From Street Trash To Dragon Lord

As Ethan Vale staggered down the hallway, the fluorescent lights of St. Mary's Hospital burned into his bloodshot eyes.

 48 hours without any sleep. For the last six months, he had three jobs operating concurrently, all for one reason. 

The procedure on his mother at stage 4 liver cancer.

 She had three months to live without the transplant according to the physicians  but It was really expensive; $60,000 bucks.

Through night shifts at the warehouse, construction work, and delivery jobs, Ethan had worked his way up to fifty thousand. 

Claire, his girlfriend, had pledged to contribute the final $10,000. Through it all, she had been his pillar of support.

When his father abandoned  them five years ago and his mother's  health deteriorated.  And when the debt collectors arrived; Claire stood firm by his side. 

 "Mr. Vale?" His tired daze was broken by the voice of the hospital administrator. 

"We need to discuss the payment situation." Ethan felt his heart thump against his chest.

 "Yesterday, I moved $50,000 to the hospital's account and Claire Morrison, my girlfriend, was meant to complete the paperwork and add her ten thousand." A look of bewilderment creased the administrator's face.

 Her scowl grew deeper by the moment as she typed quickly on her computer.

 "Mr. Vale, there is no record of any deposit under your name. The account shows zero balance." She revealed.

 The world tilted sideways as Ethan stumbled with a gasp. 

"That's impossible." Ethan's voice came out strangled. 

"I transferred the money yesterday afternoon,  my entire life savings. Check again,  it has to be a mistake  somewhere."

The scowl persisted, this time arched with disdain. 

"I've double checked it three times,  not a single cent. Perhaps you should contact your bank!"

As Ethan reached his phone,  his hands quivered. The banking app loaded with agonizing slowness. 

His checking account balance glared back at him. $247. 

The fifty thousand was gone. Transferred successfully to the hospital's payment portal at 3:47 PM yesterday. 

He had the confirmation email. But somehow, somewhere between his account and the hospital, the money had vanished. 

"There must be an error in your system." Panic crept into Ethan's voice.

 "I have proof. Look, the confirmation right here."

 The administrator examined his phone screen, her expression shifting from confusion to concern. "This is highly irregular. I will need to forward this to our financial department, but Mr. Vale, these investigations take time. Your mother's surgery is scheduled for six AM tomorrow. Without payment confirmation, we cannot proceed." 

"How long will the investigation take?" He could barely speak.

"Seventy-two hours minimum."

Ethans hands ran through  his hair with a panicking  sigh.

His mother did not have three days.

 The transplant donor was available now. If they missed this window, the next compatible donor could take months to find. 

Months his mother did not have. 

"I need to make a call." Ethan walked away from the desk, his legs barely supporting his weight.

 He dialed Claire's number.  

Once, twice, three times, all going straight to voicemail. 

A cold dread settled down his spine, running his hands through his hair again. 

Claire had insisted on handling the hospital payment personally. 

She worked as an administrative assistant at Morrison & Partners, a mid-tier law firm. 

She had promised that her connections could expedite the process and secure a small discount through some corporate healthcare package. 

"Let me take care of it baby," she had said with that gentle smile that made him believe everything would work out.

 "You have done so much already. Let me help with this part." And he had trusted her completely and transferring his entire fifty thousand to her account so she could combine it with her ten thousand and make a single payment. 

She had even sent him a selfie from the hospital yesterday, claiming she had just finished the paperwork but the hospital had no record. 

 And Claire was not answering. 

Ethan's thumb hovered over the Uber app. It took half an hour to get to Claire's  flat.

He needed answers and needed them  fast. And he didn't stop calling her but each time, they went straight to voicemail.

His mind raced through possibilities: A banking error, a problem  with the system!

Claire could  even be in a meeting at the moment to get things sorted out. There had to be a logical explanation for everything.

 The Uber pulled up to Claire's apartment apartment in the nicer part of downtown, the type of place that Ethan could not dare to afford.

Claire had always said her parents helped with rent, that she wanted to live somewhere safe.

 He took the stairs to the third floor; Apartment 3C. 

He had been here hundreds of times over the past two years. Had stayed over on weekends to take care of her.

 Had cooked breakfast in her tiny kitchen. Had made plans for their future on her  couch. 

Ethan raised his fist to knock, but then, he froze froze. 

Voices filtered through the door. Claire's laugh; that high, musical sound that used to make his chest warm.

 And then another, a  deeper voice, unfamiliar and manly voice that caused his stomach to churn.

His hand slowly lowered. Something deep and dreadful twisted in his gut. 

The door was not fully closed. Just slightly ajar, as if someone had not pulled it shut completely.

 Through the narrow gap, Ethan could see into the living room.

 What he saw turned his blood to ice. His Claire was on the couch. With another man in an expensive suit pressing her against the cushion, his hands roaming freely over her body like he owned it.

Claire's blouse was unbuttoned, her skirt hiked up around her waist.

 They were kissing with the kind of feirce passion that  showed that they did this often and had a long intertwined past. 

"God, I missed you so much." 

Claire's breathy voice carried clearly. "These past six months pretending with that pathetic loser were absolute torture." 

The man laughed, a cruel, mocking sound. "You deserve an Oscar for that performance baby."

"I was beginning to think you actuallycared for the bas***d"