Chapter 1
In the torrential rain, a piece of flying debris gashed my leg, and blood welled up instantly. My husband, Callum Bennett, didn't reach for me. Instead, he pulled the female colleague beside him into his arms to shield her. He didn't so much as glance at my bleeding wound.
Braving the rain, he escorted the shaken woman to his car. The vehicle roared off. Minutes later, my husband texted me.
Callum: Don't be so dramatic. It's just a scratch. Clara's delicate. She got soaked and needs to get home and change right away, or she'll definitely fall seriously ill again.
Callum: Be good. I'll drive her home first. When the rain lets up, grab a taxi yourself.
Drenched, I stood frozen where I was. Just then, my phone rang. It was the hospital. The doctor said his mother, Yvonne's surgery had been scheduled and told me to come quickly to pay and confirm the slot.
Overjoyed, I immediately called Callum.
It rang for ages before he answered.
"Your mom's surgery got scheduled. I'm going to pay for it now."
My husband went quiet for a second. "My mom? What are you going on about? My mom's perfectly healthy. It's your mom who needs an operation, and that costs money, but we've got none right now..."
My heart dropped. I pressed him at once. "Where's the money?"
"Clara's dad had a sudden heart attack and needs emergency surgery. I lent her the money to tide her over. Can't your mom wait a little longer?"
Hearing his utterly detached tone, I realized it.' He'd thought all along that the one needing surgery was my mom.'
*****
"Callum, what did you just say?" Rain was still streaming down my hair, and the wound on my leg hurt so badly that my jaw clenched tight.
From the other end of the line came Clara Voss's frail sobbing. "Callum, my dad's chest is tight again. I'm so scared—please come quickly!"
Callum's voice softened instantly. "Don't be afraid. I'm on my way..."
When he put the phone back to his ear, he was still gentle, but the impatience in his tone was obvious. "Vivian, saving a life comes first. Clara's father can't wait—don't make a fuss now."
"This is Mom's life-saving money. You just gave it to someone else without even discussing it with me?"
"I know. But your mom's condition is minor. Waiting a few more days won't hurt. Clara's dad can't afford to wait." He sighed softly, as if indulging a childish child.
"Just listen to me first. The one having surgery is..." The call was abruptly cut off. I called again, but no one answered.
A payment reminder from the hospital popped up right after, demanding that I pay the remaining $280,000 deposit by 8 p.m., or the reserved surgical slot would be passed on to the next patient.
Only $3.60 was left in the joint account. That money included the $200,000 from Yvonne selling her old house, plus the $80,000 in bonuses I'd saved over three years.
Yvonne had asked me not to tell him about her condition to not worry him. To put her at ease about the treatment, I'd told Yvonne that Callum and I would figure out a way to raise the surgery money.
For that reason, I'd specifically suggest we open a joint account. He'd been delighted at the time, holding me and murmuring a promise. "Don't worry, honey. This money is our little nest egg—I'll never touch it without you."
Now, that promise was worth exactly $3.60. I couldn't hail a cab in the downpour. Dragging my bleeding leg, I walked two blocks before finally flagging down a taxi.
By the time I reached the hospital, my pant leg was soaked with blood. The nurse jumped when she saw me. "Ms. Hayes, you should go to the ER to have that wound treated first. We'll keep an eye on Mrs. Bennett here."
"I need to pay first." At the payment window, I tried every bank card I had, but could only scrape together $47,000.
The credit card was declined too. Customer service told me that Callum had made three large pre-authorizations on my supplementary card that afternoon, maxing out the entire credit limit.
My phone lit up just then. It was a w******p transfer notification—$500, followed by a message.
Callum: Buy some meds. Don't let the wound get infected.
The man who'd once rushed me to get a tetanus shot in the middle of the night because I'd nicked my finger peeling an apple had now bought himself peace of mind for 500 dollars.
"That wound needs stitches." A deep voice came from behind me. Dr. Julian Reed crouched down to examine the wound, his brow furrowed. "If you wait any longer, an infection will get complicated."
"But my mother-in-law is upstairs waiting for surgery."
"If you collapse, who's going to take care of her?" He had a nurse bring a wheelchair and personally cleaned and stitched my wound.
As the anesthetic was injected into my skin, Yvonne called. "Vivian, hasn't Callum arrived yet?" Her suppressed coughing came from the hospital room.
"He said he'd come right after his meeting." The moment the lie left my mouth, tears fell onto the back of my hand.
She ended up comforting me. "He's busy. Don't rush him. My condition isn't urgent."
The clock on the wall ticked over to 8 p.m. A nurse from upstairs hurried down and pressed a refund slip into my hand. "Ms. Hayes, the deposit wasn't paid in full. The slot originally reserved for Ms. Bennett was just reassigned to the next patient."
Behind the nurse, a staff member was peeling off the appointment label with Yvonne's name on it.
