theart, please! I swear I didn't do it! You have to believe me! I had nothing to do with this!" But Her words only fueled his anger. His eyes blazed as he looked at her and his jaw clenched.

growing with every passing second. His once strong father was now so weak and barely able to keep his head up. His mother, just behind them, moved slowly, her face pale with worry. At the hospital, Asher's heart was already racing and the doctor's words didn't help either. They hit him like a punch to the gut. "Your father has severe kidney failure," the doctor said, his voice heavy with bad news. "It's from chemicals he inhaled while working in a mine." Asher froze. A mine? His father? Working at a mine? "No," Asher's voice was firm, but his mind raced in disbelief. "That can't be right. My father couldn't have been working in a mine. I've sent enough money... I've sent more than enough. He should have had everything he needed." Asher still couldn't wrap his head around the doctor's revelation. It didn't make sense. Why hadn't he known? Why hadn't anyone told him? His mind was racing with questions. Turning to his mother, he demanded, "How could this happen? Why didn't I know about it?" His mother's face hardened, and for a moment, she didn't speak. She looked down at the ground, as if the weight of the truth was too much to bear. Then, with a deep breath, she finally spoke, her voice tight with regret. "Asher, it's because of the rumors. After you went blind, Juliet... she made it sound like we were drowning. She told everyone that we couldn't afford your medical bills, that we were barely scraping by, and that you were too proud to ask for help." Asher's blood ran cold. "She told everyone that?" His mother nodded slowly, tears welling up in her eyes. "She said we couldn't survive without more money. That's when she told your father he needed to work-at the mine. She said it was the only way to cover the bills, that it was the only way to make sure we didn't lose everything." She continued, "Your father was terrified. He didn't want you to suffer any more than you already were, and he didn't want you to see him as weak