I was diagnosed with uremia.

After returning from the hospital, my husband, Zane, wanted to kick me out of the house.

He said viciously, "Just leave. Our family can't afford to keep you!"

I stared in disbelief at my husband of nine years. The warmth of the past was still fresh in my mind, and now he turned against me so heartlessly.

"Zane, all these years, I've worked hard without complaint to support this family! Now that I'm sick, you're throwing me out? Are you even human?"

"You dare to scold me? Do you even know what kind of terrible disease you have? Do you think I can afford to waste my time on you? Who knows how long you've had this disease, hiding it from me when you married me, planning to burden me and Neal for the rest of our lives?"

I couldn't hold back and slapped Zane across the face.

His suspicion was the greatest insult to our relationship.

Zane was furious, but he didn't dare hit back. He shouted loudly.

"Everyone, come and see! Yvette is abusing her husband and child..."

Our son, Neal, was frightened and started crying.

I was busy comforting Neal and didn't have time to stop Zane from talking nonsense.

When Zane's mother heard that I had hit her son, she came home and hit me.

Out of respect for the elderly, I endured it without hitting back.

Zane, however, sat on the sofa, gleefully watching my embarrassment.

"Yvette, if you want a peaceful life, just get a divorce. It's better for Neal too."

Zane's mom looked at me coldly, "Exactly, if not for us, at least think about Neal. Your disease will only drag our family down to nothing. What will happen to Neal in the future? Our family isn't wealthy!"

Under their threats and persuasion, I had no choice but to compromise.

During the divorce settlement, Zane didn't want to give me any property.

He said, "If I give you money, you'll just waste it! It's better to leave all the money to Neal!"

I was furious but didn't want to argue in front of Neal.

In the end, for Neal's sake, I chose to leave with nothing.

I had thought about taking Neal with me, but Zane and his mother disagreed.

Besides, with my illness, I could barely take care of myself and didn't want Neal to suffer with me.

On my last night in their home, I curled up on Neal's small bed, hugging him and kissing him over and over.

Neal wiped my tears and comforted me, "Don't cry, Mom. Neal will be good and grow up quickly to protect you."

I held him tighter, burying my head in his little neck, not letting him see my tears falling again.

My Neal, such a sensible and caring child since he was little.

Whenever I was sick, it was always Neal who took care of me, bringing me tea and water.

So, no matter how hard life was outside, as long as I came home and saw Neal, I would feel empowered.

But now, I had to leave Neal. Despite my deep reluctance, I had to suppress it.

I silently vowed to myself to work harder, earn more money, get well, and regain custody of Neal. Then we would never be apart again.

Leaving the Harrington family.

I received a call from my mom.

She cried and scolded me for not telling her and my dad about the divorce.

I felt both heartbroken and comforted.

Heartbroken because, as a grown woman with a family and career, I still made my parents worry about me.

Comforted because I realized I still had a home to return to, not someone cast away and unwanted.

Back at my parents' house, my mom hugged me and cried again.

My dad said he would sell everything if necessary to cure my illness and asked me not to worry.

After the divorce, I never set foot in the Harrington house again, but whenever I had free time, I would go to Neal's school to see him.

Neal never asked why I left. Every time we met, he would smile so brightly!

He would save chocolates his classmates gave him for me and share his little secrets with me.

The distance didn't make our bond any less close.

However, before I could recover and be healthy again, something happened to Neal...

It was a morning six months after my divorce.

The hospital called me, saying Neal had an accident!

By the time I rushed to the hospital, I only saw Neal lying on the bed, his little face pale.

He wasn't sleeping soundly; his eyelashes trembled slightly.

Neal's attending physician called me into the hallway, his face heavy with concern and reluctance.

"I'm Ryker, Neal's attending physician. I must be honest with you about your child's condition."

"Neal... has a malignant tumor in his brain, which is why he fainted after the fall."

"Although he is temporarily out of danger, the tumor could take his life at any moment. Therefore, I suggest you prepare for surgery as soon as possible."

At that moment, it felt like the sky was falling.

My Neal, such a well-behaved and sensible child, how could he have a tumor?

My back hit the cold wall of the hospital, and with that support, I managed not to collapse.

"So, what did his father and grandmother say?"

Ryker hesitated, and only under my persistent questioning did he finally speak.

"After learning about Neal's condition, his father and grandmother left the hospital. It's been five or six hours, and no one has been able to contact them..."

I stared blankly at Ryker.

For a moment, I didn't know how to react.

What did it mean that they couldn't be contacted? They were Neal's family!

Zane could abandon me; after all, love is intangible, and I could accept that.

But Neal was different; Neal was his flesh and blood, his only child.

I couldn't believe Zane would be so heartless.

"I... I'll call him!"

With trembling hands, I dialed Zane's number several times before finally getting through.

The phone was off!

No matter how many times I called, there was only one result, the phone was off!

I finally broke down, almost throwing my phone against the wall, but just as I was about to, Ryker grabbed my hand.

He pursed his lips as he looked at me, his eyes filled with sympathy that almost pierced through me.

"I've been a doctor for many years, and I've seen too much of the warmth and coldness of human nature."

"I suggest you find a lawyer as soon as possible and take legal action to require Neal's father to fulfill his duties and responsibilities as a guardian."

After saying this, he let go of my hand. I covered my face and sobbed uncontrollably.

I blamed myself in my heart for being so blind to fall for such a cold and selfish man, ruining my child's life.

Ryker sighed and handed me a tissue.

In a voice choked with tears, I managed to say, "Thank you."

After calming down a bit, I asked him, "How much will the surgery cost? I... I'll raise the money right away."

"The surgery costs 360,000 dollars, but with subsequent treatments, it will be at least 500,000 dollars."

I staggered a step back; this amount was astronomical to me.

But I couldn't give up. No amount of money is more important than Neal.

My parents rushed to the hospital, and after Ryker explained the situation in detail again, he left.

My mom hugged me, cursing Zane for being heartless and wishing him the worst.

I grabbed my dad's hand and knelt on the ground with a thud.

"Dear, what are you doing?"

"Dad, you have some savings... Please, lend it to me to save Neal."

My mom was silent, but the grip on my arm tightened.

"But that money... was saved for your kidney transplant. If it's gone..."

Before my dad could finish, I shook my head vigorously, interrupting him.

"Save Neal first! Dad, if Neal doesn't have the surgery, he will die. Neal is my life!"

My mom couldn't hold back any longer. She wiped her tears and asked, "But what about your illness? You are also our life, mine and your dad's."

"Dad, Mom, I'm sorry!"

I lowered my voice, my heart feeling like it was being cut by a knife.

My dad raised his head, and after a long sigh, he said.

"Then let's give Neal the surgery first. We will figure out a way for your illness later."

I looked at my dad with gratitude and bowed deeply to my elderly parents.

My parents had saved up for most of their lives, spending most of it on my dowry, and now only 200,000 dollars was left.

In the past six months, I worked hard to save money, but I also spent a lot on my own medical treatment, so I didn't have much left.

Neal's surgery cost 360,000 dollars; we were still short 150,000 dollars.

My dad stood by the window at the end of the corridor, calling each relative.

I watched as he kept nodding and bowing to the other end of the line, saying all kinds of nice things, but only managed to borrow a few thousand dollars.

I could no longer hold back my tears, wiped them away, and called my lawyer.

After Zane received the lawyer's letter, he stormed into Neal's hospital room.

He completely disregarded our son, who was enduring pain on the bed, and pointed at me, shouting furiously.

"Yvette, how dare you sue me? It's bad enough you got sick, but you also gave me a sick child. You're nothing but a jinx, dragging me down with you both to hell!"

I wanted to argue with him, but Neal's small hand tugged at my clothes, his voice weak.

"Mom, Dad, please don't fight! I'm sorry, it's all my fault! I shouldn't have gotten sick! Let's leave the hospital now; I don't want to be treated anymore... Please don't fight because of me, okay? I'm scared!"

My eyes instantly welled up, and I couldn't stop my tears from falling.

I bent down to comfort my son, "Okay, we won't fight anymore. It's not your fault for getting sick, Neal. Don't be afraid."

My son was so sensible, even strangers would feel some pity.

Was Zane a beast? How could he be so cold-blooded and heartless?

Zane completely ignored Neal's words and viciously tore up the lawsuit papers.

"Stop trying to scare me with this lawyer crap. I'm not afraid."

After Zane left, Neal seemed listless, and soon he became drowsy.

But when he closed his eyes, a large patch on the white pillow was soaked with tears.

……

Court mediation.

My only hope was that Zane would agree to sell our marital home.

After all, the house was in a good location and could fetch a decent amount.

But Zane threw a psychiatric diagnosis report on the table, holding a fruit knife pointed straight at me.

"You see this? I am sick too, and I need money for treatment. If you keep pushing me, we'll all die together."

The mediation room suddenly became chaotic.

Zane looked at the commotion he had caused and smirked evilly.

His fruit knife brought this court session to an abrupt end.

I chased after Zane as he left the mediation room, but he seemed to deliberately shake me off and walked out.

The lawyer helplessly told me that since the mediation failed, we could only prepare for a court trial, which would take a long time.

……

I nodded blankly and returned to the hospital, sitting in the corridor, staring blankly at the names in my contacts.

I had borrowed money from almost everyone I knew, but it was still far from enough.

I hated my own helplessness and didn't dare to go in and look at Neal's pale face.

Every day that Neal's condition dragged on was another day of danger and suffering.

When the nurse went in to give Neal an injection, I stood at the door, secretly crying as I watched him.

After the nurse finished the injection, she praised him, "Neal, you're so strong. You never cry."

Neal pressed his little lips together, his soft voice firm, "Neal can't cry. If Mommy sees Neal crying, she'll be sad. Neal is a little man and shouldn't make Mommy cry."

So this was why he only dared to cry secretly when he felt wronged, scared, or in pain.

He was afraid I would feel heartbroken, afraid I would be sad...

Oh, God, why did you give me such a little angel only to let him suffer so much?

Just as I was about to turn and leave, I almost bumped into Ryker.

For a moment, the atmosphere was a bit awkward.

Ryker cleared his throat and handed me a hospital payment receipt.

"This is from a fundraiser organized by our hospital's doctors. It totals 70,000 dollars, and we've already paid part of Neal's expenses."

Before I could thank him, he continued.

"I also found out that in cases like yours, you can raise funds online. If you need help, I can assist you."

His words were like a ray of light in a dark room.

That's right, crowdfunding! How could I not have thought of that?

Later, with Ryker's help, our story was posted on a relief platform.

It quickly attracted attention from all sides.

Neal's maturity won the admiration and praise of kind-hearted netizens.

Meanwhile, Zane and his family's heartlessness were harshly criticized online.

When Zane saw the situation escalating on the internet, he convinced his mother to move into a rental apartment and secretly sold our house before fleeing abroad alone.

When I heard this news, I was so furious that I nearly fainted.

My dad sighed, gritted his teeth, and sold the small old house he and my mom had saved for their retirement.

Because the house was small, old, and in a poor location, it only sold for 180,000 dollars.

But it was enough for Neal's surgery costs.