5

“What are you talking about?”

I shook off her hand when she tried to grab me and took a defensive stance. I had been waiting for an attack from Anna. I wasn’t prepared for this at all.

What trick was she playing?

The two children sitting nearby stood up uneasily. Seeing that, Alex immediately stepped forward to block their view.

“Anna, talk properly. We’re all family. There’s no need to do this.”

“No.”

Anna was stubborn. She didn’t even look at Alex. She looked straight at me, and tears came instantly.

“I have to get Jenny’s consent. Jenny, please save Lisa. She’s your niece. She’s your own flesh and blood.”

“What? I don’t understand—”

“Anna’s daughter Lisa has leukemia. She’s already had her tested against all of your blood relatives, and none of them matched. The doctor said that if she can’t find a match, she will die. Anna knew you definitely wouldn’t agree to be tested, so she came to me. She wanted to prepare a birthday surprise with me to repair your relationship. But I told her it wasn’t the right time for you to know yet. That’s the secret we were hiding. Are you satisfied now?”

Alex suddenly exploded. His voice was loud, full of frustration and emotion.

I blinked, taking a moment to process everything I had just heard.

“…And the reason you kept this from me was?”

“Because I know what kind of person you are!” Alex said.

“I knew you would never agree!”

Hearing that not from just anyone, but from my own husband, made the pain cut even deeper.

I shook my head. For the first time today, I felt completely speechless.

I turned to grab my bag and called into the inner room,

“Daniel, sweetheart, we’re staying somewhere else tonight…”

Anna crawled one step forward on her knees and grabbed my arm tightly. The force made me cry out in pain.

“Let me go, Anna!”

“I know I’m not a good sister, Jenny. You can hate me, but please—Lisa is only six years old. She deserves a long life. She—”

“Not a good sister? Is that what you call it?”

I laughed bitterly.

“Because I know a lot of bad sisters who wouldn’t insult their younger sister in public and indirectly cause her arm to fracture badly just to make sure she became her only nightmare.

Seven years without contact, and then suddenly reappearing as my husband’s and my son’s secret good friend—just to get them to persuade me to donate bone marrow to some woman I don’t even know where she came from!

What do you think I am?

Your free organ bank?!”

Slap—

My furious, tear-choked accusations were cut off by Alex’s slap across my face.

“You’ve gone too far, Jenny!” Alex shouted angrily.

I covered my face with one hand. My cheek burned with pain, but it was nothing compared to what I felt inside.

I stared at him with bloodshot eyes, refusing to cry, because I wanted to hear what he would say next.

Alex seemed to realize only then what he had done. He looked away, avoiding my eyes, but still said,

“You’re too cruel, Jenny. Lisa is still here. You shouldn’t talk about a little girl like that…”

“You’re right.”

I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

My heart was racing. My breathing was out of control. I felt a panic attack rising again—and I absolutely could not lose it in front of them.

Not the second time in this goddamn same day.

“You know what? You’re right. I will never agree to be tested for Anna’s daughter, because I really am the cold-hearted, heartless bitch you say I am.

So you stay here with gentle, forgiving Anna.

I’m leaving.”

I turned and walked away, wiping the tears that were pouring down my face, not caring how miserable my carefully done party makeup must look.

Alex chased after me and grabbed my arm at the door.

“I’m sorry, Jenny. I didn’t mean it like that. I just—”

“Let go of me.”

I struggled to slow my breathing, yanking my arm back as I forced the words out through clenched teeth.

“You’re not my husband, because my husband would never choose anyone else over me…”

Hold it together, Jenny.

Hold it together.

You haven’t had an episode in years.

You can do this.

You’re strong enough—

“Stop this, Jenny. I didn’t cheat. You have to believe me. I love you. I would never betray our marriage. I just think that no matter what kind of painful history you two have between you as girls, a child is always innocent. Lisa is a good girl. Daniel likes her too. I can’t just stand by and watch an innocent life die in front of me. I—”

Alex explained urgently.

“You have to believe me!”

Just as we were pulling at each other, Daniel’s panicked voice came from the inner room.

“Daddy! Lisa fainted!”

Anna screamed and staggered to her feet, rushing into the inner room in a complete panic.

“My poor Lisa! Mommy is here…”

Alex, who had been gripping my arm tightly and refusing to let me go, suddenly released me. He called Anna’s name and ran into the inner room as well.

The moment he let go, I lost my balance.

I fell backward, and my head smashed hard into the sharp edge of the doorway.

I felt blood instantly flowing down the back of my head.

My mind, already pushed to the edge by emotion, buzzed violently.

The overwhelming feelings suddenly receded like a tide. For a brief moment, I even forgot where I was.

When my body hit the cold floor, my eyes were still open.

I clearly saw my husband and my son—the only two people I valued at that moment—

crowding around my sister and her daughter, their faces full of concern and sincerity.

And even though all my emotions had shut down from the shock to my head,

for reasons I couldn’t explain, my heart still ached at that sight.

My nightmare had truly returned.

For a moment, I wasn’t in the hotel hallway anymore.

I was eight years old again.

I saw Anna sitting on the floor of our childhood home, holding her arm, tears streaming down her face.

I remembered standing there, frozen, my hands trembling.

“I didn’t touch her,” I had said in a tiny voice.

“I swear I didn’t.”

But Anna had only cried harder.

She had always cried like that.

Soft. Fragile. Heartbreaking.

By the time our parents rushed in, she was sobbing in Father’s arms, pointing at me with shaking fingers.

“Jenny pushed me…”

“She hates me…”

I remembered my mother’s disappointed eyes.

My father’s angry voice.

“How could you do something like that to your sister?”

“Why are you always hurting her?”

I had tried to explain.

Again and again.

But no one had listened.

Because Anna was always crying.

And I was always the one standing there, dry-eyed, terrified, unable to defend myself.