Chapter 1 — The Doctor Didn’t Sit Down
When I woke up, the room felt wrong.
Not quiet—empty.
The machines beside my bed were still running, their soft beeping steady and indifferent, but no one was watching them.
No nurse.
No comforting hand.
Just a white ceiling and the taste of metal in my mouth.
I tried to sit up.
Pain sliced through my side and forced me back down.
That was when the doctor came in.
He didn’t smile.
He didn’t sit.
Doctors always sit when the news can be fixed.
He stood at the foot of my bed, holding a clipboard like it weighed too much.
“How long?” I asked before he could speak.
He glanced at the door, then back at me.
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“On how quickly the payment is made.”
The word didn’t register at first.
“Payment?” I repeated.
“I have insurance.”
He nodded, like he’d expected that answer.
“Insurance covers part of the treatment.
Not the full course.”
My fingers curled into the blanket.
“So what happens if it isn’t covered?”
He inhaled slowly.
“Then we have to discuss alternatives.”
I didn’t like the way he said alternatives.
I reached for my phone on the bedside table.
The screen lit up.
No missed calls.
No messages.
“Can I call my husband?” I asked.
The doctor hesitated.
It was barely a pause—but it was enough.
“You can,” he said carefully.
“But you should know—”
“Know what?”
“If the payment isn’t completed by midnight,” he said, “we won’t be able to proceed.”
Midnight.
I looked at the clock on the wall.
11:12 a.m.
The doctor finally left, the door clicking softly behind him.
I stared at my phone again.
I called my husband.
Straight to voicemail.
I tried again.
And again.
By noon, my throat was dry.
By afternoon, my hands were shaking.
By evening, the nurse wouldn’t meet my eyes anymore.
I checked our joint account.
The balance was lower than it should have been.
Much lower.
I refreshed the screen, convinced it was a glitch.
It wasn’t.
At 9:47 p.m., my phone vibrated.
Relief surged—until I saw the number.
Unknown.
The message was short.
You don’t need him anymore.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
Before I could respond, another message appeared.
And he won’t be helping you tonight.
I stared at the screen as the clock ticked closer to midnight.
And for the first time since I woke up, I understood something was very wrong.
