Chapter 4

Caroline POV

When Jason woke up, the anesthesia had just worn off.

Seeing me sitting by the bed, hostility flooded those eyes so similar to mine.

His uninjured left hand grabbed the pillow and hurled it at me.

"Get out! Stop pretending to care!"

The pillow hit me with little force, yet it made my chest tighten painfully.

I didn't dodge. I bent to pick up the pillow, trying to hold down his thrashing shoulders.

"Don't move. The bone was just set."

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Veins bulged in Jason's neck. "Didn't you go drink with those rich people? Why bother with a burden like me? Get lost!"

My hand froze in midair, my eyes reddening.

"Jason, do you think I want to?"

I pressed down firmly on my brother's shoulders, my voice trembling. "Why did you go to that place to be a drug trial subject? Do you know how dangerous those clinical trials are? Do you want to destroy yourself that badly?"

Jason froze for a moment, then laughed coldly.

"Destroy myself? I'm already worthless."

He turned his head away, refusing to look at me. "At least I'm better than some people. Selling smiles to enemies for money, no dignity left. Yeah, I'm rotten, but I don't need someone who sells her body to manage me."

"You..."

My face went deathly pale, as if all the blood had been drained from my body.

"That's enough!"

Harry, who'd been standing at the door, rushed in and shoved Jason. "Jason, are you even human? Your sister almost died getting money for your surgery!"

"Harry, shut up!" Jason yelled.

"I won't shut up!"

Harry's eyes were red as he pointed at me. "Caroline, don't listen to his nonsense. This kid became a trial subject because he overheard you on the balcony that day talking about selling your blood plasma. He said he didn't want you selling your life, wanted to share the burden."

Jason bit down hard, turning his head away as tears slid down his face.

I leaned against the wall, covering my mouth to keep from crying out loud.

We'd both been trying to give each other a way out, only to crash and burn.

The misunderstanding was cleared, but reality hadn't changed.

A nurse pushed the door open and slapped an overdue payment notice on the table without expression.

"Surgery still needs one hundred thousand. Pay by tomorrow or the surgery's canceled."

I wiped my face and turned to leave the room.

"Don't go!" Jason called after me, his voice breaking.

My steps paused. I didn't look back.

"Wait for me."

...

The manager's office.

"Advance on salary? Impossible."

The manager crossed his legs. "You've been here how many days? Rules are rules."

I stood before the desk, spine straight. "I have an emergency."

"Who doesn't have emergencies here?"

The manager scoffed, flicking cigarette ash. "There is a big job tonight though. No one dares take it. If you're willing to go all out, forget one hundred thousand-two hundred thousand is possible."

"What job?"

"Gavin's grandmother threw her ring into the ornamental pond. Whoever retrieves it gets a hundred thousand dollar tip."

Dead of winter. Temperature below freezing.

A layer of broken ice floated on the pond's surface.

Without any hesitation, I took the liability waiver from the desk and signed my name.

"I'll take it."

...

The central courtyard garden. Bitter wind howling.

Gavin's grandmother sat by a heater, holding hot tea.

Gavin stood in the shadows, cigarette between his fingers, expression unreadable.

Seeing me approach, Gavin's grandmother's eyes flashed with satisfaction.

"Isn't this that family's precious daughter?"

She pointed at the pond before her, voice shrill. "Years ago when I was a housekeeper at your house, I accidentally lost a brooch and your mother locked me in the basement all night. Today you get a taste of that."

I said nothing.

I removed my shoes and socks, rolled up my pants.

Those feet, once fair and delicate, were now covered with frostbite and scars.

I took a deep breath and stepped into the bone-chilling ice water.

The cold was like countless steel needles piercing my marrow.

With each step, the broken ice on the surface sliced across my skin, leaving bloody marks.

I gritted my teeth, bent over, and plunged my hands into the mud to search.

Cold.

Cold to the bone.

In less than five minutes, both legs had lost all feeling.

On the shore, Gavin's grandmother pulled out her phone and started recording.

Gavin remained in the shadows, motionless.

Half an hour later, my fingers were frozen purple and stiff.

Finally, my fingertips touched something hard.

Trembling, I pulled it up. The ring.

I dragged my nearly useless legs to shore, soaked to the bone.

I held the ring out with both hands to Gavin's grandmother.

"Ma'am, I found the ring."

Gavin's grandmother glanced at the mud-covered ring and waved her hand in disgust, knocking it away.

"Disgusting. Who'd want that now?"

The ring rolled across the ground with a crisp sound.

I froze, teeth chattering. "Then... the tip..."

"Tip?"

Gavin's grandmother acted like she'd heard the funniest joke. "You chose to go in there yourself. Did I force you? And you still want money?"

I knelt on the ground, my whole body shaking uncontrollably.

I raised my head, looking toward the man in the shadows.

"Gavin..."

Gavin crushed his cigarette and walked over.

He looked down at my wretched state, pulled a check from his pocket, and let it flutter onto my face.

"Buy some medicine. Stop embarrassing yourself here."

The check slid down. The amount was only twenty thousand.

Not even close to what I needed.

I picked up that check. My legs had lost all feeling. I collapsed completely to the ground.

But I didn't shed a single tear.