Chapter 48 Five Dollars
BELLA'S POV
“Why wouldn’t it be hard to believe? This is a medication that hospitals sell for thousands of dollars, and now someone out of nowhere just pops out and says they’re selling theirs for just two hundred dollars?” my mom said, her tone filled with doubt as she stared at the phone screen.
“Can we have a seat in the living room? I’m already tired,” I said, turning away before she could add another long lecture. My legs felt weak again, the kind of weakness that came without warning and made me feel older than I actually was.
She followed behind me, and I carefully lowered myself onto the couch, letting my back sink into it like I had just run a marathon. The living room smelled faintly of cleaning detergent and old furniture, but it was better than the room I had just left.
“It’s not our business if the person sells it for even five dollars,” I said, resting my head against the back of the couch. “The good thing is we can afford this now. I’m not gonna die, I can be cured.” I couldn’t hide the excitement in my voice even if I tried.
My mom shook her head slightly, still standing instead of sitting. “I mean, you know everything that’s cheaper than the original never comes out good. What if there’s a side effect? Or it’s just a temporary cure? Or it worsens your situation?” she said, listing them out like she had rehearsed it in her head.
“I don’t care,” I replied quickly. “The idiot who did this is obviously a doctor and obviously knows what she’s doing, so I’m gonna take any chance that I have. At least it’s way better than that asshole coming in here and doing nothing while collecting our money.” My voice came out harsher than I intended, but I didn’t bother apologizing.
She finally sat beside me, her eyes dropping back to the phone in her hand. I could tell she was thinking, weighing things the way she always did. She had never liked risks, especially not when it involved me.
I understood why she was skeptical, but at the same time, I didn’t care. This was my body, my life, and I was tired of waiting around for miracles that never came. This felt like one, and I wasn’t about to let it pass.
“Hm,” she murmured after a while. “Okay, let’s give it a shot then. They’re launching the medication to the public tomorrow, right? Then we’ll go tomorrow.”
A small smile tugged at my lips. “And we would need to go early,” I added. “Because I’m sure other people who are in the same situation have also seen the news, so that place would be crowded. And I don’t want to stand around disgusting people there.” I swallowed hard, holding back the small wave of nausea that hit me just from imagining it.
“You’re right,” my mom said. “The earlier we get there, the faster you can get the medication and begin.”
“What’s the name of the medical pharmacy?” I asked, sitting up a bit.
She scrolled down the article again, her fingers moving slowly until she found it. “Quinn’s Med Care,” she read out.
I scoffed immediately. “That’s a stupid name. Did they say who the owner of the pharmacy is?”
“Not directly,” she replied. “But apparently the Quinns are a multi-billionaire family, and they just returned back from a trip.”
I let out a small laugh. “So they returned back, and the first thing that comes to your mind is to stupidly give out medications worth thousands of dollars?” I said. “I guess they have too much money and want to waste some of it.”
She didn’t respond to that, still staring at the phone like she might find something hidden between the lines if she read it long enough.
“Just so you know, we’re not gonna be taking the same car,” my mom said suddenly, breaking the short silence.
“Why?” I asked, turning to her with a raised brow.
“Don’t ask me that,” she replied immediately. “How can I be in the same car with you looking like this? I’ll order two Ubers and we can just follow each other till we get there.”
I rolled my eyes in disgust and slowly pushed myself up to my feet, my body protesting a little as I stood. “There you go again, treating me like a germ,” I said. “But thank God I’m about to get treated. I hope you keep treating me the same way when I’m even more beautiful than you soon enough.”
“I love you, baby. I’ll bring your food soon,” my mom said, completely disregarding what I had just said, like she always did.
I walked back to my room without replying, closing the door behind me and resting my back against it. The cool surface pressed into my skin as I let out a long breath.
In a few hours, everything could change.
I walked over to my bed and sat down slowly, staring at the walls like they might suddenly look different. I could potentially start a new life. My body would be back to normal, my skin clear again, my strength returning little by little. Everything will be fine in a few weeks.
I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Wow. At some point, I had accepted my fate. I had really believed I was going to die like this, weak, tired, and avoided by everyone. But I was wrong.
I forgot one important thing.
I was the main character in my story, and main characters do not die, they always survive. They thrive. They get what they want in the end.
It’s useless side characters like my so-called stepsister Anna that are meant to die like this. I was sure she already had. Someone like her wouldn’t survive the kind of life she was thrown into.
I could already imagine it. Her real mother probably got tired of how much of a burden she was and threw her outside to suffer. People like Anna never last long.
Very soon, I was going to be me again. And once that happened, everyone who pushed me away when I was like this, everyone who looked at me with pity or disgust, they would all beg to be with me again.
I deserved better than that.
I deserved to walk into places without people staring. I deserved to breathe without feeling tired. I deserved to feel beautiful again.
Tomorrow, I’ll walk into that pharmacy with my head and shoulders held up high like the queen I am and get that medication.