Chapter 23

Oliver was bankrupt, so all his assets had been frozen. Every account, every last cent—gone. He had nothing left to save Barbara. His mind went blank, a roaring silence crashing over him. His face turned ghostly pale as the weight of reality crashed on him. Then, as if grasping at air, a flicker of hope flashed through his eyes. He fumbled for his phone and began calling every friend he'd ever known—one call after another. Each time, the answer was the same: no. The very same men who had once dropped hundreds of thousands of dollars at the casino now avoided him like a contagion, as if his misfortune was infectious. Oliver understood. Some were likely warned by their families, told not to get involved. Yet, after all the years they had shared, not a single one of them was willing to lend him a dime. Bitterness rose like bile in his throat as his lips curled into a self-mocking smile with the knowledge that he was a failure. "Mr. Carter?" The doctor's voice cut through the fog