Chapter 1 - The Voice Behind The Hospital Door
“If Mom thinks I’m dying, she’ll give me every last dollar.”
I stopped outside Spencer’s hospital room with my hand still wrapped around the black handle of my purse.
For a moment, I thought I had heard the wrong thing.
My son’s voice came through the slightly open door.
Calm.
Confident.
Almost amused.
Inside the room, Spencer laughed.
The same laugh I had heard my entire life whenever he wanted something from me.
“She always pays for everything,” he said into the speakerphone.
My fingers tightened around my purse.
I had spent the entire morning believing my son was fighting for his life.
I had prayed in the hospital chapel.
I had bought the lottery ticket he once joked would be our “miracle escape.”
I thought I was bringing hope.
Instead, I was standing outside listening to a plan.
A plan where my love was the prize.
I slowly stepped away from the door.
My chest felt heavy.
But I refused to cry there.
Not where he could hear me.
I reached inside my purse and touched the lottery ticket.
The small piece of paper suddenly felt like a lie.
Then the nurse appeared.
“Mrs. Riley?”
I turned quickly.
She smiled gently.
“Your son is asking for you.”
I forced my face to stay calm.
“I forgot something in my car.”
The nurse looked confused.
“Now?”
I nodded.
“I’ll be right back.”
But as I walked away, I already knew.
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I wasn’t going back in that room the same woman who entered.
📖 Chapter 2 reveals what Abigail discovers after walking away from Spencer’s room and why the lottery ticket becomes more dangerous than a simple dream. 👇
