As they reached the administration room, Nurse Rosa hesitated before opening the door. She glanced at Abigail beside her.
"Abigail, I need to inform you that the hospital costs might be higher this time than your grandma's usual monthly expenses. Please prepare yourself, dear," Nurse Rosa said with concern. She knew how Abigail had struggled to cover her grandma's nursing fees since the beginning of the year.
"I'm aware, Nurse Rosa. Thanks for the reminder," Abigail replied.
Even though Abigail worried that her bank account might not hold enough to cover the surgery, she decided to figure out a solution later.
This wasn't her grandma's first surgery; she could predict the likely cost.
Nurse Rosa smiled at her and opened the door.
...
Completing the formal administrative procedures, a hospital staff member explained the medical expenses she would need to pay. Hearing the numbers made Abigail's head spin.
Even with her grandma's health insurance, she still owed a significant amount: $20,000.
Abigail honestly told them she didn't have enough money to pay the total amount.
Fortunately, they were kind enough to help. They allowed her to deposit half the payment and pay off the remainder before her grandma's discharge.
An hour later, after the administrative process, Abigail sat in a small lounge outside the surgery room, waiting for her grandmother to undergo the procedure.
Abigail has been unable to chat with her grandmother since arriving at the hospital, as her grandmother was not conscious until she entered the operating room. This has left Abigail feeling stressed and worried.
"Grandma, please hang on. Please wake up after the surgery, huh?"
The more Abigail thought about her grandma, the more her head hurt. She tried to set aside her worries and checked her bank account.
But her head began to hurt again when she saw her balance. She'd started with $13,000, but after paying $10,000 for her grandma's surgery deposit, she only had $3,000 left.
How could she survive with so little money? Even with the remaining $3,000, she could only afford two months' rent, and even then, she had to endure hunger. The cheapest studio apartment near the Crimson Leaf Cafe is $1500 monthly.
But that wasn't her most pressing issue—she still needed another $10,000 for her grandma's surgery. The thought of how to quickly come up with that money left her short of breath.
Taking a deep sigh, Abby stood from her seat and walked toward the glass window in the corner.
Only one person came to mind to ask for help. This was her last option. She hoped this person wouldn't disappoint her again, or she'd cut ties with him completely.
She stared at the name Adam Snow in her phone contacts. After several deep sighs, she finally called him.
Abigail regretted it as soon as the phone started ringing. She knew it wouldn't end well, but she had no choice.
The call finally connected after six rings.
"Father," Abigail greeted him in a stiff, awkward tone.
"What is it, Abigail?"
Her heart ached to hear her father's cold voice, as if he were unhappy to listen to her voice.
Suppressing her disappointment and anger, Abigail calmly replied. "Dad, Grandma is in the hospital. She fell in the bathroom."
"So? Why are you calling me?" Adam Snow asked, clearly irritated. "She's not my mother-in-law anymore after I divorced her daughter!"
Abigail clenched her fist, resisting the urge to curse her father for his harsh words. "Please, just hear me out, father. I need your help—"
"My help? Have you forgotten my warning? Since you moved to the capital and chose to stay with your mother, you made it clear you wouldn't ask me for anything," Adam Snow said coldly.
"I remember," she said, her voice trembling as tears wet her cheeks. But she didn't let him know she was crying.
"Then why do you need my help now?"
Abigail quietly cleared her throat.
"I'm not asking you for money to pay Grandma's medical bills, but I'm asking to borrow it. I promise to pay you back in a few months."
"Abigail, why ask me? Don't you have a rich fiancé who can support you? Why come to me?"
Adam Snow's words cut deeply, reminding Abigail of how Vanessa had ruined her engagement to Ryland by stealing him from her.
Abigail wanted to end the call but held on, remembering how desperate she was.
"Dad, I'm no longer in a relationship with him," she said faintly, feeling like a hundred nails were piercing her heart.
Instead of sympathy, Abigail heard a mocking laugh on the other end.
"I knew it! That's why you called me, begging for help. He must run away from you because you're useless. Wasting your life caring for that old woman."
Abigail clenched her teeth, barely able to endure his insults as tears streamed down her face.
"This is all because your daughter stole him from me, just like her mother stole you from my mother!" Abigail wanted to scream, but the words stuck in her throat.
There was no point in continuing the conversation. No matter how much she begged, her father wouldn't spend a single penny to help her. Feeling furious with herself for hoping he'd help.
Abigail was about to hang up when a soft female voice stopped her.
"Is that you, Abby!? Oh my God, you finally called your father."
Abigail gripped the phone tightly, hearing that sarcastic voice: Betty Brown, her father's new wife—Vanessa Snow's mother—a woman she would never consider her stepmother.
She remained silent, seething at hearing Betty's shrewd and high-pitched voice.
Still, before Abigail could utter a word, Betty continued unabated, "Abby, sweetie, we haven't heard from you in so long! How is your dear grandmother doing? Oh, I hope she's doing well. We all know how her health is these days."
The false sweetness in her tone made Abigail sick to her stomach. She could sense the smugness behind every word.
"I didn't call to talk to you, Betty," Abigail snapped, unable to control her temper any longer. "I need to speak with my Dad." She was mad that her father had turned on the speaker to let his wife hear their conversation.
"Now, now, Abby, don't be rude," Betty chided softly, as though she found Abigail's irritation amusing. "We're family, dear, don't forget about it, and don't mind your father's anger, huh!?"
Abigail gritted her teeth. She felt trapped in this conversation, wishing she hadn't called in the first place. But she had no other options left. Her grandma's life was on the line.
"Dad, please, I just need a loan. I'll pay you back as soon as I can," Abigail begged, her voice shaking with desperation.
But Adam Snow was silent on the other end of the line. Once again, his silence broke Abigail's heart; tears were still falling down her cheeks; it really hurt to know that her biological father was so blind, entirely unmoved to help her.
"Abby, my dear, maybe you should stop relying on your father. You're a grown woman now. Shouldn't you be able to take care of yourself by this point?" Betty said, adding fire to Abigail's heart.
Abigail's blood boiled. She wanted to scream, but the words caught in her throat. She couldn't believe how cruel they were being—her own father and his new wife dismissing her like this when she was in such dire need.
"I don't need your advice, Betty," Abigail hissed. "I'm talking to my Dad—"
But Adam remained silent.
Abigail knew she wouldn't get anything from her father, no matter how much she pleaded. Her last hope ceased to exist. Her father is far too preoccupied with his lusty new wife to care for his own flesh and blood daughter.
Without another word, Abigail ended the call, her heart heavy with despair. She stood by the window, staring at the darkening sky, her mind racing as she tried to figure out what to do next.
"Grandma, please don't leave me..." Abigail prays. She had never felt more alone in her life.