Chapter 9

The party finally ended a little after 4 a.m. Emilia hurried to the locker room to change. When she turned on her phone, she was bombarded with missed calls—dozens of them—all from Dr. Lee. Barely sparing a glance at herself, she threw on a coat, skipped removing her makeup, and dashed straight to the hospital. When she got there, the room was empty. A quick check with the nurse told her what happened. “Your mom somehow ended up by the window, fell out, and is in surgery now... they’re trying everything.” “Mom!” Emilia bolted to the OR, heart racing. The light above the door glowed red, and all she could do was stand there, shaking, eyes filled with tears, whispering prayers under her breath. “Please, Mom… nothing can happen to you…” She had no idea how long she waited, just that it felt like forever before the OR door finally opened. She rushed over, grabbing Dr. Lee’s arm with trembling hands. “Doctor Li! How is she? Is my mom okay?” He let out a breath. “Let’s talk in my office.” Even though it was only the third floor, her injuries weren’t minor—multiple bone fractures, a head injury. After the scans, Dr. Lee found something in her brain. She needed surgery, fast. Emilia stood frozen, eyes red from crying. “How... how much will it cost?” She only had just enough for one emergency surgery. “At least two hundred thousand.” Two hundred thousand… Even working those luxury rooms with upper-tier clients, the most she'd get in a night would be maybe ten or twenty thousand in tips. And that surgery couldn’t wait. Where on earth was she going to come up with that kind of money? “Emilia, don’t panic,” Dr. Lee said softly, resting his hand lightly over hers. “I’ve got some money saved. I can cover it for now, and we’ll get the hospital's charity fund involved. We’ll figure it out.” She looked at him, catching the complicated flicker in his eyes. She knew exactly what that look meant. “Thank you.” Emilia quietly pulled her hand away. “Please take care of my mom for now... I’ll try to come up with something.” Back at home, Emilia collapsed onto the bed in a daze. She wasn’t stupid—she knew what Dr. Lee was hinting at. But he had a family. He wasn’t some bar regular she could shake down for cash. She couldn’t bring herself to be that kind of woman—not with him.