Chapter 3

Ironically, I always believed I lived in a happy family.

Tom was a construction foreman, managing numerous projects in the city as a manager.

Tania was a middle school music teacher, slender and beautiful. Despite her gentle demeanor, she had a remarkable fortitude.

The upheaval came when I was eighteen, right after the college entrance exams.

I was celebrating graduation with my classmates at a fancy restaurant when my phone suddenly rang.

It was Tania, telling me that Tom had an accident and was in the hospital's emergency room.

I couldn't remember how frantically I rushed to the hospital, nor how I watched, shielded by Tania, as a bed covered with a white sheet was wheeled away from me.

Tania held me tightly in her arms, "Verena, your dad has gone to a better place. But remember, you still have me, and I'll always be here for you."

Despite her own severe grief, she still tried to comfort me.

I promised I'd do everything I could to take care of her.

That break was the most painful time I ever had.

I canceled the graduation trip and cut off all social interactions.

Tania and I held each other tightly, consoling one another in the stark and desolate living room.

I knew I had to be strong. Tania had protected me for eighteen years; now it was my turn to protect her.

Several foremen gathered at our doorstep, claiming the construction site accident was the project manager's fault.

I consulted a lawyer, and I wouldn't shirk the responsibilities that were ours.

After calculating, Tania and I were left with over seven million dollars in debt.

Even if we sold our house, we'd still need to cover more than five million!

Yet, Tania managed to scrape together enough for one semester's tuition, urging me to focus on my studies.

But one time when I returned home, I unexpectedly found her picking soda cans from the trash.

How could her dainty hands, those of a skilled pianist, be engaged in collecting scrap?

This weighed heavily on me, and I truly didn't want her to endure the toil of this menial labor. During my university days, when I had fewer classes, I took on multiple part-time jobs.

During the debt repayment period, I went on a diet to save more money to reduce the stress of debt.

I also avoided dating, as it was both costly and time-consuming.

Delivering food, tutoring, handing out flyers, and secretly working as a streamer for hours each day behind Tania -I was truly giving it my all to make money.

Under intense pressure and exhaustion, I even had to take heart medication several times at the age of twenty.

Perhaps fate finally smiled upon us, as a turning point came in the second semester of my sophomore year.

By then, we had repaid over a million dollars. One day, while I was rushing to a cake shop, Tania called me.

She said Tom's accident was orchestrated by an organized crime syndicate, and now that they had been caught, we received ten million dollars in compensation!

Nothing could have been more exhilarating for us!

Not only was Tom's name cleared, but Tania and I could finally live with pride.

We thought everything was moving in a positive direction.

But unexpectedly, things only got worse.