Chapter 4

From the day I was diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer, I was so terrified that I couldn't sleep a wink. I took my diagnosis straight to Darnell.

But he didn't believe a single word.

He just assumed that my years with the traffickers had corrupted my character, teaching me to fake illnesses and play the victim just to get money out of him.

With a cold, dismissive sneer, he tore my diagnosis to shreds.

Because I didn't have the money for painkillers, I ended up fainting from the agony.

That was the first time I was hospitalized for critical gastric bleeding.

The second time happened when Darnell wasn't home. Amber brought over a bunch of her friends. Determined to drive me out of the house, they teamed up and forced alcohol down my throat.

The harsh liquor severely irritated my stomach lining, and once again, I found myself knocking on death's door.

After that incident, I told Darnell everything, but he blindly defended Amber.

"Amber is kind-hearted. She would never do something like that. You're just projecting your own twisted mind onto her to frame her. I must have been blind to ever save you from those traffickers in the first place.

"You just want money, don't you? Fine. I'll give you every single cent of the 500 thousand dollars Mom and Dad left you before they died. Just take the money and behave yourself. Stop causing trouble and stirring up conflicts every single day."

…

Dragging my failing body along, I went to find Darnell, clinging to one last shred of hope.

The doctor had told me that my body was already incredibly weak. After I was submerged in that icy water, my condition was deteriorating rapidly. I desperately needed stabilizing treatment.

But before I could even step through the door, I saw Darnell sitting by Amber's side. He was peeling oranges for her and telling her jokes. His eyes were full of happiness and adoration.

There was once a time when he would sit by my bed just like that, peeling oranges and telling me stories to put me to sleep.

And now…

"Weren't you satisfied with causing Amber's heart condition to flare up? Now you've tracked us all the way to her ward. Erin, what exactly do you want?"

Seeing me, Darnell didn't show a hint of guilt for deceiving me, nor any remorse for leaving me to fend for myself in that wastewater pit. His first instinct was to snap at me.

Nevertheless, I swallowed my pride and spoke up. "Darnell, I'm sick. The doctor said—"

"You're here for money again, aren't you?" He looked entirely indifferent, disgusted even.

"It was just a little joke. Do you really have to hold onto a grudge like this? Fine!"

Without letting me finish speaking, he threw a thick stack of cash right at me.

"I'm buying your silence! Consider this payment to stay the hell away from Amber from now on! Is that enough?"

As I stared at the cash scattered all over the floor, my chest ached so intensely that I could barely breathe.

Amber walked over, pretending to help me up. But the blade hidden in her hand sliced precisely across my wrist.

"What are you doing?" Shaking from the pain, I instinctively pushed her away.

Darnell flew into a rage. Without a single thought, he shoved me hard to the ground and shielded Amber. "Erin Huff, you are absolutely out of your mind!

"Amber was only trying to help you, and you actually hurt her? Do you have any basic human decency left?"

"I didn't—"

I tried desperately to defend myself, but Amber was already sobbing, clutching her chest.

"Just forget it, Darnell. She's your real sister anyway. I'm just adopted. It wouldn't even matter if I died."

Already burning with anger, Darnell completely snapped upon hearing her aggrieved words.

Without listening to reason, he shoved me straight into the bathroom and locked the door from the outside.

My late-stage stomach cancer had already left me entirely drained. When Amber sliced my wrist just now, she happened to hit a major artery. The blood was gushing out uncontrollably.

"Darnell, open the door! My wrist is bleeding…"

But my pleas were met only with Darnell's icy reprimand through the door. "Stay in there and think about what you've done! You're not coming out until you realize your mistakes!"

…

[Third-Person POV]

Three hours later, Darnell began to grow restless.

The real reason he couldn't bring himself to face Erin properly was that during the 15 years she was missing, everyone had pointed their fingers at him. They blamed him for everything, saying he had ruined her entire life.

Years of crushing guilt and public scrutiny had driven him deep into denial.

So whenever he saw Erin, he was overcome with irritation. He could only use coldness and hostility to mask his deep-seated guilt and cowardice.

But now, glancing at the smear of blood on his sleeve and remembering the raw desperation in Erin's eyes, he couldn't stop himself from heading back to the hospital.

Before he even reached the bathroom doors, he saw a crowd of doctors and nurses gathered outside, their expressions incredibly grim.

A moment later, a heavy sigh echoed from inside the room. "Go ahead and notify the family. She's gone. Severe blood loss combined with a rapid escalation of her stomach cancer. We couldn't bring her back."