Chapter 7

MADDIE

"Mom, tell me, what's going on here?" I urged my mother to speak. I know that they are hiding something from me.

My mother blew a loud sigh of defeat before she tried to open her mouth. But my dad was quick to grab her hand, as if he were trying to stop her from saying anything.

I shut my eyes to calm myself down. I took a deep breath as I tried to loosen up the tension. After a couple minutes of awkward silence, I finally spoke.

"There's no point in hiding the truth from me, dad. I'm old enough to handle it. You have to tell me what's going on so I can help you," I said. "Let me take care of you this time, dad."

He closed his eyes for a second, as if trying to assess the current situation. He let out a sigh of defeat before he started signaling to my mother, allowing her to speak the truth.

"Right after what happened this morning, all our investors pulled out their money. With our current situation, it leaves us no choice but to declare bankruptcy," my mother admitted.

"That's it? Then, let the company go. We can just build another one," I said. "I still have some money in my bank. We can start anew."

They both fell into a deafening silence as they both gave each other a meaningful look.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance. I hated it when they acted like I was a child who needed protection. "Come on, what is it now?"

"We already used that money to pay off some debt," my father admitted.

"You did what?!" I exclaimed, frustration boiling over. I bit my lower lip to stop myself from saying something hurtful. "Okay, then, we'll sell the house." I cut myself off when I saw their faces. "Don't tell me..."

"We already sold the house," my mom said softly. "We were hoping that we'd be able to buy it back after your marriage with Wyatt."

I stared at them in disbelief. I was trying to make sense of what's happening right now. "You sold the house? Our home? And you didn't bother to mention it to me?" My voice trembled with frustration and hurt.

"We didn't want to worry you, Maddie," my father said, his tone pleading. "We thought we could handle it, that we could fix everything without burdening you."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions inside me. It took me a few minutes of silence before I could finally clear my mind enough to speak again.

"It's fine, Dad," I said slowly, my voice steadier than I felt. "We'll just figure it out from here. Don't worry about it. Just take a rest and let me handle the rest."

My mother looked at me, her eyes brimming with tears. "Maddie, we never wanted you to have to deal with this. This is our problem; we should be the ones taking care of these matters."

I gave her a reassuring smile, though inside I felt anything but calm. "Mom, I'm not a child anymore. I can handle this. Just trust me, okay? The most important thing right now is Dad's health. We can worry about everything else later."

My father nodded weakly, his eyes filled with gratitude and relief. "Thank you, sweetheart. I'm so sorry for putting you through this."

I leaned down and kissed his forehead. "It's okay, Dad. We're going to get through this. I promise."

I stood up, trying to project confidence I didn't entirely feel. "I'm going to talk to the doctors."

I felt the weight of the situation pressing down on me. My family needed me, and I wasn't going to let them down. No matter how difficult things got, I would do my best to help them.

I was about to leave the room when the doctor arrived. "Hi, I'm Doctor Stuart. I'll be Mr. Phillips' attending doctor," he introduced himself.

We gave him some space and allowed him to check on my father. After what seemed like forever, he finally spoke. "It seems like everything looks good," he said, smiling. But then he looked at me. "Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked.

"Of course, doc."

We stepped outside the room, and the moment the door closed behind us, I felt a knot tighten in my stomach. Something didn't seem right. My heart was pounding as I waited for the doctor to say something.

Dr. Stuart took a deep breath and looked at me with a serious expression. "Maddie, your father's condition is stable for now, but we need to discuss his long-term care. The heart attack was severe, and he needs ongoing treatment to prevent any future incidents."

I nodded, feeling a mix of relief and dread. "What kind of treatment are we talking about?"

"He'll need medication to manage his heart condition, regular check-ups, and possibly some lifestyle changes," Dr. Stuart explained. "But the most pressing concern is that he requires heart surgery. Without it, his condition could worsen significantly."

My heart sank. "Surgery? How soon does he need it?"

"As soon as possible," Dr. Stuart said. "The sooner we can operate, the better his chances of a full recovery. However, it's an expensive procedure, and your family will need to come up with a significant amount of money to cover the costs."

I swallowed hard, the reality of our financial situation hitting me again. "I understand. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure he gets the care he needs."

Dr. Stuart nodded, his expression softening. "The sooner we can do the operation, the better his chances of getting back on his feet."

"Then do the surgery, doctor." Don't worry about the money," I said, even though, honestly, I had no idea where I would get that money. But that was the least of my concerns right now. I needed to get my father into surgery.

Dr. Stuart gave me a reassuring nod. "I'll schedule the surgery as soon as possible."

"Thank you, doctor," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.

As Dr. Stuart walked away, I took a deep breath. I returned to my parents' room, finding them looking at me with hopeful eyes.

"What did the doctor say?" my mother asked, her voice trembling.

"They're going to do the surgery as soon as possible," I explained. "It's going to be expensive, but we'll figure it out. Right now, the most important thing is getting Dad the treatment he needs."

My father's eyes filled with tears. "Maddie, I'm so sorry for putting this burden on you."

I shook my head, forcing a smile. "Don't be, Dad. You just focus on getting better. You don't need to worry about the rest."

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