Chapter 4

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

So the eight hundred thousand wasn't to buy my future. It was to buy my life.

I looked at him. Beneath the immense wealth, he just looked like an agonizingly desperate grandfather who adored his granddaughter.

After a brief silence, I agreed—on the condition that he give me two hundred thousand dollars directly.

Mr. Bailey was overjoyed and immediately wired five hundred thousand into my account. To him, saving his granddaughter was worth any sum, given without a second thought.

With that money, I went straight to the nursing home to visit Grandma—my maternal grandmother. I deposited three hundred thousand dollars into the facility's account so they would give her the best care possible.

The moment she saw me, the cloudiness in her eyes cleared, replaced by pure warmth. "Flora... my sweet Flora came to see me."

Fighting back tears, I choked down a sob and walked over to her side.

Her warm hands enveloped my icy fingers. "My girl has gotten so thin. Haven't you been eating properly?"

She rambled on and on with gentle scoldings, and I sat beside her in silence, listening intently while dabbing the saliva from the corner of her mouth with a tissue.

I rubbed her worn hands, desperate to commit the feeling to memory. Swallowing my trembling breaths, I whispered, "Grandma, I have to go on a long business trip soon. I might not be able to visit for a very long time. Be good and listen to the nurses, okay?"

She suddenly grabbed me tightly, as if terrified I would vanish forever.

"Flora, don't go!" she cried out anxiously.

She had suffered from Alzheimer's for over two years. She forgot everyone and everything, but she still remembered she had a granddaughter named Flora.

I didn't have the heart to tell her my time was up. Living in a world of gentle confusion wasn't the worst thing.

As long as she lived comfortably, I was satisfied.

Later, I quietly returned to my family's house.

When I pushed the door open, the family was gathered around the table, eating amidst cheerful chatter.

Seeing me, their faces froze in shock, quickly giving way to fury.

Grandma was the first to snap. "You little jinx! If you dare ruin Leo's wedding, I swear I'll destroy you!"

Dad slammed his fork onto the table, glaring. "Coming back unannounced—where are your manners?"

Returning to my own home required an advance notice now.

Ignoring them, I walked straight toward my old bedroom. It had already been turned into a walk-in storage room, piled with junk, leaving barely enough room to stand.

I searched until I found Squeaky, the plush doll that had kept me company since childhood, and walked back out.

I tossed a check for two hundred thousand dollars onto the dining table, instantly drawing all their eyes.

Leo, his arm wrapped around his new fiancée, stared at me in disbelief. A flicker of guilt crossed Mom's face.

"Flora... what is this? Where did you get this money?"

Taking a deep breath to quell the dizziness inside me, I said, "Consider this payment to settle every penny you spent raising me."

They all sat frozen, speechless.

My body trembled uncontrollably. Clinging to one last shred of pathetic hope, I looked at Mom.

"If I died... would your heart ache for me?"