Chapter 1 Matt, I Don’t Want to Be Your Burden
- “Matthew, after marrying into my family, you have nothing to do with your family!”
- “That’s your own sister, so why should we spend our money to save her?”
- While Matthew Larson was rushing to the hospital, the mocking voices from the family of his wife, Sasha Cunnigham, kept echoing in his ears as he was recalling them from memory.
- Matthew was born into a glorious, big family. But when he was twelve, they encountered an unexpected disaster which wiped them out in one single night. Matthew’s father died while he was trying to protect the family. As for Matthew’s mother, she sustained serious injuries who barely escaped with him and his sister, Natalie. However, after holding on for five years, his mother passed away due to the relapse of her old injuries, leaving behind both siblings to rely on each other.
- As to the reason why his family went through such a terrible disaster, Matthew could no longer remember. However, before his mother passed away, she gave him a piece of jade with extreme care. Although she didn’t make it really clear, Matthew had a feeling that his family’s annihilation all started from this piece of family heirloom.
- When he was really young, he heard from his father that this item held the secret to the prosperity of the Larsons. Without his mother, Matthew took on the responsibility of raising his sister at the age of seventeen. Despite all difficulties, he somehow was able to pull through with gritted teeth.
- Three years ago, Natalie was diagnosed with leukemia. For the betrothal price of a hundred grand for the treatment of Natalie’s sickness, Matthew married into the Cunningham Family. Within these three years, Matthew suffered everyone’s indifference in the Cunningham Family, but he endured all of it.
- Now that Natalie had finally found a suitable bone marrow donor after her condition worsened, he needed another three hundred grand for the surgical fees. His wife, Sasha, was away on a business trip, and he couldn’t reach her through her cellphone at all. So, he turned to the Cunninghams for a loan since he was unable to come up with the sum. As a result, they threw him out of the house.
- After that, Matthew went to the office of the director of the hospital as he tightened his jaw before he pushed the door in. An arrogant-looking man wearing a pair of glasses was seated in the room. Jeffrey Zimmerman, the director of the hospital, was also Sasha’s senior in school, and one of her admirers.
- The Zimmerman Family was involved with business in the medical field, and Sasha arranged a job for Matthew here in the hospital. Initially, he was arranged for the back office. But, after Jeffrey became the director because of his family’s influence, he had been making things difficult for Matthew, who was then sent to clean the floors instead.
- So, Matthew was demoted from being a support crew to a cleaning crew. Despite that, he could only swallow the insult and humiliation silently, because Natalie was receiving treatment from the very same hospital. As long as he could keep his sister alive, he was willing to do anything!
- “Director Zimmerman,” Matthew began pleadingly, “Sasha is away on a business trip and she’s probably busy, so I couldn’t get her through her phone. Maybe you… you could arrange for Natalie’s surgery first. I’ll definitely come up with the surgical fees!”
- With that, Jeffrey merely snorted. “Matthew, you’ve been working here for a while now, and you should know the hospital’s rules. Three hundred grand is not a small sum. What should I do if you refuse to pay up later?”
- Matthew was immediately infuriated, and he spoke in a low voice, “Director Zimmerman, I’ve been working in this hospital for three years. Do you think that I’m the kind of person who wouldn’t pay up?”
- “That’s hard to say!” Jeffrey said nonchalantly. “Cats hide their claws!”
- The expression on Matthew’s face changed drastically as he gritted his teeth. “Director Zimmerman, I haven’t received any salary for the past three years of my working in this hospital. Although it may not sum up to three hundred grand, it’s still not that far off. When Sasha returns later, I’ll borrow some from her—”
- “Don’t wait for her return. Borrow some now!” Jeffrey said with a laugh. “Is that right what I heard that Sasha isn’t picking up your calls? How about... I give her a call instead?” he asked as he called her through his cellphone. It only rang for three times before she picked up the phone and answered, “What’s up, Director Zimmerman?”
- Matthew’s heart was wrenched. For the past few days, he had called Sasha for more than a hundred times, but she had never once picked it up. Meanwhile, Jeffrey had only called once and she had already answered. So what did this prove? Even though they were married for three years and they only existed on paper as a married couple, Matthew never treated her badly. Despite the fact that Sasha looked down on him, he still thought of her as his wife and genuinely treated her well. He thought to himself, Is this how she is treating me in return?
- “It’s nothing. I am just calling to check on you.” Jeffrey shook his cellphone in front of Matthew smugly.
- Matthew felt that his chest was about to explode. Just as he was about to say something, Jeffrey got ahead of him by a second. “I’m sorry, but I’m a little busy now, Sasha. Bye!” With that, he hung up the call without giving Matthew a chance to say anything at all.
- “Did you see that, Matthew? She wasn’t busy, but she just didn’t want to answer your calls!” He said, looking at Matthew from the corner of his eyes
- Matthew clenched his hands into tight fists as everything which happened were pushing him to the edge of his sanity—Natalie’s health condition, Sasha’s indifference, and mockery from the Cunninghams.
- Suddenly, Jeffrey added on with a laugh, “Why don’t I give you an idea?”
- Casting him a glance, Matthew asked through gritted teeth, “What is it?”
- “Don’t you have two kidneys? Maybe you can come up with some money if you sell one!” Jeffrey sneered and continued, “It’s not a secret that Sasha doesn’t share the same bedroom with you, so why do you need two of your kidneys for?”
- Matthew left the room with a pale face amidst Jeffrey’s laughter, and went to Natalie’s ward with a crestfallen look. When he entered the door, he saw that the patient in the ward was no longer Natalie. Worried, he hurriedly asked the people in the room, “W-Why are you here? Where’s my sister?”
- The family members of the patient rolled their eyes at him. “You mean the little girl from earlier on? It seemed like she was thrown out because she didn’t pay her bills!”
- “What?!” he exclaimed and dashed out of the ward.