His innocent, doe eyes.
Those brown eyes, like autumn leaves, were the most beautiful thing Emily had seen. They reminded her of how trees shed dying leaves to make way for new ones.
Seeing them as Jonah opened his eyes gave her hope that something good could still come from their situation. Despite everything, her brother might recover and start anew.
If only she could come up with the money.
"It's not enough." Emily sighed, checking her savings. Actually, it would hardly cover half the bill. Suddenly, she regretted sending money to her parents. "I should have known better than to trust them." But blaming herself would not help her situation.
Emily doubted whether her parents would return the money. Knowing them, her father must have blown half of it in his gambling habits. The other half probably went to her mother's luxurious lifestyle.
"So, how would you come up with the money?" Ruth asked as her friend joined her on the couch, mulling over her depressing situation. "I wish I could do more, but you know I also send most of my savings to help my family."
"No, silly. You have already done so much." It would be unfair if she expected more. Not to mention, it was not as if Ruth earned the same as her.
"Don't worry. I'll find a way." Emily assured her friend. Instead, she thought of her manager. "Maybe Leah could lend me a loan." That was one option. But honestly, she never liked owing people favors.
Her manager had already done so much for her. Asking Leah for money seemed to be too much. Besides, Emily heard that Leah was also in a financial bind after her career plummeted with her latest scandal.
It seemed her trending story had taken a turn for the worse as trolls continued to trash her name on the internet. Now, no one in the industry wanted anything to do with her. Even the release of her latest movie appeared to be on hold as the production staff waited to see how her situation would unfold.
"Maybe asking her would not be such a good idea," Emily uttered, sounding defeated. "I guess waiting for a new project will be out of the question." If her situation worsened, she could probably kiss her career goodbye.
"Or maybe..." Ruth slightly hesitated, looking squeamish. "You can accept your husband's deal." Her friend recommended.
It was the last thing she would consider, but under her current situation, did she even have any other choice?
In the end, her friend might be right. Emily might have to think about it, even if it was the last thing she wanted to do.
"There must be another way." Still, staying married to Nolan Maxwell, the notorious playboy, was the last thing on her mind.
But remembering her brother's eyes as they reflected his pain and the hardship he had gone through made it seem like even her injuries and problems were so insignificant.
"But if there's not." Ruth played the devil's advocate. "Are you willing to sacrifice your brother for your pride?"
"Think about it, he might not be as bad as you assume. Remember, Nolan saved you earlier from your parents." Ruth cited some vital points that were hard to ignore.
"And your husband just offered you a deal of a lifetime." Leah's overbearing voice boomed inside her apartment as she waltzed in as if she owned the place. "If you want my professional opinion, you shouldn't pass this up."
Leah loomed over her before dropping the contract on her coffee table with a loud thud. "Sign it, and your problems are solved. Don't sign it." Her manager shrugged her shoulders. "Then, it would be career suicide. I don't know if there is anything else that could revive your career after this."
That certainly sounded like an ultimatum.
"I don't know." Emily was still reluctant, staring at the contract as if it had been a ticking time bomb. But she had to admit she grew desperate each minute.
"Think about it and let me know," Leah told her, but clearly, there was only one answer in her mind. "But seriously, Emily, what is there to think about?"
Now that she mentioned it, Leah might be right. If it had been just about money, it would have been easy to accept this deal. But what about everything else?
Could she actually stay married to him? What about her feelings? Could she actually protect her heart if she had to deal constantly with him as his wife?
"What are you going to do?" Ruth asked as they crossed the hospital lobby and entered the elevator.
She thought seeing her brother might clear her head. But in truth, she might just be looking for a miracle, something or someone to rescue her from this situation.
"First, we are going to see my brother." Emily dragged her friend out of the elevator and into the hallway.
But something caught her eye as she and her friend walked toward her brother's room. For a second, she stopped in her tracks, wondering if her eyes were deceiving her.
"Is that Nolan?" Emily swore she saw her husband come out of her brother's room. Or, at least, a man who looked like him.
"Where?" Ruth asked, appearing puzzled as her friend tried to follow her gaze. But the man had already disappeared as he turned on the corner.
"I must be mistaken." Emily quickly dismissed the idea. What would her husband be doing in the hospital? She remembered asking him to leave earlier after all the fiasco. "Anyway..." She tried to change the subject as they approached her brother's room.
"We are here to see my cute little, sweet brother," Emily said out loud once they entered the room. But she abruptly stopped, surprised to see that his brother was not alone. Dr. Beal and his staff surrounded his bed.
Instantly, she was alert, as fear gripped her, thinking of the worst-case scenario. Did something happen while she was away? But she had been gone for just a couple of hours.
"Is anything wrong?" Emily quickly asked, her hand holding to her chest as she tried not to panic. She looked over the doctor's shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of her brother, who was still lying in his bed.
"Oh, Emily... No, no, no... Nothing is wrong." Dr. Beal hastily replied, probably seeing the concern in her eyes. "On the contrary, I'm glad you're here because I have good news."
Emily released the air that she didn't even realize she held in her lungs upon hearing the doctor's words. Then, upon seeing her brother, looking as well as he could be, she finally calmed down.
"Oh, nothing is wrong with me. Actually, I'm feeling great." Jonah reached out to her, assuring her that he was ok.
"I'm so happy to hear that, Jonah." Emily initially thought that her brother had worsened, but she was glad that it had not been the case.
"What is the good news then, Dr. Beal?" Emily asked, still slightly skeptical. After all, she still hadn't come up with the money to pay for her brother's surgery. So, what could Dr. Beal be talking about?
"We already scheduled your brother's surgery for tomorrow morning." Dr. Beal informed her. "And Dr. Tudor even agreed to do his operation."
"Wow! Is that true?" Emily could not believe it. "But Dr. Tudor is the best Thoracic Surgeon in the world. How could I even afford to pay for his services?"
Of course, Emily was excited about the news. Her brother would get the best surgeon money could buy. His chances of a successful surgery had just increased tenfold. However, again, how was she going to pay for it?
She could hardly afford to pay for her brother's bill. What's more, a famous surgeon. Besides, how did they convince Dr. Tudor to take on her brother's case when his schedule was already full?
"Oh, Emily, you don't have to worry about that. The bills were already settled. Even Dr. Tudor had agreed to do the surgery pro bono."
"That's amazing. Did you hear that, Jonah?" This time, it was Ruth who exclaimed her excitement. "You're getting better."
Shock was not enough to describe how Emily felt as she gazed at her brother before turning to the doctor. Of course, she was overjoyed. It was exactly the miracle she was hoping for.
Still, it did not answer her questions. Confused, she pulled the doctor to the side, not wanting her brother to hear their conversation.
"I haven't paid the bills yet. So, how?" Emily was totally baffled. If it was not her, who?
Her parents would hardly lift a finger to help her. She was sure of that. Emily hadn't talked to Leah yet, so it could not be her.
Again, who?
"It's Mr. Maxwell. Your husband. I thought you knew." Dr. Beal also appeared surprised. "He paid for everything. He was also responsible for Dr. Tudor taking on your brother's case."
Now, that completely threw her off. Emily could not believe that her husband would do that. What was Nolan thinking? What was his game?
Did he expect that she would agree to his condition just because he paid for her brother's surgery?