“Yes, Lily is eight and has a congenital heart defect. Surgery is scheduled in two weeks. I don’t have insurance or anything that can cover it. I just… I can’t lose my daughter.”
In that moment, Mark looked completely shattered.
The rejection stamp sat on the corner of my desk. So did the approval stamp.
I let the silence stretch.
Mark swallowed. “I know my credit isn’t great. I had setbacks during the pandemic. Construction contracts collapsed, and I haven’t recovered.”
I leaned forward and studied him before signing the paperwork and stamping it “approved.”
“I’m approving the full amount. Interest-free.”
His head snapped up.
“But,” I continued, sliding a printed contract across the desk, “there is one condition.”
Hope flickered across his face, mixed with dread. “What condition?”
