Chapter 17
Rebecca explained that Anthony had been taken into custody, but during processing, they discovered that he had cancer. The court had decided to grant him medical parole so he could receive treatment, and he was now in surgery.
Anthony had been in the special forces and had always been in excellent physical condition. So, how could he possibly have this disease?
Fortunately, it was caught in the middle stages. His body would gradually recover with proper treatment.
Calista had rarely worried about anything growing up because no matter what happened, Anthony and Rebecca were always there to handle it. She never had to do anything.
Now that her foster family’s sole breadwinner had fallen ill, Calista was the only one who could take responsibility. Rebecca had raised her for 18 years. If she didn’t step up now, Anthony would have no one to rely on.
The surgery light flickered off, and Anthony was moved to a regular ward.
A nurse came over to say, “You need to pay for the patient’s surgery costs, then go to the ward to get his medication.”
When Calista saw Anthony being wheeled out of the operating room, her eyes immediately turned red. “Okay. I’ll go right now.”
11
She hurried downstairs to the front desk to settle the bill. The medical expenses, even after insurance coverage, would be at least 20 thousand dollars a month, and that didn’t even include surgical costs.
Calista pulled out her bank card with trembling hands. “I… I only have 50 thousand dollars in my account. Can I pay that first? I’m still 30 thousand dollars short. I’ll make up the difference later, okay?”
“Alright. I’ll apply for an extension, but you need to come up with the money quickly or the hospital will have to stop treatment.”
“Thank you so much!”
Calista went to several banks and managed to scrape together the remaining 30 thousand dollars.
After paying the fees, she went to the hospital ward. She could hear a heated argument in the hallway.
“I’m telling you, I’m definitely getting this divorce! The family owes hundreds of thousands of dollars. Don’t think that I don’t know!
life. If I stay with the Cannon family, I’ll suffer for the rest of my l
“And that little bitch you picked up off the street–she’s nothing but bad luck! I must have been cursed to marry into your family!
“I’m filing for divorce today, no discussion! And I want half of everything in the settlement!”
Clarice was holding their son, Justin Cannon, as they screamed. The child was wailing, and the hospital room was in chaos.
Calista stood nearby, clutching her bank card tightly, not knowing what to do. All of this was because of her.
The sounds around her seemed muted, except for Clarice’s curses directed at her. However, Rebecca wasn’t one to back down either.
The two women got into a physical fight right there in the hospital room. The commotion got so bad that it attracted security. The situation spiraled completely out of control.
Clarice stormed off, crying, taking her child with her. Calista then tended to Rebecca, whose face had been scratched during the fight
with Clarice.
“Mom, does Anthony know that Clarice wants a divorce?”
“Your brother can barely take care of himself right now. How could he handle this?” Rebecca snorted. “Good riddance to that woman. She was nothing but trouble for our family anyway.”
She noticed the medical bill on the bedside table. Rebecca continued, “Don’t worry about your brother’s medical expenses. I’ll sell the house back home in a couple of days. That should be enough money.
“You just take care of yourself for now. If you really want to get divorced, then get divorced.
“Once your brother recovers, you can just come home. You’ve been with us for 18 years anyway. A few more won’t matter.”
Calista nodded heavily, fighting back tears.
She stayed at the hospital and looked after Anthony while Rebecca prepared to return to Brego to sell the house and pay back the workers‘ wages. The court had issued a notice. If they couldn’t repay the debt within two weeks, all of the Cannon family’s assets would be frozen, and Anthony’s property would be forcibly auctioned off.
If it came to that, everything Anthony had worked so hard for would be completely wasted. Calista wiped away her tears, with guilt.
consumed
If she hadn’t divorced Lucien in the first place, would none of this have happened? Anthony probably wouldn’t have lost everything overnight.
She hated herself for not enduring it, for being so selfish that things had come to this point. A million dollars was no small sum for an gap between them was something Calista could never bridge ordinary family, but to Lucien, it might be just the cost of his meals. The
in her lifetime.
Justin was only three years old. The child was innocent. With Anthony and Clarice getting divorced, what would happen to him?
This family had been torn apart because of her. Calista feel guilty about it for the rest of her life. After all, she’d already owed_
Anthony and Rebecca so much after all these years.
Lucien had spent considerable time cooperating with the relevant authorities‘ investigation. Only when he finally had some free time did he think of Calista.
After ending an overseas video conference, he unlocked his phone and saw several hospital payment notifications. His gaze grew even
darker.
Soon after, Galen entered the CEO’s office. Looking at his phone, Lucien spoke in a low voice. “What’s the current situation with the Cannon family?”
Galen shook his head. “After Anthony was imprisoned, we didn’t intervene. We don’t have a clear picture of their situation at the
moment.”
“Did Calista come to the office today?”
Galen replied, “No, sir.”
The air around Lucien turned ice cold. His expression darkened. Calista’s defiance had pushed him past his breaking point.
He pulled open the drawer on his left and took out a divorce agreement. Without hesitation, he signed his name at the bottom and threw the papers at Galen.
“Take this to the legal team, and tell her something. If she won’t come back to the Fenwick family, then she’s no longer welcome at all.”
