”

Suddenly, something in my heart was struck.

When my children were still very small, my husband, Richard, fell in love with another woman. He abandoned the four of us in a rural town and left forever.

The burden of raising three children fell entirely on my shoulders. I had no choice but to work three jobs a day just to feed them.

I woke up at 4 AM every morning to deliver newspapers. At noon, I did heavy manual labor on local farms. At night, I cleaned septic tanks.

My body broke down under the years of endless toil.

Back then, Ethan, who was only in elementary school, held my hand tightly and promised,

“Mom, when I grow up, I will never let anyone hurt you again!”

“I'm going to make sure you live a good life!”

Tyler and Chloe, who were still in preschool, didn't really understand what was happening, but they clung to my legs and cried,

“I’ll protect Mom when I grow up too!”

“I love Mom the most!”

It was the existence of my children that kept me going all these years.

Yes, I still had so many dreams unfulfilled.

I wanted to see my children grow old with their own families. I wanted to see my grandkids go to college.

I couldn't bear to die like this.

Third shock. The flatline on the EKG monitor finally began to fluctuate.

“We have a pulse! The patient’s heart is reacting! Charge again!” the doctor shouted in excitement.

In an instant, the medical team surged forward, fighting with everything they had to save me.

After half an hour of intense resuscitation, my body gradually regained sensation, until I forced my eyes open.

The entire ICU erupted into cheers.

“She’s back! Oh my god, she made it!”

As the nurse wheeled me back to the ward, she said gently,

“Sarah, you are so incredibly strong.”

“I know you can fight through the chemotherapy too!”

Hearing her hopeful words, my heart went cold.

Long-term chemotherapy would cost a fortune, and right now, I couldn't even scrape together a hundred dollars.

Even paying for today's emergency resuscitation was a massive hurdle. I didn't dare think about the future.

By the time the nurse brought me back to my room, today's bill had already been placed on the bedside table.

I picked it up. The emergency resuscitation plus the ambulance ride came out to nearly eight thousand dollars.

My newly stabilized heart began to thud violently again.

Noticing the panic on my face, the nurse quickly helped me sit up.

“Sarah, please don't stress yourself!”

“I’ll cover this bill for you first. You can just pay me back whenever you have the money. Right now, your recovery is the only thing that matters!”

“You absolutely cannot take any more shocks to your system. Your body is at its absolute limit. Any more stress, and even a miracle won't save you!”

I forced myself out of bed and bowed deeply to her.

“Thank you, sweetheart.”

“I will find a way to pay you back as soon as possible.”

According to the doctors, I was supposed to stay in the hospital for two more days of observation to map out a chemo plan.

But I knew that every day in a hospital bed cost hundreds of dollars. I simply couldn't afford it.

So that very night, I quietly slipped out of the hospital.

I walked for what felt like an eternity before I finally reached Ethan’s mansion. The house was grand, luxurious, and imposing.

I wanted to borrow eight thousand dollars from him just to pay back the kind nurse. I was even willing to sign a promissory note. I couldn't let a stranger suffer financially because of my failing health.

I climbed the steps, but just as I was about to knock, the scene inside through the window almost made me faint.