I had just been lifted onto the operating table when the door to the trauma bay was violently shoved open.

Mom charged in and tried to yank the IV line out of my hand.

"Your money-grubbing hospital just wants to rob people! What a scam! She just drank a little bit of diluted pesticide, and you have the nerve to demand ten thousand dollars for the surgery fee?"

Irwin was frantic, his eyes red-rimmed. He was still in school and couldn't possibly come up with that much money. All he could do was desperately pin down Mom's hand, weeping and begging her to stop causing trouble and just let the doctor save my life first.

Mom shoved him away violently. "How could I possibly hurt my own daughter? I only put in a tiny bit of pesticide—it's nowhere near enough to kill her.

"This hospital's just jacking up the price because they see we're desperate. Helena's not getting treated here. We'll take her to another hospital!"

As she said this, she tried to drag me away. The nurses had to use every ounce of their strength just to hold her back.

As the stalemate dragged on, Dad came rushing in after having his blood drawn. Seeing this scene, he completely lost his mind. His eyes were terribly red.

"Rosanna, if you cause one more scene, we're getting a divorce immediately! I'll raise both the kids myself, and you won't ever see them again for the rest of your life!"

The word "divorce" instantly threw Mom into a panic. Flustered, she fumbled to pull out her debit card.

Dad and Irwin both heaved a huge sigh of relief, thinking she had finally given in and was going to pay the surgery fee.

But no one could have imagined that she would turn around and bolt out of the room with the card in hand.

Dad and Irwin chased after her like madmen.

The sounds of arguing grew further and further away, until they disappeared completely.

In the trauma bay, only I and a few bewildered doctors and nurses remained.

The pesticide had already burned through my internal organs. My eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and the shrill alarm of the monitor grew sharper and sharper.

The doctors had already brought out the defibrillator, but my consciousness kept drifting upward against my will.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself floating just beneath the ceiling.

Below me, on the operating table, lay my lifeless body.

Just then, Mom burst in, waving the payment receipt, charging ahead of everyone.

Dad was shaking with fury. "Rosanna, Helena's life was slipping away! Why did you absolutely have to run to the bank to withdraw cash? All that time wasted going back and forth—do you have any idea that those few minutes could have killed her?"

Mom rolled her eyes. "Previously, Irwin clicked on some random link online and got 50 dollars stolen by hackers! Today, I wanted to use this chance to make you all remember just how risky online payments can be, so that you'd never click on random links or transfer money online carelessly again!"

With that, she pushed open the door to the trauma bay.