Chapter 1

Ten years after my falling out with my mother, she fell ill.

My selfish sister Meredith wasted no time dumping her at the hospital.

For the last three years of my mother's life, I kept her alive with my life savings of a million dollars.

But then I accidentally found her will.

A ten million dollar check for Meredith.

A handwritten blessing card from Mom for me.

She avoided my eyes.

"The inheritance was always meant for Meredith. You chose to come home and care for me."

"You ran away all those years ago because Mom only loved Meredith and ignored you, didn't you?"

"Now I've written you a card. Why are you still unhappy?"

I laughed.

I tore the card to shreds and ground them under my heel.

Then I turned and walked out of the hospital room.

"Pull the respirator. I'm done paying for her treatment."

"Ma'am, are you sure about removing all support? This will cause the patient significant distress!"

"Ma'am, your mother just completed chemotherapy. Her body cannot withstand this shock!"

"That's right. Remove everything. Process her discharge right now."

I walked out, leaving no room for argument.

Mom looked at me in disbelief.

Meredith shot up from her seat.

She was holding the will she'd just signed, filled with righteous indignation.

"Miranda, have you lost your mind?! Look at Mom! Do you really want to pull all her support and send her home to die?"

"How can you be so heartless?! I won't allow this!"

Mom's eyes reddened as she looked at Meredith, gripping her hand tightly.

I turned around.

Looking at Meredith, who had only shown up twice since Mom got sick, I gave a cold laugh.

"Do I need your agreement?"

"From the first day Mom got sick, I paid the medical bills. I bought the supplements."

"Even the caregiver's salary of twenty-eight thousand a month came from me. Have you paid a single cent from start to finish?"

"Now I don't want to pay anymore. All the medical services I paid for-I'm withdrawing them. Is there a problem?"

"I...!"

Meredith choked.

Then her eyes reddened.

"No! I can't bear to see her suffer! You can't remove them!"

"Fine, I won't remove them."

I made a "please" gesture.

"This room plus all the medical equipment costs thirty thousand a month. If you pay that, Mom can keep staying here. Go ahead and pay."

"I..."

Meredith's face flushed red.

She gripped that will tightly.

Mom started coughing.

The look she gave me was exactly like when I was a child, overflowing with disapproval.

"Meredith just graduated. How can you ask her for money? You've been working for years. You have the money but you refuse to use it. What kind of person bullies their own sister?!"

"Fine. If you won't pay for my treatment, then don't. I raised an ungrateful wretch who thinks I'm a burden. I'll just leave on my own. Is that what you want?!"

With that, she got out of bed herself.

Because of her frail body, she collapsed at the doorway after just two steps.

Everyone passing by in the corridor saw it all.

Meredith rushed forward and knelt beside Mom, tears streaming down.

"Miranda, Dad died when we were three. All these years Mom has been both father and mother to us. She literally worked herself to this state for us, and you're driving Mom away over some medical bills.

"You can't be this heartless!"

Everyone immediately gathered around.

Mom started crying right away.

"It's all my fault. Miranda, you don't need to drive me away. I'll go home and wait to die on my own."

"Oh grandma, please get up!"

A young woman rushed forward to help Mom up.

Looking at her emaciated body, the girl's eyes instantly reddened.

"You're going too far! If you treat the elderly like this now, don't expect anyone to care for you when you're bedridden later!"

"Exactly, exactly! You've gone too far!"

"Meredith is so good! Her heart and eyes are full of her mother."

"Look how thin your mother has become. Who do you think she did this for!"

I let out a bitter, angry laugh.

"That's right. I'm throwing my own mother out. I'm heartless. But you tell me, Mom. Who was all that suffering for? All those years of struggle, was any of it ever for me? Not even one day?"