4
Molly's POV
I left the office as well, Harrison’s words repeating over and over in my mind.
“You can get all the money you need.”
The advance alone was one million. I had no doubt Harrison could afford it.
Deep down, I had known my answer all along. I simply hadn’t wanted to admit it so soon. I took out my phone and stared at the hospital’s itemized bill. Every number felt like a slap in the face. Marcia lay in a hospital bed while her treatment burned through money by the day, and our debts were crushing the life out of me.
I had no choice.
Once I made the decision, an unexpected calm settled over me.
I took a deep breath. The one million in my possession no longer felt too hot to touch.
I would use it to pay Marcia’s medical bills first.
I went to the hospital and planned to get the physical examination Harrison had requested while I was there.
When I reached the ward, I decided to check on Marcia before doing anything else.
“Well, hello, Miss Molly.”
I froze, my entire body tensing instinctively.
White was leaning against the wall, a knowing smile playing on his lips. He looked at me like a starving wolf salivating over its prey. Two heavily built men stood with him, one on either side of Marcia’s bed, their expressions equally menacing.
My stomach clenched.
“What are you doing here? According to our agreement, I still have eight days before the debt is due.” I kept my voice low, unwilling to disturb Marcia.
“That’s right.” White gave a whistle and sauntered toward me with his hands in his pockets.
He held out one hand. “Give me your phone.”
“What do you mean?” I immediately went on guard.
There was one million in my account. If White saw it, he wouldn’t leave me a single cent.
“Cut the crap and hand it over!” White bellowed, so loudly that my eardrums nearly burst.
A nurse approached. When I turned, I recognized her as Mary.
Mary frowned and reprimanded him. “This is a hospital. Please keep your voice down.”
White stared at her without expression. The two men beside him stepped forward and drew their fingers across their throats in a threatening gesture.
Mary pressed her lips together, clearly intimidated. She glanced at me and asked cautiously, “Molly, is there anything you need me to do?”
My jaw tightened, but I didn’t answer.
I didn’t dare. I was afraid Mary would get dragged into this.
White suddenly shoved me, deliberately goading me. “Go on. She asked you a question.”
I turned and glared at him, but the warning had no effect. White rolled his eyes and gave a contemptuous sneer.
“Mary, you should get back to work. I’m fine.”
“All right. Call me if you need anything.”
Mary left.
The moment she was gone, the two men closed in on me. I tried to dodge them, but they moved too quickly. Each seized one of my arms, gripping me with brutal force.
Pain made me suck in a sharp breath. “You bastards! Let go of me!”
White ran his hands over my body as he searched me, his eyes lecherous. Nausea rose in my throat.
“You bastard,” I said through clenched teeth. “I won’t let you get away with this!”
“Sweetheart, your threats don’t work on me.” White chuckled and pulled the phone from my trouser pocket.
After unlocking it, he tapped rapidly across the screen.
“Huh. One million.” White looked up at me, his gaze turning hostile. “Molly, you haven’t been honest with me. Having money and refusing to repay your debts is a bad habit.”
My phone chimed. They forced my hand onto it and pressed my finger against the sensor.
I wanted to cry. That money was the advance Harrison had given me.
Before this, I might have intended to accept his deal, but as long as I hadn’t spent the money, I could still have changed my mind. Now I had no choice at all.
I had to marry Harrison.
“Don’t move.” One of the men gave me a warning look and tightened his grip on my shoulder. The pressure was so intense that it felt as if my bones might shatter.
The transfer went through.
They finally released me. White tossed my phone onto the floor with the screen facing down.
“This is good news. At least I won’t have to come looking for you again this month or next.” He clapped his hands and burst out laughing.
“Keep up the good habit,” he said before leaving. “Whenever you have money, pay what you owe. Don’t make me come and collect it.”
He patted my shoulder with a sickening, almost affectionate gesture.
“You should know that we have plenty of ways to find out when money enters your account.”
After the door closed behind them, the only sounds left in the room were Marcia’s breathing and the steady dripping of her IV.
I slowly turned around. Marcia’s eyes were tightly closed, her face deathly pale.
I didn’t know whether she had heard the commotion. Grief welled up inside me, and I wanted to cry, but I forced the tears back.
I crouched down and picked up my phone. A thin crack ran across the screen. As I stared at it, one thing became painfully clear: even the illusion that I could still escape was gone.
I had to get married.
Not because I wanted any reward, but because there was no other way out. This wasn’t a choice. I had been driven to the edge of a cliff, and marriage was the only foothold left.
“It’s all right, Mom.”
I sat beside the bed and held Marcia’s hand. The words were meant to comfort her, but I was also trying to reassure myself.
“Don’t worry. I’ve found a good job. I’ll be able to pay off our debts soon.”
I remained at her bedside for a long time without speaking. My mind was completely blank, yet it was the most at peace I had felt in a long while.
Mary found me just as I was about to leave. She looked exhausted, and there was a helpless apology in her expression. She pulled me into a quiet corner of the hallway.
“Several patients’ families have complained about you,” she said bluntly. “They said debt collectors keep showing up here and disturbing the patients. Some people have even asked to move to another department because they’re frightened. The hospital has been placed in a very difficult position.”
My fingernails dug into my palms.
“I understand that you’re struggling,” she continued. There was no blame in her voice, only sympathy in her eyes. “But we’re responsible for all our patients. The director asked me to tell you that the hospital can give you one week to arrange your mother’s transfer. I hope you understand.”
Her words buzzed in my ears. The idea of transferring Marcia struck me like a hammer.
I struggled to stay upright, one thought consuming my mind.
She couldn’t be transferred.
This was already the cheapest hospital. Everywhere else was either outrageously expensive or too far from home. Marcia’s body was too weak to endure being moved around.
My throat tightened until I could barely make a sound. I grabbed Mary’s hand and pleaded with her in desperation.
“Mary, is there really no way to discuss this? In Marcia’s condition, transferring her would be a gamble with her life. Her body can’t withstand being moved back and forth anymore.”
Sorrow filled Mary’s eyes. She sighed helplessly.
“It isn’t that I don’t want to help you. There’s simply nothing I can do.”
Tears immediately spilled down my face, and I began to cry in despair.
“Molly, one week is the longest extension I could get for you. You should start looking for another hospital as soon as possible.”
Mary shook her head and walked away.
I leaned against the wall and looked down at my cracked phone. I couldn’t even afford the fee for the physical examination now, and there was no way I could ask Harrison for money again.
I sank onto a chair, utterly defeated, my gaze unfocused.
Then a name suddenly surfaced in my mind.
That was right.
There was still one person who could help me.
