Chapter 1

Grandma had a severe brain hemorrhage and needed an immediate $25,000 for emergency surgery.

The card holding the down payment I spent three years saving for our future home was in the hands of my fiancé, Ethan.

Instead of being with me, Ethan was at his childhood best friend’s birthday party.

Not only did he ignore my frantic calls, but he also swiped $26,000 from our joint savings to buy her a designer bag.

Soaked in the pouring rain, I rushed to the venue to take the bag back and save Grandma's life.

Yet, in front of the entire crowd, Ethan slapped me across the face, shielding his best friend as he warned me coldly:

"She’s an old woman. Even with surgery, there's no guarantee she'll survive."

"Daisy’s birthday, on the other hand, only happens once a year."

Grandma took her last breath that night.

The next morning, Ethan stood outside the morgue and asked me, "Is Grandma okay?"

Wiping away my tears, I looked up at him with a calm smile. "Grandma’s fine. The wedding will go on as planned."

"And I've prepared a special gift for you."

A gift that would drag him, his precious best friend, and the entire family straight into hell.

"Family of the patient? She has an intracranial hemorrhage. We need to operate immediately."

"The deposit is twenty-five thousand dollars. It must be paid within half an hour."

My throat constricted. "I'll pay it right away!"

I called Ethan over and over, but the line just kept ringing out.

Cold sweat dripped down my forehead as I paced toward the end of the corridor.

The red light outside the ER was still on.

Grandma was inside.

My parents died when I was young, and Grandma raised me all on her own.

Just two hours ago, she had stepped on a small stool to reach the top shelf for ingredients to brew the sweet broth for my wedding rehearsal.

Her foot slipped, and she fell hard onto the kitchen floor.

When I rushed in, her forehead was covered in blood, but she still gripped my hand tightly.

"Chloe, don't be scared."

"I'm fine. Don't let this ruin your big day tomorrow."

Even in that state, all she cared about was my engagement.

Tears spilled from my eyes, splashing onto my phone screen.

The phone finally vibrated.

It wasn't a call from Ethan, but a bank notification.

$26,000 charged to our joint account.

Location: Maison Luxe.

I froze in shock.

That card was our joint savings account.

Every penny in it was the down payment for our future house—money I had spent two years scraping together.

Every payday, the very first thing I did was transfer half my paycheck into that account.

I couldn't bring myself to buy new clothes or upgrade my phone. When Grandma offered to buy me a necklace for the wedding, I told her no.

We had been together for five years, and I honestly thought we were a team.

Yet here Grandma was, clinging to life while waiting for that money.

And he had just swiped twenty-six grand at a luxury boutique.

A chill ran through my entire body. I dialed his number again.

This time, he finally picked up.

The background was deafening.

Loud music, laughter, clinking glasses, and the flirtatious giggle of a woman.

"Ethan, does this bag look better carried by the handle or worn crossbody?"

Ethan's voice finally came through the receiver.

"What is it?"

I bit down hard on my lip, choking back my tears. "Grandma fell. The doctor says she has bleeding in her brain and needs emergency surgery right now."

"Transfer the money back to me. Twenty-five grand. Right now!"

The other end went silent for a second.

Then his voice dropped. "Right now?"

"Yes, right now!"

"Didn't I tell you not to panic? When an old person falls, the hospital always stabilizes them first."

I could hardly believe what I was hearing.

Clutching my phone, my voice trembled violently. "Did you just spend twenty-six grand at that boutique?"

Daisy's voice chimed in from the background.

"Ethan, come back over here! My friend wants to know where you got this bag so she can get one too."

My vision blurred, and my knees almost gave out.

"You took my money to buy Daisy a designer bag?"

Ethan's tone turned sharp and annoyed.

"I'm just borrowing it for a bit."

"It's Daisy's birthday, and she's been feeling down lately."

"I promised I'd get her a nice gift to cheer her up."

I was shaking with pure rage.

"Her cheering up is worth my grandmother's life?!"

His tone turned ice-cold.

"Chloe, don't be dramatic."

"She's an old woman. Even with surgery, there's no guarantee she'll survive."

"Daisy’s birthday, on the other hand, only happens once a year."