Chapter 2

"Stop!"

Ethan roared from behind me.

I didn't stop.

The elevator at the end of the hallway opened just then. I quickly stepped inside and pressed the close door button.

The elevator doors slowly shut, cutting off Ethan's enraged face.

Stepping out of the hotel, the cold wind, mixed with a fine drizzle, hit me.

I pulled my thin trench coat tighter and walked into the rain.

My phone vibrated wildly in my pocket.

All calls from Ethan.

I turned it off directly, pulled out the SIM card, and tossed it into a roadside trash can.

I returned to the luxury apartment in the city center.

Ethan's scent was everywhere.

The walk-in closet was filled with designer dresses he bought me, and the vanity table held complete sets of expensive skincare products.

I found an old suitcase.

I only packed a few of my old clothes, a few textbooks, and a five-year-old beat-up laptop.

I didn't touch any of the glittering jewelry or branded bags.

I neatly placed the black card, car keys, and access card Ethan had given me on the shoe cabinet by the entrance.

I took one last look at this "gilded cage" I had lived in for three years.

With a resounding "BANG," I closed the door.

Dragging my suitcase, I took the last night bus.

It brought me to a dilapidated neighborhood.

This was a forgotten corner of the bustling city.

Narrow alleys, puddles of murky water, and the air thick with the sour smell of cheap fast food mixed with sewage.

I knocked on the door of a run-down boarding house with a red light on.

"How much for the cheapest single room?"

The woman behind the counter eyed me up and down.

"Top floor, no AC, shared bathroom, six hundred a month, a month's rent as deposit, plus three months upfront."

"Okay."

I paid the money and got the key.

The room was only about a hundred square feet.

A wooden bed, a shaky wardrobe.

The paint was peeling, and there was a yellowish water stain on the ceiling.

I sat on the hard bed, listening to the sounds of snoring and a baby crying from next door.

It was noisy.

But I felt a freedom I had never experienced before.

The next morning.

I went to the hospital.

Leo lay in his hospital bed, his face as white as paper.

Seeing me, he forced a weak smile.

"Lily, you didn't come to see me yesterday."

"Yesterday... I had to work overtime." I walked over and tucked his blanket in.

"Lily, where's Mr. Thorne? He hasn't been here in a while." Leo asked innocently.

My heart ached.

"Leo," I looked into his eyes and said seriously, "from now on, don't mention him again. We have nothing to do with him anymore."

Leo froze.

He was sick, but he wasn't stupid.

He looked at my swollen eyes and seemed to understand something.

"Lily, is it because of me... Am I holding you back?" His eyes reddened.

"Don't be silly." I held his cold hand. "You're the only family I have in this world. As long as you're okay, I'm not afraid of anything."

As I walked out of the ward, the nurse on duty at the station called out to me.

"Lily, the money in your brother's account will only last for three more days. The follow-up targeted therapy costs fifty thousand per injection. You need to find a way to get funds quickly."

"I understand, thank you."

I walked out of the hospital, standing on the busy street.

The sunlight was blinding.

I touched the necklace around my neck.

It was the only memento my mom left me.

I gritted my teeth, then turned and walked into a pawn shop on the corner.

"Ten thousand." The owner, after examining it with a magnifying glass for a long time, named a price.

"But it's an antique necklace!" I exclaimed.

"Times are tough, young lady. This necklace, this is the price. Take it or leave it." The owner said, like he knew he had me over a barrel.

I closed my eyes.

Leo's pale face flashed in my mind.

"Fine, I'll pawn it."

With the ten thousand dollars, I immediately deposited it into the hospital account.

This ten thousand would only last half a month.

I had to find a job as soon as possible.