They Stole My Chemo Money, So I Left Them to Rot

"I used your chemo money for the down payment on Leo's new house."

Mom said it casually, like she was commenting on the weather.

I lay in the hospital bed, my mind completely blank.

"Mom... what did you just say?"

She sat by the edge of the bed, peeling an orange without looking up.

"The doctor told us your chances are slim anyway, with or without treatment," she said, her voice completely flat. "Leo was fifty grand short on his down payment, so I gave it to him."

A suffocating weight slammed into my chest. Tears burned behind my eyes as I struggled to speak.