My body hurt, but my heart hurt even more. Tears kept falling as people around us came to pull him away, but he kept shouting.
“Stop pretending to be a saint! She’s my sister. If I want to spend money on her, I will. If I don’t, no one can tell me otherwise. I’m not her father!”
“Mike, are we short on money?” I glared at him. “The old house is about to be demolished. We’ll get at least 1,5 thousand dollars from it.”
“Zerra, you finally said it,” he snapped. “I knew you were after the demolition money. You want to play the good person with that money? Dream on.”
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning. You heard the doctor say that even if she becomes paralyzed, new medical treatments will come soon. You think if she can hold on for two more years, she might be cured. You want to use that 1,5 thousand dollars to keep her alive. I’m telling you, stop chasing impossible dreams.”
“You clueless people are the ones who let hospitals scam you.” Mike’s voice grew louder as he spoke. “I’ve long anticipated this trick of yours. I signed the papers—we’re divorced. If you treat her like your mother, then you handle her yourself.”
“I’m telling you, stop dreaming!”
“You people who don’t understand anything just let hospitals cheat you out of money.”
Mike’s voice got louder as he spoke. “I’ve been expecting this from you. I signed the papers so we’re divorced. If you treat her like a mother, then you take care of her yourself.”
He threw the divorce papers at me.
“Mike, Zerra, stop arguing. Come in, I have something to say.”
Stella stood weakly at the door, looking at me and Mike in the hallway. Tears streamed down my face.
Mike stormed into the hospital room and I followed, afraid he might argue with her.
“Now that we’re talking openly, I won’t hide anything,” Mike said, looking at Stella. “You probably already heard. Your illness is terminal. It can’t be cured. I hope you understand—I don’t want to waste money on this.”
My heart sank completely. For more than two years, I had been hiding the truth of Stella’s illness from her and I had repeatedly told Mike not to let her know.
“Zerra, I’ve known about my condition for a long time. Don’t cry,” she said, wiping away my tears. “Everyone dies eventually. I’ve already accepted it. Don’t argue because of me. Mike is right — we shouldn’t waste the money. You two should use it to build a good life together.”
“Your son and daughter will need a lot of money as they grow up. You have to look at things more openly.”
I held Stella tightly, sobbing uncontrollably. If there truly were no hope of a cure, I wouldn’t insist.
But the doctor had said there was hope. Even if the chance of success was less than ten percent, it was still a chance.
Besides, the doctor had said that even if she became paralyzed, there was still some hope. New medical treatments would soon come out.
Once the demolition money came in, it might have been enough to save Stella’s life and help her fully recover.
In my eyes, that demolition money was a gift from heaven—a lifesaving fortune.
Even if it all got spent, as long as Stella could get better, I was willing.
Money could be earned again, but once a person was gone, there was nothing left.
I had lost my parents when I was little and I didn’t want to lose the woman who treated me like her own child.
Stella hugged me and comforted me with a smile, then looked at Mike. “Stop talking about divorce all the time. A good woman like Zerra is hard to find even with a lantern. Apologize to her.”
“I was planning to divorce her after you died, but I can’t wait anymore. She disgusts me.” Mike glanced at me. “A fake saint like her will ruin the family sooner or later. Stop pretending to cry and just sign the divorce papers.”
“Mike, have I spoiled you too much?” Stella glared at him. “Do you really want me to die without peace?”
“Look at her—does she look like a woman in her early thirties?” Mike gave me a disgusted look. “Anyone who doesn’t know her age would think she’s a forty- or fifty-year-old housewife. She’s never even bothered to buy herself a single nice piece of clothing.”
