Meanwhile, the Larkin family was going through a storm.


    Cloudia was beside herself with worry over the enormous medical bills for Urs. She was making calls left and right, and right now, she was on the phone with ise.


    "Please, ise," Cloudia''s voice trembled with desperation. "I know you''ve got a new life out there, and I''m not asking for much. I''m begging you, don''t be so cruel to us. You used to care about Urs." They had raised Urs together. Cloudia refused to believe ise had no feelings left for her. The treatment was non-negotiable. It had to happen, no matter the cost.


    No one quite understood why Cloudia was so determined to save Urs. Even after knowing that Urs almost caused harm to Ste, she still insisted on treating her.


    But ise wasn''t in the mood to be sympathetic. He had learned the truth about what had been happening with the Larkin family just an hour before Cloudia''s call. So when she started begging for money to save Urs, his patience snapped.


    His voice was sharp, cutting through the phone line like a de.


    "Cloudia, are you out of your mind? She isn''t even rted to us by blood, and she almost killed Ste." ise had reached his breaking point. The Larkin family had been through so much turmoiltely.


    It was all due to Cloudia''s poor handling of the younger generation''s issues. Her favoritism towards Urs had led to this mess.


    "And you still want to save her? What the hell is wrong with you?"


    Cloudia flinched at his anger, gripping the phone tighter. For a moment, she held back. But then she snapped too.


    "What am I supposed to do? I raised her with my own hands. Am I just supposed to watch her die?"


    She couldn''t bear the thought. Just the idea of Urs dying because they couldn''t afford the medication made her heart ache.


    ise retorted, "That''s your problem, not ours. Do you think any of us can pull off that kind of money?" A few million dors wasn''t just pocket change. Even when their family was thriving, that sum wouldn''t have been easy toe by.


    Cloudia was livid at his response. "Oh, I see. You''re spending all your money on that woman, aren''t you? You don''t give a damn about us anymore!"


    She had been so consumed by Urs''s crisis that she hadn''t even had time to deal with the fact that ise had built a life elsewhere. All she wanted was to bring the Larkin family back together. She didn''t want their family to fall apart. Yet ise''s utter indifference was infuriating.


    "I''m telling you, ise, you''re going to give us that money, whether you like it or not. And not just that, but from now on, you''re going to give us half a million every month.


    If begging didn''t work, then she would demand.


    Little did she know, ise had lost his faith in her! Facing her aggressive demands, ise simply


    8re crazy," and hung up.


    When Cloudia tried to call back, she found herself blocked. "AAAHHHHH!"


    The scream tore from her throat, raw and furious.


    Why had the Larkin family reached this point?


    What was once a happy family had slowly begun to crumble, piece by piece.


    Why had everything turned out this way?


    Cloudia''s heart raced with anger, and her head throbbed with pressure.


    Just then, the butler entered, "Ma''am, these documents just arrived for you."


    Cloudia pressed a trembling hand to her forehead, trying to steady her breathing. She snatched the


    velin


    envelope and tore it open, irritation still bubbling under her skin.


    Inside were photographs.


    She flipped through them impatiently, until her eyesnded on a particr image, her breath hitched.


    In the photos was Urs, and the woman sitting across from her was... that woman?


    "What does this mean?" She muttered, nced at the butler, who looked just as confused.


    She flipped over the photos and found a stack of documents tucked behind them.


    Attached was Urs''s call history, with one number highlighted-it was that woman''s number!