Chapter 2

Elliot's POV

I quietly placed the bread back in the fridge and returned to my bedroom.

My body felt unusually warm, my mouth was parched, and my throat was practically burning. I touched my lips, and they were so chapped that blood had seeped out. Needless to say, my voice was also hoarse.

I yearned for a drop of water, but I dared not tell them. I didn't want the sound of running water to wake them up. I barely had the strength to get on all fours, so in the end, I lay on the floor and closed my eyes.

When I woke up again, I saw a doctor berating someone.

"He was burning up at 106.1 degrees! If he'd been here any later, he would've had irreversible brain damage! Is this how you look after him as his guardian? You're his sister!"

Melanie stood in the hallway before the doctor, her head bowed like a child who'd done wrong. Her fists hung by her sides. "I'm sorry…"

I wanted to tell her, "Don't say sorry, Mel. It'll only make me feel even more sorry."

But when I reached the doorway, Noah suddenly appeared and stopped me, yanking me back to my bed. "Don't go!"

Melanie turned around and saw me. Suddenly, all the words I had wanted to say to her melted in my throat. She looked at me, her eyes rimmed red and glistening with tears. In them, I saw indignation.

The door closed.

Noah crossed his arms before me. "Today was supposed to be the day Mel closed a deal with a major client. But because she had to bring you to the hospital, a coworker swooped in and took the account from her. She's spent three months working toward that promotion. Now it's gone."

I twisted the hem of my clothes, not knowing what to say. In the end, it was the same two words again. "I'm sorry."

Melanie returned to her office, while Noah took me back home.

They were supposed to celebrate his birthday the next day, but since the major client had been snatched away from her, Melanie had to secure another investor to make up for the loss.

Hence, she could no longer make the celebration happen and could only compensate him with a huge cake.

At home, only Noah and I sat around the cake. The lights were off, but the candles were lit. I turned to him. "Noah, make a wish."

He slammed his hand on the table and turned toward his bedroom. Then, with another bang, he shut the door behind him.

Noah's birthday cake sat there melting that night. It wasn't until Melanie came home before dawn that she saw I was still sitting there in a daze.

"I'm sorry…" I muttered, my arms around my knees. "I shouldn't have gotten sick. I'm sorry…"

Melanie's hand tightened around the briefcase handle. Without a word, she walked past me.

That morning, Noah diligently made her breakfast and put her to bed. I looked at him with red-rimmed eyes and asked, "Noah, what can I do to make you all happy?"

His expression was blank. "Nothing."

Ever since the car accident, my mind hadn't been the brightest. After some thinking, I recalled what Melanie had told me when Noah was scalded with hot water.

"You should've just died! Without you, all of us would be happier!"

There was something I could do to make them all happy.

…

No matter how much I thought about it, I still believed jumping from a building was the easiest solution.

I drew the curtains open. From the fifth floor, it looked quite terrifying. My legs started to feel like jelly.

Still, when I recalled Melanie's bloodshot eyes after a long day at work and the way she had looked at me so indignantly at the hospital, I decided to bite my tongue and jump.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself at the hospital again. Pain shot through my entire body. This time, I had a cast around my right arm.

"A patient with intellectual disabilities needs safety rails at home. Why didn't you have them installed? You're his sister! Can't you take some responsibility?" the same doctor scolded Melanie again.

This time, I couldn't get out of bed. Melanie slowly opened the door to my ward. The way she looked at me was full of grievance and sorrow, even more so than the last time.

"It's all because of you…"

That was all she said before taking off. I looked at her retreating figure, still not understanding why. It wasn't until Noah came to take me home that I finally did.

"That investor had agreed to sign the contract with Mel," he said icily, stuffing all my belongings into the backpack.