Iris was terrified at the mention of the surgery’s risks. Despite Dr. Lee’s reassurances, her nervousness never waned; it hung like a heavy stone in her heart.
“Have you gathered enough for the surgery fee?” Dr. Lee asked.
Iris nodded. “I’ve managed to gather it.”
“Then today, go and pay a portion of the fee to ensure there’s enough in the medical insurance card,” Dr. Lee instructed.
Iris walked into the hospital room in a daze. She saw her mother lying in bed, receiving intravenous treatment. Her mother, once adorned with a head of lustrous black hair, was now completely bald. She looked gaunt, with the veins on her arms bulging like aged tree branches. Her hand, receiving medication all day, had swollen.
Her mother was still asleep. Iris didn’t want to disturb her. She quietly sat by the bed, reaching out to cover Mrs. Hope’s hand, trying to warm it with her own.
The slight movement startled Mrs. Hope awake.
“Iris, you’re back?” She opened her eyes and saw Iris’s face, her eyes widening in surprise. “What happened to your face? Has someone bullied you?”
Iris instinctively covered her face. “No one bullied me. I had an allergic reaction to some skincare product. I’ll be fine in a couple of days. By the way, Mom, how are you feeling now? Any better?”
“It’s the same as usual. I’ve gotten used to it,” she said, resigned to the torment of illness.
Iris held her cold hand. “Mom, the surgery will be soon. Once it’s done, once you’ve recovered, once you’re better, I’ll take you abroad.”
“Silly child, where did you get so much money? A kidney transplant costs tens of thousands,” her mother asked.
“Don’t worry about the money. Aren’t I working as an assistant to a big star? She lent it to me. I’ll slowly pay her back in the future.”
“Is that the Elisa you often mention, the one who gave you a raise?” Mrs. Hope asked.
Iris’s expression stiffened. Faced with Mrs. Hope’s question, she didn’t know how to continue.
“Mom, does a person who does wrong never receive forgiveness from the victim?”
“Remember, there is no true empathy in this world. You can never truly understand another person’s pain.”
Iris fell silent.
“Iris, has something happened?” Mrs. Hope looked at her with concern, struggling to raise her hand to place it on Iris’s head, her voice weak. “If I weren’t sick, you wouldn’t have to suffer like this. But Iris, you must remember, a person can be without money, but not without integrity. Don’t do unscrupulous things for money. Even if I had the money, I wouldn’t be happy using it. What I most wish for in my life is for you to live well and be happy.”
“If you do something wrong, you must apologize. Anything you do will have consequences, good or bad. A person’s heart should not carry too much, especially guilt.”
Iris felt her nose tingle. The bitterness she had just managed to suppress surged up again. She turned her head, and tears streamed from her eyes.
“Don’t worry, Mom. Get well soon. Only when you’re well can I be well. Rest, and I’ll go pay the money,” Iris said, getting up.
Iris went downstairs to the payment counter and took out the bank card Lorelei had given her. Two days ago, she had confirmed that there was one million dollars in it.
Iris handed over the card and entered the password. After waiting for a while with no response, a feeling of unease washed over her.
The staff handed the card back to her. “Get another card. This one has been frozen.”
Iris panicked. “Why has it been frozen? It was fine when I checked two days ago.”
The staff looked at her strangely. “You don’t know why it’s been frozen? Call the bank and ask.”
How could she call the bank? This wasn’t even her card.
She stood in the hall and called Lorelei. The first call went unanswered, then the second, the third, and the fourth. Maybe she had annoyed her, but finally, Lorelei answered.
“Lorelei, why has the bank card you gave me been frozen?”
There was a sneer on the other end of the line. “Iris, with the little you’ve managed, you think I’d give you a million? You’re taking yourself too seriously.”
“Lorelei, you said yourself that if I took the cat away, you’d let my mother go and give me a million dollars.”
“Didn’t I already let your mother go? The million was originally hush money for you, but now that I’ve been exposed, why should I give you any money?”
Iris trembled, her head hot and her back cold. In that moment, she felt as though she had lost all sense and entered a void. People moved around her, and various sounds filled the lobby, but she couldn’t hear anything.
Her lips trembled involuntarily as she pleaded, “Lorelei, please save my mother. I need this million. Consider it a loan, I will definitely repay it. My mother is having surgery the day after tomorrow, any delay could be life-threatening. Please, help me.”
“What do I care if your mother is in danger?” Lorelei hung up.
Trembling, Iris called back, but Lorelei had already blocked her. Even if she broke her phone, she couldn’t reach her.
Suddenly, Elisa’s words echoed in her mind from when she had left.
“Someday, you will pay the price for everything you’ve done.”
The bank card slipped from her hand and fell to the ground, her blank gaze fixed upon it.
That bank card seemed to be reminding her that she was nothing but a joke, a complete and utter joke.