Chapter 11

The world seemed to blur as Erica's panicked screams tore me from my frozen state. I stumbled forward, as though my body wasn't fully connected to my mind.

Dropping to my knees beside Asher, I watched in horror as his body contorted violently, wracked by spasms. His eyes were wide open, but they were blank-empty. It was as if he wasn't there, as if the brother, I had known and loved was slipping away from me, and I couldn't stop it.

"Asher! Asher, please! Stay with me!" I screamed, my voice trembling with fear. I reached out, my hands unsure of what to do. My mind raced, but it couldn't catch up to the reality of what was happening.

How could this be happening?. He's too young. He can't go.

My heart raced, pounding against my chest as I fumbled for my phone, my hands shaking uncontrollably. I dialed the emergency number, the second time.

Each second felt like an eternity, a suffocating weight pressing down on me. Asher's body continued to shake, and I could hear his breath rasping, shallow and unsteady.

The ambulance arrived too slowly, though I had no sense of time. The paramedics rushed in, moving with the practiced speed of professionals, but their swift movements didn't bring any comfort. Nothing could bring comfort in this moment. Asher was slipping away, and I could do nothing.

We rode in the ambulance, the sirens wailing, and though the sound was supposed to be comforting, all I could hear in my mind was the scream of my little brother's body, the franticness of Erica's voice, and the crashing of my heart with every passing moment.

I refused to let go of Asher's hand, clutching it tightly as if my grip could somehow keep him tethered to this world, keep him from being lost.

The hours that followed at the hospital were a blur. A blur of doctors, of frantic whispers, of waiting. I barely registered the people coming and going. All that mattered was Asher. Was he okay? Was he going to survive this?

Finally, a doctor approached us, and the gravity of his expression made my blood run cold. His face was drawn, his eyes tired as though he already knew the answer to the questions I was dying to ask.

"Are you family?" he asked, and I could hear the sympathy in his voice even before he spoke the dreaded words.

"I'm his sister," I managed to say, my voice barely a whisper, as if speaking any louder might shatter me completely.

The doctor's sigh seemed to fill the entire room. "Asher has a rare neurological condition," he said. "There's a mass in his brain. The seizures you witnessed are a result of it pressing on critical areas. It's causing significant damage."

I felt like the floor had disappeared beneath me. My knees buckled, and I grabbed the nearest chair for support. "A mass?" I whispered, the word tasting like acid in my mouth.

The doctor nodded gravely. "We need to operate immediately. The longer we wait, the greater the risk of permanent damage-or worse."

The word worse hung in the air like a suffocating cloud, pressing against my chest. I couldn't breathe. Worse? What could be worse than this?

"How much will it cost?" Erica's voice, strained with panic, cut through my thoughts. She didn't even look at the doctor-her eyes were fixed on Asher, still lying motionless in the ICU.

The doctor hesitated, and I could already sense the answer was going to shatter us. "The surgery, post-operative care, and rehabilitation... It's about three million dollars."

Three million dollars.

The words hit like a punch to the gut. The number felt impossible, unreal, like a mountain too high to climb. How? How could we ever afford that?

I looked at Erica, and we both knew the reality we were facing. There was no way we could come up with that kind of money. I thought of my father, struggling just to keep our heads above water, and I realized that asking him for help was out of the question.

We were stuck.

How could I save my brother if I couldn't even afford the price of his life?

The doctor left us, his departure leaving us with more unanswered questions and a heartache that felt too big to contain.

I sank into a chair, my head in my hands, trying to stop the world from spinning. Erica sat beside me, her face pale and empty. We didn't speak-there were no words.

The silence between us was full of everything we couldn't say.

And then, as if a spark ignited in the darkness, I remembered him.

Raphael.

His name echoed in my mind like a lifeline. It had only been a few days since he had made his offer-his proposition of a contract marriage.

At the time, I had rejected him, disgusted by the idea that he could think so little of me, that he could treat me like a commodity.

But now... now, desperation had shifted something inside of me. We had no other options, no other way out.

I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of my decision even before I made it. My hands were still trembling, but I managed to pull out my phone.

I hesitated for just a moment, my thumb hovering over his contact name.

What if he says no?

What if he laughs at me?

The thought of losing Asher made me press the call button before I could stop myself.

The phone rang once.

Twice.

Then on the third ring, his deep voice came through.

"I was wondering when I'd hear from you," Raphael said, his tone calm, almost amused, but I knew better.

His voice was steady, and that steadiness made my nerves fray even more.

I swallowed hard, my throat tight with emotion. Can I even do this? "Raphael, we need to talk," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

And with that, I had crossed a line. I didn't know what I was asking for yet-didn't know how far I would have to go-but I did know one thing: I couldn't lose Asher. I would do whatever it took to save him.