The Price of a Life

I ran toward the village Health Clinic, cradling Anna as her tiny hand began to grow cold. The snake fang mark on her knobby arm was a purplish-black bruise crawling upward. "Hello? Is there anybody can save my daughter?" I burst through the clinic door, my voice trembling uncontrollably. The old doctor frowned as he examined her and shook his head: "This is abdominal snake venom. She needs surgery at the county hospital, and it will cost at least fifty thousand dollars." Fifty thousand dollars struck my heart like a heavy stone. I took out my phone, my fingers trembling as I dialed Tino Sheen's number. He was the richest man in City D, my husband—but our home felt as distant as if separated by endless rivers and mountains. "Tino, Anna was bitten by a snake. The surgery costs fifty thousand dollars. Please transfer the money quickly!" I was on the verge of tears. From the other end came the sound of keyboard typing. His tone was indifferent: "The company is strapped for cash lately. You'll have to figure out how to gather the money yourself for now." "Gather? How am I supposed to gather it?" I raised my voice. "This is a matter of life and death!" "Sarah, don't be so impulsive." His voice turned cold. "You can't keep relying on me for everything. You should learn to be independent." Learn to be independent? I watched Anna's face grow paler by the moment; my heart ached as if it were being crushed. I hung up, then called back. After three rings, a soft, delicate female voice answered. "Hello?" The voice was deliberately provocative. "Tino is in the shower. Miss Nair, what is it? Shall I pass the message on?" It was Una Thomas—I should have known. "Put Tino on the line!" I gritted my teeth and demanded. "Ah, Miss Nair, such a harsh tone," Una laughed lightly. "Tino said you should handle family matters yourself and stop bothering him. After all... you and Anna have always been a burden to him." The call was abruptly disconnected. I gripped the phone, my knuckles turning white. The clock in the Health Clinic ticked relentlessly, while Anna's breathing grew ever weaker. The old doctor sighed, "Miss, could you perhaps consider another way?" What other way could I possibly think of? The villagers are all poor; I went to three households and managed to borrow only two thousand dollars. By the time I clutched that crumpled bundle of money and rushed back to the clinic, Anna had already stopped breathing. Her eyes remained open, as if waiting for me to take her home. "Anna... Anna!" I held her cold body, my cries reverberating through the empty clinic. The villagers gathered at the door, whispering among themselves. "Have you heard? Mr. Sheen has someone else on the side and neglects his wife and child." "Isn't that right? If only Anna had been taken to the hospital in time, she wouldn't have died so young." "Mr. Sheen is utterly heartless—he wouldn't even save his own biological daughter..." Those words pierced my heart like sharp needles. I don't know how much time had passed when Tino's call finally came through. "Have you gathered the money? How is Anna?" There was not a trace of worry in his voice, only cold indifference. I stared at lifeless Anna in my arms, my voice chillingly calm: "Tino, Anna is dead." There was a silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, then his indifferent voice came through: "The dead cannot be brought back to life; don't be too upset. By the way, the reason I didn't give you money before was to cultivate your independence; you must understand me." Learn to be independent? I smiled, yet as I smiled, tears began to fall. "Tino, let's get a divorce." I said. "Don't be ridiculous," he said impatiently. "I'm not being ridiculous." I hung up the phone and added his number to my blacklist. The sky outside darkened. I hugged Anna tightly and sat down on the cold floor. My world grew darker along with it.