The doctor's words tore through the air, his tone remained calm, but the finality in his words made the room smaller, around Lin Yue.
"We can't delay it again," he said, closing the file in his hands. "If we don't begin the treatment this week, then I'm afraid there is nothing we can do to sustain her life."
Lin Yue stood at the foot of the bed, her hand resting against the strap of her bag, and for a brief moment she did not respond, not because she had not understood him, but because the words had shattered every little hope she had left.
Her chest tightened with fear, yet she still believed there was hope. 'There is always a silver lining in the storm.' That was her quote.
She swallowed before parting her lips. "How much will it cost," she asked at last.
"One million dollars."
She felt her heart hammering against her chest so hard that it hurt. In that instant, she realized that everything she had, everything she could gather, would still not be enough.
Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag, her doe eyes watering so that they turned glassy.
Her mother gave a faint, multiple breath that might once have been laughter. "One million dollars," she repeated slowly. "For one treatment section."
"Yes." The doctor replied, his jaw tightening. He had been conducive enough to let them stay for six months, and he was already tired of them. They didn't pay their money on time and neither did they have the funds to fully cure the illness.
Even with the money, her mother's state was already critical. If he could give Lin Yue some advice, it would be to let her mother die so she could enjoy the little money she had and her precious youth.
Lin Yue lowered her gaze for a moment, as though she were holding in her emotions that were close to bursting out. When she looked up again her expression was now composed with no trace of tears.
"If the treatment begins this week," she said, "Her condition will stabilize right?"
"That is the expectation."
"And if it does not." She asked, her voice came out smaller.
The doctor said without bothering to hide the truth. "Then we focus on keeping her comfortable."
The word remained in the air longer than the others had, because it carried with it the truth that Lin Yue refused to accept, and though her expression did not change, there was a brief tightening in her jaw before she spoke again, more quickly now, as though moving forward would prevent the thought from taking hold.
"Can the money be reduced?" She pleaded.
"No."
"What about if it is paid in installments?"
"No."
Lin Yue drew in a sharp breath before letting it out slowly. Her chest clenched bitterly, if she wasn't able to save the only person that mattered the most to her in her life, then what is the point of living… She couldn't imagine her life with her mother in the picture.
"Then…we'll proceed with the treatment." She said, her voice breaking at the end.
The doctor arched one of his brows slightly in shock but he quickly masked his expression. "We'll need confirmation within three days."
"You'll have it." She said with full assurance.
He inclined his head, and after a brief pause, turned and left the room.
The door remained slightly open behind him.
"Close it," her mother said.
Lin Yue crossed the room and did so, the soft sound of the latch settling into place. When she turned back, her mother was watching her closely, the sharpness in her gaze unbroken despite everything else that had changed.
"Where are you going to find one million dollars," she asked.
"I will arrange it." She said averting her gaze.
"With what means?"
Lin Yue returned to her seat beside the bed, her movements unhurried, though there was a tension beneath them, and for a moment she did not answer, not because she had no answer, but because speaking it would make it more real than she wanted to accept it to be.
"You have already decided, haven't you?" her mother said.
Lin Yue lifted her gaze. "Yes."
"What have you done?"
She let out a sigh. "I received an invitation to a contract marriage," she said, keeping her voice even. "It is formal and time-limited, and in return, they will cover all medical expenses and all our living expenses."
Her mother frowned, her eyes watering with guilt and regret. "With whom?"
"The Gu family."
"No." Her mother's voice echoed through the room sharply.
"This is the only way, mother."
"No."
"I can't afford to lose you, you are the only best thing in my life." Lin Yue raised her voice slightly, unable to hold back the tears streaming down her face.
She pushed the strands of her dark brown hair to the back of her ear as she wiped off the tears from her face before sniffling.
"Lin Yue." Her mother called, hot tears rolled down the side of her eyes wetting her pillow. "I can't destroy your life, I can't bear it… the Gu family is not a place you can enter… they are like the stars in the skies and we are like dirt on earth… There is no way you can fit in there. Don't go… Just let me go please… don't give away your freedom and love for me." She sobbed.
Lin Yue closed her eyes, her lips pulling into a silent cry. "Mom, I'll be fine…" She sniffled. "… remember I always promise to give you one of the best lives. Even if I use my freedom and love as an exchange, it is worth it." She stood up walking towards her mom, before gently laying her head on her shoulder.