I’d just boarded an international flight, my body still aching from an abortion hours earlier, when my phone buzzed. A notification from Penn, my billionaire husband. He’d sent fifty-two dollars. “Serena forgot your sister’s surgery fees,” his message read. “This covers it. Your oversight. Next time, clear expenses over two hundred with Serena.” “No reply? Don’t think carrying my child gives you free rein. Tomorrow, state publicly your sister’s crisis wasn’t Serena’s fault. Delaying surgery a few days—what’s the harm?” I stared, hollow, then shut off the screen and leaned against the cold window. Seconds later, my phone erupted—relentless calls and texts. “Where are you? Pick up, or I’ll have your paralytic sister thrown out!” When silence answered, Penn panicked. He raced to the care facility; my sister was the anchor that kept me tethered. Bursting into her room, he found an empty bed. Grabbing a nurse, his voice shook: “Where is she?” The nurse blinked. “You didn’t know? Critical last night. Family couldn’t raise funds in time. She’s dead.” Penn froze, blood draining from his face. Then he remembered: five days ago, my sister crashed. I begged for three hundred thousand. His secretary Serena hid the request. When he chose her over us—and I said I wanted a divorce—I meant every word. … “Stop playing games,” Penn had replied coldly. He hadn’t even looked up from his laptop when he said it. The rows of boring electronic data on his screen seemed infinitely more captivating than the woman standing before him. I kept my eyes lowered, my voice quiet but unyielding. “I am not playing games, Penn. I want a divorce.” He exhaled a heavy, irritated sigh and finally stood up, his face a mask of cold indifference. “You’re screaming for a divorce over a minor misunderstanding?” When I didn’t answer, his brow furrowed deeper. “I was the one who authorized the temporary suspension of your sister’s treatment. It had nothing to do with Serena. She was only following my orders.” “If you hadn’t barged into the office and made a scene a few days ago, I wouldn’t have had to teach you a lesson.” “I’ve already instructed them to resume her treatment. I’m busy, Nora. I don’t have the time or patience for your tantrums.” Without waiting for my reply, he grabbed his coat and walked out, entirely convinced that my demand for a divorce was merely a desperate bid for attention. He was certain that, before long, I would crawl back to him, pleading for his forgiveness. Had Penn picked up my call three days ago with even a shred of humanity, I might still be bowing my head to him, enduring his coldness just to keep my sister alive. I remembered standing in the sterile, fluorescent-lit hospital corridor, my pregnant belly aching, begging him not to hang up. “Penn, please. Just lend me three hundred thousand dollars. This surgery is everything to Hazel. If it succeeds, she’ll be able to walk again.” His response had been nothing but impatience and irritation. “How many times do I have to tell you? If you need money, go through Serena. Why are you bothering me with this?” But getting money from Serena had always been an exercise in humiliation. “Three hundred thousand is a massive sum, Nora,” Serena had said, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. “You don’t even have an itemized billing statement yet. How can I verify this money is actually going toward a surgery?” I had explained that it was a pre-admission deposit, and the official itemized bill could only be printed after discharge. She had smiled, a small, patronizing curl of her lips. “I’m not doubting you, dear. It’s just that I’ve seen people falsify records before. Penn’s reputation is priceless, and I have to protect his assets.” “Besides, Penn has a strict rule. Any personal expense exceeding two hundred dollars must be reported to him. Go get the hospital’s official seal on those forms first, and then I’ll see about submitting it.” By the time I obtained the necessary paperwork and called her to follow up, she acted as though she had only just remembered. “Oh, Nora, I’ve been so incredibly busy. It completely slipped my mind. You don’t mind, do you?” Because of that “slip of the mind,” Hazel missed her window for a matching kidney donor. The doctor had told me it was her absolute last chance to receive a compatible organ. Because the funds never arrived, my sister’s only hope of survival was snuffed out. At that moment, I knew I was done. Standing at the study door, I called out to Penn one last time. “Tomorrow morning at ten. I’ll see you at the family court.” Penn paused, looking back at me with cold, dismissive eyes. “Nora, before you use divorce to threaten me, you’d better remember who pays for your life.” “Your sister’s ongoing care costs a fortune, and you’re carrying my child. Don’t paint yourself into a corner you can’t climb out of.” Before the words had even left his mouth, his phone rang. He answered it, his voice instantly softening into a tone he had never used with me. “Serena? It’s not your fault. I made the rules. If she wants to blame anyone, she can blame me.” “Don’t cry. I’ll take you out tomorrow. You can buy whatever you want.” Listening to him coax her so tenderly, a sharp, stabbing pain blossomed in my lower abdomen. Over the past few days, I had been so frantic about Hazel that I had completely missed my own prenatal check-up. My phone buzzed. It was an automated text from the clinic: Ms. Nora, you are currently seven weeks pregnant. Please remember to schedule your routine prenatal examination. The next morning, Penn never showed up at the court. I waited until noon before he finally replied to my message. I’m out shopping with Serena. Busy. If you really want a divorce, have your lawyer file the papers. I didn’t bother replying. Instead, I went back to the hospital. Hazel lay on the bed, her fingers barely able to twitch. She was only five years older than me, but the aggressive treatments had left her completely bald and terribly frail. Seeing me enter, she forced a weak, trembling smile. “Nora… let’s stop the treatment.” My eyes burned with unshed tears. “Don’t say that, Hazel.” Our parents had passed away early, and Hazel had raised me on her own. She had been nothing but a child herself, yet she worked multiple jobs to pay for my tuition, shielding me from every storm. The doctor pulled me out into the hallway, his expression grave. “The situation is deteriorating rapidly. We can’t delay any longer. You must secure the remaining treatment fees as soon as possible.” I nodded numbly. I went straight to a pawn shop and sold my wedding ring. The clerk examined the diamond and offered an insultingly low price, but I didn’t care. I needed the cash. Right after receiving the money, I opened social media and saw Serena’s latest post. In the photo, she stood in front of a high-end department store mirror, holding several luxury shopping bags, a sweet, victorious smile plastered on her face. The caption read: Penn said I am the face of his company, so he insisted on buying me these. I stared at the screen for a long time until it went dark. That afternoon, Serena showed up at the hospital room, her smile triumphant. “Nora, Penn sent me to check if there is still any point in continuing your sister’s treatment.” “After all, money should only be spent on those who are worth it. I need to re-evaluate this expense.” Before I could open my mouth, Penn walked down the corridor. He stopped beside Serena, his expression flat. “Serena is only doing her job.” “If you have a problem, you can bring it up directly with me.” I looked him dead in the eye. “She doesn’t need approval to buy luxury bags, but my sister needs your approval to stay alive?” “What I spend on her is my own business,” Penn replied coldly. “What you are asking for is an expenditure under my wife’s name. They are entirely different things.” He slid a thick stack of forms toward me. “If you want the money, fill out the application. Once Serena reviews and approves it, I will authorize the transfer.” I didn’t reach for the paper. His eyes drifted to my stomach, his voice growing even colder. “You’re still pregnant. Stop using the child to throw these dramatic tantrums.” With that, he turned to leave with Serena. But the very next second, the doctor rushed into the room. “Emergency! Your sister’s vitals are crashing. We need to operate immediately!” I waited outside the operating room for three agonizing hours before the surgeon finally emerged with the news that Hazel’s condition had temporarily stabilized. But his face remained tense. “We’ve managed to keep her stable, but her medication cannot be interrupted. Her body cannot survive another shock.” I nodded, my throat aching with a dry, burning thirst. After using the last of my pawned-ring cash to pay for her immediate prescriptions, I walked down to the hospital cafeteria to buy her some broth. And there, sitting by the window, were Penn and Serena. They were sharing a beautifully arranged plate of desserts. Serena saw me first. She immediately rose and walked over, her expression soft and apologetic. “Nora, you’re here too.” “Penn said I worked incredibly hard putting the project files together this week, so he took me out for a quick lunch.” “It’s purely professional, please don’t misunderstand.” I ignored her and looked directly at Penn. “I guess not every single dollar spent requires a formal application process.” Penn’s brow furrowed. “Nora, drop the attitude.” “Serena did an outstanding job this week. As her boss, taking her out for a meal is perfectly normal. Is there a problem?” “No problem,” I said quietly. “After all, she keeps me under your heel so perfectly. She deserves a reward.” His expression darkened, but I didn’t wait around for his response. I turned and walked away. When I returned to the room, Hazel was fast asleep. I sat by her side, my heart breaking as I stared at her hollow cheeks. That evening, as I kept watch by her bed, the sky outside suddenly lit up. A magnificent display of golden fireworks erupted over the city, painting the night sky in brilliant, shimmering hues. Several nurses and patients gathered by the window to watch. “Who spent that kind of money?” “I heard it’s the Sinclair Group. The CEO is putting on a show to reward his secretary.” “How romantic. Imagine having a boss who treats you like that.” I stood by the glass, my fingers turning cold. While they celebrated their sweet, public romance, my sister lay on a sterile bed, fighting for every breath with the help of a machine. I unlocked my phone. Serena’s social media feed had just updated. The photo showed her wearing a dazzling diamond necklace, the glittering stones catching the light of the fireworks. The caption read: Thank you, Penn, for this beautiful necklace. Tonight, the sky burned just for me! I stared at the necklace. It was a design I had admired for months. Last month, when I had lingered in front of the display case at the boutique, Penn had merely glanced at it and said, “A purchase like that requires too much administrative approval. It’s not worth the hassle.” It wasn’t that it wasn’t worth the hassle. It was only a hassle when it was for me. I stared at the post for a long time, then tapped the “like” button. Within a minute, my phone rang. It was Penn. “Now that you’ve liked the post, don’t you dare retract it,” he said without preamble. “People will start rumors about Serena if you do.” “Leave a comment underneath. Praise her for her hard work. Let’s make it look like a joint gesture of appreciation from both of us as a couple.” I quieted my mind, tapped open the comment box, and typed: You’ve worked so hard, Secretary Song. You’re even wearing the things the President’s wife has no right to touch. I locked the phone. A few minutes later, the screen lit up again. I walked out into the quiet corridor to answer it. Serena’s sobbing voice immediately filled the receiver. “Nora, I really didn’t know you liked that necklace too…” “I only accepted it because it was a gift from Penn. If you comment like that, what will everyone think of me?” Then, Penn’s voice broke in, cold and furious. “Nora, do you have any idea how many people in the office are already whispering about her? How is she supposed to face anyone after what you wrote?” “It just proves that not everyone in your office is a fool,” I replied. His breath caught. “When did you become so bitter and toxic? Serena worked incredibly hard to get to where she is. You don’t work, you live entirely on my dime, and yet you feel entitled to humiliate a woman who actually puts in honest labor?” Before I could reply, a shrill, piercing alarm echoed from Hazel’s room. The heart monitor. Panic seized me. I dropped the phone and bolted back into the room. A team of doctors was already crowding around her bed. Hazel’s face was white, her oxygen tube lying discarded on the floor. The doctor looked up at me, his face grim. “She pulled the tube out herself. We’re doing everything we can!” My knees buckled. I threw myself against the side of the bed, sobbing hysterically. “Hazel, please! Why would you do this?” Hazel struggled to open her eyes, her voice barely a whisper. “Nora… don’t cry. Don’t fight for me anymore. It hurts too much.” “I heard… I heard you on the phone with Penn.” “Don’t spend any more money on me. I won’t let you ruin your life for a dying woman.” I shook my head violently, tears blinding me. “I won’t let you go! Don’t worry about the money, I will save you!” With shaking fingers, I redialed Penn’s number. The line connected, but it was Serena’s voice that answered, laced with a quiet, venomous chuckle. “Asking for money again?” she whispered. “Nora, did you really think you could humiliate me on social media and then beg for a favor? If you want the funds, come to my office right now. Get down on your knees, beg for my forgiveness, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll think about signing off.” Then, Penn’s cold voice echoed in the background. “Serena is right, Nora. This is the respect you owe her.”
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