Chapter 3

It was the engagement ring Calvin had slipped onto my finger when he proposed. He had said, "I'll love you for the rest of my life. Marry me." He had shut off the lights in the whole city, and under a sky lit up by fireworks, he knelt and asked me to be his wife. I had cried so hard from joy, completely swept away by what I thought was the most beautiful love, as I said yes. But love, even when it burned bright, could wither just as fast. After Sheena's accident, Calvin never bought me anything again—not a gift, not even a meal. That ring was the last thing he ever gave me. Now, with Harry's surgery hanging in the balance and Calvin refusing to help, I had no other choice. So, I took the ring and rushed to a nearby pawn shop. "I want to pawn this ring. I need cash fast," I told the clerk, my voice shaking. He glanced at my face, probably stunned by how desperate I looked. "This ring's pretty old. It's in good condition, but it won't get you much. Are you sure?" I gritted my teeth and nodded hard. After all, that ring was the last piece of hope I had left. Later, I raced back to the hospital and used the money to pay for the operation. However, the doctor, Samuel Giles, told me Harry's treatment would require even more funding if we wanted to keep him alive. Clenching my teeth through the pain in my legs, I grabbed Samuel's sleeve and begged him. "I swear I'll find the rest of the money later. Just please—start the surgery! Save my son!" Samuel said, "Ms. Lambert, I'll do what I can within my scope as a doctor. But your legs are broken—if you keep walking, you'll end up permanently disabled. "Also, Harry's condition is severe. We need someone to sign the critical condition consent form. I've already contacted Mr. Fuller—please figure something out quickly." Right then, Calvin came walking toward us, slowly pushing Sheena in her wheelchair. I thought there was still hope, so I turned around immediately and pleaded with him again. "Harry's in the ICU right now! We don't have enough money for the surgery—please!" He looked me up and down, then laughed like it was some sort of joke. "Josephine, you really went all in on this little scam. You even dragged the doctors into it? Do you think wrapping your legs up in bandages and splattering on fake blood's gonna fool me? This is pathetic." Then, without warning, he shoved me hard. My legs buckled instantly under the pain, and I crashed onto the floor, barely able to breathe. I could not understand how he could still not believe me, even when we were standing right outside the ICU. Sheena rolled her wheelchair toward me with what looked like concern. She asked, "Josephine, are you okay? How could you fake a leg injury just to manipulate Cal?" As she got closer, her wheelchair suddenly rolled right over my broken leg. Before long, blood began to soak through the bandages. I could even hear the creaking of the bones, and the metal screws that the doctors had put in my legs shifted. "Josephine, I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to..." Sheena simpered. The agony hit me like a freight train, and cold sweat drenched my back. "It hurts... so bad..." But instead of sympathy, Calvin's expression only darkened, as if my pain disgusted him even more. "Wow, that was convincing. So? Now, you finally know what it feels like to have broken legs? If it weren't for you, Sheena wouldn't need to be wheelchair-bound for the rest of her life!" Even so, I clenched my jaw and endured it all. I crawled forward and gripped the hem of Calvin's jeans, desperation making my hands tremble. "Harry really was in a car crash—" "How many more times are you gonna repeat that lie?" Just as he was about to rip my hand away from his pants, the ICU doors slowly swung open, and Samuel burst out in a rush.