Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After ending the call with my eldest son, I stared down at my medical report, my fingers trembling slightly.

In my past life, my soft heart had allowed these three parasites to bleed me dry.

In this life, not a single penny belonging to Evelyn Brooks would ever touch their greedy hands again.

I immediately dialed a local real estate agent and listed my three-bedroom house for sale.

It was the home where my late husband and I had lived for thirty years, but concrete and drywall were infinitely more dependable than my worthless sons.

The agent worked fast and found a cash buyer within hours, closing the deal for one point seven three million dollars.

With the funds securely deposited into my personal account, I checked myself into the hospital and booked a quiet private suite.

Less than two hours after I settled into bed, the heavy door swung open.

Howard walked in wearing a tailored designer suit, followed closely by his wife and their daughter, Maisie.

"Mom, we heard you checked into the hospital, so we rushed right over."

Howard scanned the room, his upper lip curling in disdain.

"Why are you staying in a basic room like this? It is so cramped. Want me to upgrade you to the executive VIP wing?"

He paced around the room like a landlord inspecting a rental, criticizing the furniture and the layout.

Yet in all that time, he did not glance once at the IV needle taped to the back of my hand.

His wife quickly chimed in, "Howard is having a stellar quarter at his firm. We really do not care about a few extra bucks."

I almost laughed out loud.

If they truly cared about my health and had so much disposable income, why come here solely to squeeze my wallet?

Seeing my uncharacteristically cold silence, Howard exchanged a quick glance with his wife.

He immediately shoved Maisie toward the edge of my bed.

"Mom, look at Maisie! She took first place in the regional youth piano championship last weekend! The judges called her a once-in-a-generation prodigy!"

Maisie lifted her shiny gold trophy, pushing it right into my face.

"Look, Grandma! My teacher said if I join the fifty-thousand-dollar international conservatory program, I will be performing at Carnegie Hall in no time!"

"Grandma, you will help me make my dream come true, right?"

A chill settled in my heart.

Fifty thousand dollars?

In my previous life, their family had moved to the West Coast shortly after this, and Howard was the very first to block my number and cut all ties.

Funding their dreams would make me the biggest fool on earth.

I spared the trophy a passing glance and looked out the window.

"Oh. Good for her."

The smile on Howard's face froze. He clearly had not anticipated this reaction from me.

He sat down on the edge of the mattress, forcing another broad grin as he spun more empty promises.

He hinted heavily that Maisie's tuition should naturally be covered by my care fund, assuring me that Maisie would never forget her generous grandmother once she became famous.

When I continued to ignore him, his mask slipped completely. He nudged his wife with his elbow.

"Take Maisie down to the cafeteria and grab some juice. I need to talk to Mom alone."

His wife caught the hint instantly, grabbing Maisie's hand and stepping out into the hall.

The moment the door clicked shut, Howard dropped all pretense of warmth.

"Mom, you heard the numbers. Fifty thousand dollars is pocket change to you, isn't it?"

I turned my head and looked directly into his greedy eyes. "I don't have it."

"You don't have it?"

His voice shot up an octave, ringing off the walls.

"How could you not have it? The three of us put in three grand a month for eight straight years! That is over eight hundred thousand dollars! Maisie is your only granddaughter. If you don't spend it on her, who else are you saving it for?"

I closed my eyes, refusing to look at his ugly, demanding face.

"Spend it on whoever you want. I said no. Do not ask me for money again."

My blunt refusal caught him completely off guard.

In a desperate bid, he grabbed my arm, forcing real tears into his eyes as he pleaded.

"Mom, how can you bear to crush Maisie's talent? It is an elite conservatory program! Thousands of kids get rejected every year!"

"If you refuse to help her now, and she fails to become a concert pianist, how will your conscience ever rest?"

"You wiped our noses and sacrificed everything to put us through school. Now that it is Maisie's turn, you suddenly do not give a damn?"

"If you withhold this money, you are ruining her entire future! She will resent you for the rest of her life, and you will regret it when it is too late!"

"Besides, fifty grand to secure your granddaughter's destiny is a bargain! That money is just gathering dust in the bank anyway!"

Listening to his hollow moral lecturing, a bitter chuckle escaped my lips.

This was the boy I had raised with every ounce of my soul, now using cheap emotional blackmail against his sick mother.

I yanked my arm out of his grasp and glared at him coldly.

"My money is mine to spend as I see fit. If Maisie needs tuition, figure it out yourselves as her parents. Leave me out of it."

Realizing that guilt-tripping would not work, Howard erupted in fury, jumping to his feet and pointing an accusatory finger at my face.

"Fine, Evelyn! You think you are tough now, huh?"

"We set up that family fund out of the goodness of our hearts, not so you could hoard it like a miserable miser! It is just fifty grand! How can you be so damn cheap?"

"You are clearly losing your mind! You never gave a damn about your sons! Fine, keep your money! But don't you dare expect me to lift a finger when you are dying alone on your deathbed!"

With that, he stomped toward the door, his heavy leather soles slamming against the tiles as if trying to crack the floor.