Chapter 3

Wait? Time was a luxury I didn't have.

I clenched the medical report in my bag, crumpled it into a tight ball, and tossed it into the trash.

It didn't matter. No one would care anyway.

I just had to disappear quietly.

Once I was gone, everything that had belonged to me would be Carrie's.

Maybe then they'd finally be happy.

Two years ago, I had driven Carrie to a competition. At an intersection, we argued.

I told her firmly that it was a no-left-turn lane.

She insisted I was just jealous, that I wanted her to be late. Before I could react, she lunged at the wheel, yanking it hard. We crashed straight into oncoming traffic.

When my mother and Nick arrived, they didn't even bother asking what had happened.

My mother screamed at me.

"How were you driving?! Look at Carrie's leg! Do you have any idea how important this is for a future dancer?! Why wasn't it you who got hurt instead?!"

Nick's expression was cold.

"Grace, how can you be so cruel? Were you trying to kill Carrie?"

They didn't even look at me after that. They just scooped her up and rushed her into the ambulance, leaving me behind.

I stood there, watching the ambulance disappear down the road, wanting to call out.

I was hurt, too. My right arm wouldn't move. My head throbbed painfully.

But I knew what they would say if I spoke up. "It's just a scratch. Stop being so dramatic."

That accident left Carrie with a three-centimeter scar on her leg.

I, on the other hand, had a shattered arm and twelve stitches in my head.

But Carrie fell into depression over that scar.

So my mother made her nutritious meals every day.

Nick bought her gifts, constantly trying to cheer her up.

I spent those days alone in my room.

My arm was filled with metal pins, and my head was wrapped up like a mummy.

I had to eat whatever leftovers my mother made while cooking for Carrie.

Mom always told me, "Grace, you should be grateful. If it weren't for George, you wouldn't even have food to eat."

But now, I was finally going to die.

And I wouldn't need anything from them ever again.

…

I stood in the crowd, watching Carrie walk down the aisle in the wedding dress I had chosen.

Step by step, she moved toward Josh.

They exchanged vows, sealed their promise with a kiss, and slipped rings onto each other's fingers as the guests cheered.

Carrie turned to glance at me, a triumphant smirk playing at her lips.

On stage, my mother and George held hands as they gave a speech. Her voice trembled with emotion as she declared, "I would give up everything for Carrie's happiness."

I suppose I was just a part of that sacrifice.

At the very moment she finished speaking, a bitter taste surged up my throat. I barely had time to cover my mouth before I was choking on blood.

Ignoring the murmurs around me, I rushed to the bathroom, retching into the sink.

Nick stormed in after me, his voice sharp with irritation. "Grace, do you have to ruin everything at such an important moment?"

I couldn't answer.

I turned on the tap, splashing cold water on my face as my stomach convulsed again.

Nick's expression shifted, stiffening as he hesitated.

"You're pregnant?"

I froze.

Before I could respond, his face darkened.

"That child has to go. It'll upset Carrie. And don't forget, you're supposed to donate part of your liver to her. Grace, we're going to the hospital. Right now. Do you hear me?!"

His voice cracked as he shouted.

I didn't have the strength to argue.

He grabbed my wrist, dragging me out of the bathroom.

I stumbled, bracing myself against the wall.

When I lifted my head, Josh was standing there, watching me with an unreadable look on his face.