## Hazel's POV
"We need money, Hazel. A lot of money. Please," Tanya's voice cracked with desperation. "He could die without this surgery."
I gripped the phone tighter, my knuckles turning white. The familiar sense of obligation tried to rise within me, but this time I pushed it down.
"What happened to him?" My voice came out flat, emotionless.
"He collapsed! The stress of Ivan's arrest was too much," Tanya sobbed. "The doctors say his heart—"
"I thought you had savings," I interrupted. "What about all the money you and Harold stole from my mother's inheritance?"
Vera raised her eyebrows, nodding approvingly at my response.
Tanya's sobs quieted instantly. "How dare you bring that up now! Your father is dying!"
"My father," I repeated slowly. "The same father who watched me give blood to Alistair for years without so much as a thank you? The father who threw me out when I asked for my mother's possessions back?"
"That was different! We were upset—"
