Chapter 8

The weight on my head suddenly disappeared, and I snapped back to reality, gasping for air as I struggled to lift my head above the water. Just as I took a breath, I was forced back under. Over and over, I was shoved beneath the surface, barely hanging on until the half-hour mark passed. In the end, I couldn’t take it anymore and blacked out. When I woke up, I was lying on the ground, my vision fading in and out, death feeling as close as the next breath. The image of Mom, pale and frail in her hospital bed, flashed in my mind. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to pull through. Sharon only spoke when she saw my eyes open. "I thought for a second you were going to miss out on that money." I sat up and extended my hand to her. "Where’s the money?" She pulled out a bank card and tossed it at my face. "There’s 490 thousand in there." Then, she pulled out a stack of cash from her purse, a smug smile on her lips as she scattered the bills over me. The money floated down, landing across my body like a cruel mockery. "And here’s the remaining ten thousand. You’d better pick them up before the wind blows them away. I’m not responsible if you lose the money." Javin was seated beside Sharon with an arm around her waist. He teased, "Ms. Tatham, that’s a little mean, don’t you think?" "Not as mean as you were just now." "Nonsense. I was just helping you get some payback." I ignored their banter, slowly kneeling on the floor to pick up the scattered bills one by one. The last bill had landed behind Javin, and when I went around him to retrieve it, something made me freeze in place. A small black mole, just behind his left ear. Wesley had a mole in the exact same spot. It might have been a coincidence that their faces were identical, but the matching mole? That was too much to ignore. I suddenly recalled that Javin and Wesley were also about the same height. Could all of this really be just a coincidence? My suspicion grew, but I pushed it aside for now and quickly left with the money. Not wanting to worry Mom, I stopped by home to change my clothes before heading back to the hospital. After that, I went straight to the payment counter to pay the surgery fees. Once I had confirmed the surgery date with the doctor, I returned to the hospital room to share the good news with Mom. She held my hand tightly, her voice filled with concern. "Did you borrow money from a loan shark? Where did you get so much money?" "No, I borrowed it from someone I know. I won’t get involved in anything shady," I reassured her, patting the back of her hand. "Don’t worry, Mom. Just focus on getting better. Your son’s better at making money than you think." Mom chuckled at my words. "Alright, I trust you." Later, I waited until she fell asleep. Then, I took the thermos flask to refill it with hot water. When I returned to the room, I was met with a horrifying sight. Someone had left white flowers used in funeral arrangements by Mom's bedside. The note on it read: "Die sooner. Go to hell." Rage surged through me, and my body trembled as I grabbed the flowers and threw them outside before she could wake up and see them. Javin appeared at the doorway. "What’s the matter? Doesn't Mrs. Leroy like my flowers?" Fury boiled inside me, and I stormed over to him, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against the wall. "You bastard! What the hell are you trying to do?" Javin smiled wickedly. "Nothing much. Just can’t stand seeing a murderer like you live a good life. And besides, is it worth treating someone so sick? "If you really cared about your mom, you’d let her die already. Stop dragging it out. At least then she wouldn’t have to suffer with you." Each word that came out of Javin's mouth was dipped in poison, more wicked than the last. Unable to hold back any longer, I punched him square in the face.