Chapter 1

797words2026-02-09 09:56

There was only one hour left before my surgery would start, yet all I could do was sit on the hospital bed and stare at a thick stack of payment bills in silent distress.
My phone vibrated beside me. It was a photo sent by Eleanor Brook's childhood sweetheart, Joseph Miller.
In the photo, Eleanor sat in an airport chair, wearing a newly purchased haute couture dress. Joseph tilted his head toward her. His gaze was full of unmistakable affection.

Joseph sent a message. "Victor, don't be angry. Eleanor just wanted to take me to see the aurora. Please don't argue with her because of me. It's not worth it."
I wasn't in the mood to reply. As soon as I set the phone down, I heard my parents' anxious voices outside the door.
"The operation fee hasn't been paid yet. The surgery is about to start. Has Eleanor arrived yet?"
Seeing their worried faces, I had no idea how to explain the situation to them.
My relationship with Eleanor had always been strong. We were so close that we had even talked about getting married. Yet now, I didn't know how to explain that she had taken the money that was meant to save my life and gone travelling with Joseph. After all, my parents had always liked her a lot.
No matter how anxious they seemed, Mom's voice softened when she saw how pale I looked. "Victor, where's Eleanor? She still hasn't come?"

Dad's expression wasn't much better, but when he looked at me, he forced down his anger and spoke as gently as he could. "The surgery is about to begin, and we're still short on money. When can Eleanor get here?"
Seeing the concern on their faces, I could no longer hide the truth and had to tell them honestly. "She won't be coming."
As soon as I finished speaking, Dad panicked. He was about to stand up and lash out, but Mom tapped him. Under her reproachful gaze, he suppressed his anger and sat back down.
He asked in a low voice, "Why can't she come? Is she stuck in traffic? Should I go pick her up?"

I opened my mouth, unable to think of any excuse. I could only tell them the truth. "She went to Norinia with Joseph to see the aurora. She's on the plane right now."
Mom and Dad exclaimed in shock, "What?"
My thoughts drifted back to a year earlier.
I first learned about Joseph at Eleanor's birthday party. That was when I realized that she had a childhood sweetheart who had gone abroad to study.
They had grown up together and, while still in high school, promised they would marry each other someday. However, right after graduation, something happened with Joseph's family, and he had to leave the country to continue his studies.
He had been gone for six years, and it wasn't until a year ago that he returned alone.
At first, he was completely alone in the country, which made it easy to understand why Eleanor took such special care of him. After all, she was his only friend here.
Then, not long ago, during a medical checkup, doctors discovered a tumor in my liver. While I was undergoing a biopsy, Eleanor got a phone call from Joseph and left immediately. That was also when Eleanor and I had a huge argument.
She knew that she was in the wrong, and with my pathology results confirmed as malignant, she promised me that she would keep her distance from Joseph.
At the beginning, she really did follow through. She started accompanying me to check-ups and preparing nutritious meals for me.
But just yesterday, as my surgery approached, the money in my medical insurance card suddenly fell short. I asked Eleanor to take my bank card downstairs to make the payment.
I had naively believed that she had truly cut off all contact with Joseph and would never betray me for his sake. But now, reality hit me like a punch.
Not only did Eleanor take all of my money, but she also used it to take Joseph to Norinia to see the aurora.
It was at that moment that I realized how terribly wrong I had been. I didn't know when she researched the travel guides, when she booked the tour, or when she decided to take all my money and go to Norinia with Joseph on the very day of my surgery.
I had no idea about any of it, yet I knew that every expense for their trip to Norinia had come from my savings.
She used the money that was meant to save my life to fulfill Joseph's birthday wish. The more I thought about it, the more bitterly ironic it felt.