Chapter 4

(Lily's POV)

Throughout midnight at the railway station, my heart capsized like the Titanic ship and I wept profusely. How could my biological father do this to me without thinking about my feelings? Did I not mean anything to him?

I wished Mum was alive, she would not have accepted that her daughter was traded just because of her husband's company. The thought of how she and my siblings died clouded me again and my tears rekindled.

My phone vibrated in my pocket and this was going to be the third time my phone would be ringing. I shove my hands into my pocket with the intention to pull it out and fling it to God knows where. I just wanted to be alone.

Not until I saw that it was not thrice that I had received the call but it was the eighteenth time and the calls were from the same unknown number. 

I was skeptical to pick at first but then, I remembered when mum used to tell me not to pick unknown numbers but you could if the caller called many times. It meant that something one did not know about was going on.

I subsided my tears and struck the green button and mum did not lie at all. Something was up!!

"Sister Lily, it's me Stephanie. Please hurry to Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital,"

"What's going on?" I questioned as my heart began to heave up and down.

"Dad, it's d-Dad…"

"What happened to Dad?!" I shouted, raising my voice as some strange people who were about to board the train fixed their gaze on me.

"Immediately you left yesterday after you jerked free from his hold, he slumped."

"Slumped?" No, it couldn't be. I could not even make out anything. 

I was totally confused and devastated. I could be mad at my dad but he is the only family I have left. I would regret it in my entire life if something happened to him. Why could I not have waited to listen to his explanation? Why did I break free?! 

"Michael and I rushed him to the hospital. I have been calling since yesterday. The doctor insisted on seeing his guardian, please hu-" I ended the call and dashed to the main road. 

I boarded a taxi and in less than fifteen minutes, I got to the hospital and saw Stephanie and our gatekeeper in tears. I demanded to see my dad and they led me to the cardiac unit.

My dad looked lifeless and helpless as the monitor took his reading and I regretted how I reacted yesterday. I knelt beside him and I wept so hard. I didn't imagine that oxygen would be attached to his nose or infusions pumped through his veins.

"Daddy please forgive me. I shouldn't have left you. I should have listened to you. I shouldn't have cussed you," I lamented as I held his pale hand.

"He needs to rest ma'am. Are you his guardian?" the man cladded in a white cloth who I assumed was the doctor asked and I nodded in tears. "I am his daughter," I managed to sputter.

"Great! I have been waiting for you, kindly follow me to my office."

I rose to my feet and followed him to his office, he ushered me in and offered me a seat. "Please, doctor, talk to me, forget about sitting. What is wrong with my dad?"

"Please, fill this form," he utters softly as he stretched forth a medical form for me to input my details and I collected a pen and filled it out.

"I am Dr. Raymond, the cardiologist taking care of your father since he was brought last night. Your father has had a massive myocardial infarction. We performed a coronary angiogram instantly and we found a significant blockage in his left anterior descending artery, which supplies the majority of the blood flow to the heart."

My heart sank as the doctor analyzed what happened to him, "Dr. Raymond, what does it mean? Will my father be okay?"

"I'm afraid your father has suffered a major cardiac event. He had a heart attack, and his heart sustained significant damage as a result," he replied. 

"Will he be okay, doctor? He is the only one I have left,"

"We urgently need to perform a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), commonly referred to as a balloon angioplasty, to unblock the artery," Dr. Raymond explained. 

"After the PCI, your father will need a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery to restore blood flow to his heart," he added.

Tears streamed down my face. "Did you just say surgery, doctor?"

Dr. Raymond nodded, his expression serious. "I'll be overseeing the PCI and the CABG myself, and my team and I will do everything we can to make sure your father gets through this."

"But before we do the surgery, you have to deposit $100,000 between twenty-four hours."

"How am I supposed to pay for that doctor? That is huge and I am not even working," I broke down but he was emotionless.

"Ma'am, this is not the right time to whine. If you do not want to lose your only family, it would be better if you start to look for it."

I exited the office with hot tears gushing down my face and Stephanie darted toward me in tears. She handed over a letter to me and she said it was from my dad. He had told her to give me whenever I came back when he was on the verge of slumping.

"Thank you," I pronounced softly and sat down at the reception with grief in my heart. I could not afford to lose my father, I had lost my entire family in a car accident and only he remained. I have to raise the money but the question was how?

I let go of my ego and dialed Austin's number and he picked on the first dial. I explained what I was going through to him and he wished he could help. 

"I'm sorry Lily, I do not have much on me right now, but I will do my best to raise it and get back to you before 12. p.m. Stay strong, okay? I love you?."

"Thank you,' my voice quavered as I sniffled him and I ended the call. I knew he was going to help me.

*

I paced up and down the hospital as the hour tick struck past noon and then, 1 p.m. I dialed Austin's contact but his number was not going through. Disappointment and dejection rained upon me as I have no one to turn to. 

"Nothing must happen to my dad" became my new mantra and I informed Stephanie that I would be going home to pick up some things for Dad and asked if she needed anything.

When I arrived home, I darted to my dad's private study and logged on to his computer. I went to that file and read everything and I broke down into more tears when I discovered Dad has not done anything wrong. 

I unfolded the letter Stephanie had given me too and read it and I realized that I was totally at fault. Dad was trying to protect me, he didn't know how to bring himself to tell me about Jack Walker because he knew how badly I loathed him.

Dad had even rejected the proposal twice but Jack had threatened to eliminate our lives if we didn't pay him back in two days. 

I felt like my soul had detached from my body. I would not have resigned nor thought about applying for the nun training. I have no way to raise the money but I have to save my dad and I didn't like the only option left for me but I have to do it.

Fortunately for me, I found Jack Walker's contact at the bottom of the page and I called him. After several dials, someone finally picked and fear plus sadness overwhelmed me as the phone trembled in my hand.

"I am Lily Hailey, the daughter of David Hailey. Am I onto-"

"Ohh, you are the ugly daughter of that lowlife twat!" he interrupted me as he bellowed and I knew that was Jack. 

How dared he call my father a lowlife bitch?! I wanted to fight back but that is not the next thing for me. Saving my dad's life was my priority and I have to accept whatever he says.

"I just found out about the contract you proposed to my father and I would love to inform you that I have agreed wholeheartedly to sign the marriage contract between us! How do I proceed?"