Yet here she was, holding on as if he were the only person she had.
“Yes,” he said softly. “I’ll stay.”
At the hospital, Victor discovered that fear wasn’t like losing money. This was something raw and painful.
Emma eventually fell asleep in his lap, exhausted. He held her awkwardly, afraid she might slip away.
Dr. Mitchell approached them.
“She’s stable,” the doctor explained. “But the situation is serious. Malnutrition, severe anemia… and it seems she’s ignored symptoms for weeks.”
Victor felt guilt twist in his chest.
For him, a few thousand dollars meant nothing. For Ana, survival had become impossible.
“Does she have family?” Victor asked.
“No emergency contacts. Only her workplace,” the doctor replied, looking at him.
On the drive back later, Emma woke in the back seat.
“Do you have food at your house?” she asked softly. “I’m hungry… but I don’t want to bother you.”
Victor glanced at her in the mirror.
“You’re not bothering me,” he said gently. “Not at all.”
Bringing Emma to his mansion felt like colliding two completely different worlds.
She stopped at the marble entrance, staring at the chandelier and sweeping staircase.
“Wow… you live here?”