Chapter 3

By the time I turned ten, my health was rapidly deteriorating.

Back at Grandma's cottage, I used to carry water buckets without breaking a sweat.

After trading away twenty-three years of my life, constant dizzy spells settled in.

During physical education class, halfway through a short jog, my chest tightened. My vision went completely black.

The teacher told me to rest, pointing out how pale and ghostly I looked.

When I got home, I told Mom my chest hurt and asked to see a doctor.

Mom was slicing apples for Lily. She didn't even glance up.

"Chest pain? At your age? You're just making up excuses to avoid your chores.

"Lily was born with a weak heart. You grew up in the country like an ox, what could possibly be wrong with you?

"Fold the laundry on the porch, then mop the kitchen."

I gripped the doorframe, nodded, and quietly obeyed.

I didn't dare press further.

If I argued, her affection rating would drop again.

Every single drop meant losing more years of my life.

I didn't have many years left to give.

When I was eleven, a massive thunderstorm struck after school.

Parents crammed under the shelter with oversized umbrellas, searching for their children.

Mom ran up with a golf umbrella, immediately wrapping her warm coat around Lily.

"Are you cold, sweetie? I'm so sorry, traffic was terrible."

Mom pulled Lily tight, zipping her jacket to her chin.

I stood right beside them, shivering as I huddled closer under the umbrella's edge.

"Mom, I'm freezing too."

Mom turned to me, her brow instantly furrowing.

"Don't you have legs? Run home. The house is only ten minutes away.

"The umbrella isn't big enough for three. If Lily gets wet, she'll catch a fever.

"Run fast. A little rain won't kill you."

She guided Lily into the downpour, keeping her fully dry under the shield.

I walked home alone through the driving storm.

The icy rain blinded me, stinging my face with every step.

By nightfall, a severe fever spiked.

I lay trembling on a small folding cot inside the dark storage room.

Late that night, laughter drifted in from the living room, Mom, Dad, and Lily were playing a game.

I used all my remaining strength to knock weakly against the wooden door.

"Mom... please... just a glass of water..."

No one came.

The bright laughter easily drowned out my faint cries.

I curled into a ball under the thin blanket, shivering through the endless night.

A month before our twelfth birthday, Lily collapsed.

We were sitting at the dinner table. Lily had taken just one bite of fish.

Suddenly, her face turned blue. She clutched her chest and slid off her chair.

Dad scooped her up in panic, sprinting toward the front door like a madman.

Mom scrambled after them, sobbing uncontrollably, her voice choked with panic.

I tried to follow, but Mom shoved me back violently.

"Stay away from us!" she screamed. "You jinx! You cooked this dinner, what did you put in her food?!"

I crashed onto the hardwood, my knees banging hard against the floor.

"I didn't, Mom! I only used oil and salt like you told me to..."

"Shut up! If anything happens to Lily, I'll never forgive you!"

The front door slammed shut.

Silence swallowed the house, leaving me alone surrounded by shattered porcelain and cold meals.

I crawled across the floor, picking up every sharp shard before wiping down the table.

Then I ran out into the night, following the main road toward the central hospital.

The freezing wind battered my lungs, making every breath burn.

When I reached the emergency ward, the red surgery light glowed above the double doors.

Dad sat on a plastic bench, buried his face in his hands, completely silent.

Mom leaned against the wall outside the operating room, her whole body shaking.

I walked up to her and whispered softly.

"Mom..."

Mom whipped her head around.

In that exact moment, the affection rating above her head began to flash red furiously.