Chapter 3

That night, the abject hunger and the pain caused by my condition left me in so much misery that I couldn't sleep at all.

Early the next morning, I dragged my weak and depleted body out of the room. Mom served me a bowl of oatmeal, but she also gave me a jelly donut.

"Dig in. Why are you so pale anyway? Did you not sleep well last night? Young people shouldn't stay up all night playing on their phones. Have something sweet. It'll give you more energy."

Staring at the jelly donut, my eyes started watering a little. Surely this proved that Mom and Dad cared about me, right?

Yet before I could bite into it, Cheryl glanced at my plate and pursed her lips. "Mom! Why does she get a jelly donut when mine is just a plain donut? I thought you said we needed to be fair in this family!"

Mom looked a little awkward. "The diner must've mixed up my order and gave me the wrong donut."

She promptly split the jelly donut in half and gave Cheryl the half with almost all the jelly.

I lowered my head and quietly took small mouthfuls of oatmeal. I told myself not to overthink it.

After breakfast, my parents handed us our monthly allowances.

"Count them. They should be the same amount."

I clutched the money tightly. After confirming the amount was correct, I got up to return to my room and put the money away.

However, Mom reached out to stop me. She shoved a sheet of paper covered in scribbles into my hand.

Cheryl stayed up all night to put together this detailed list of what we need to buy for the trip. She put a lot of effort into it. As her sister, the least you can do to contribute is by paying for everything on this list."

I looked at the list. Cheryl had picked out some of the most expensive sunscreen, accessories, and outdoor clothing brands. The total cost was already way more than the allowance I just received.

After taking a deep breath, I placed the list onto the table and said, "Mom, you guys can go on the trip. I'm not going."

Mom's expression darkened at once. "What's wrong with you now? Why are you throwing a tantrum again? The whole family is going on the trip together. How can you not go?

"If the neighbors see you staying home, they'll think we're mistreating you, taking your sister on trips while leaving you behind."

I pulled out my cancer diagnosis from my pocket and handed it to Mom.

"If you don't want to give me the money, Mom, I can forgo treatment for my condition. But even then, I'm in no condition to go on such a long journey abroad. I just want to see the ocean."

Mom stiffened, but Cheryl simply snorted icily. "Don't believe a word she says, Mom. She's always been good at finding ways to disrupt the fairness you and Dad try to uphold in this family.

"Last year, she even lied and brought home an acceptance letter from another university. Now, she's showing you some fake diagnosis. She probably just doesn't want to pay for the things we need, so she's pretending again."

The moment Mom heard that, she tore the diagnosis into pieces.

"Cassie Moore! You're becoming more and more disobedient. I can't believe you'd make up such an awful lie just to get out of giving up your allowance!"

I watched as the smile on Mom's face twisted terrifyingly. My body began to tremble violently. It was an instinctive reaction.

Last year, when my college acceptance letter from Shinefield University arrived, Mom wore the same expression. She tore up my acceptance letter, and Dad cut up my ID card.

They confiscated everything I could use to communicate with the outside world.

Mom even went around telling the neighbors that I was mentally ill. She told them that if they saw me leave the house, they were to notify my parents immediately so they could drag me back inside.

I was confined to the house for more than a month and fed nothing but a piece of bread each day. I also had to do all the housework. If I didn't do a good enough job to satisfy them, they'd give me a harsh beating.

That only stopped when I agreed to apply to the same community college as Cheryl.

Now, staring at my torn-up diagnosis scattered across the floor, my eyes filled with fear. "I'm sorry… I messed up. I'll do whatever you want. I'll do whatever you tell me to, okay?"

Since I'd given in, Mom's expression finally improved a little. "Now that's more like it. I'm doing this for your sake, you know. We're a family, so we should go on the trip together. And stop crying. Let's head out to do our shopping together."

All four of us left the house. Even though the sun was shining, my body felt colder with every step. My pace slowed until I trailed behind the rest of them.

When Mom saw that, she frowned once more. "What's wrong with you? Why aren't you keeping up?"

She grabbed me by the collar and yanked me forward. A loud rip rang out. The thin and worn T-shirt I was wearing immediately tore open, leaving a huge gash that exposed my shoulder and most of my back to everyone.

Passersby stopped to point and make remarks about me. I felt mortified and humiliated. Biting my lip, I used my arms to shield myself as best I could.

Mom and Dad noticed the judging looks from the onlookers, so they pulled me into the nearest boutique.

I grabbed the most ordinary tracksuit I could find and ran into the fitting room to change. It fit perfectly.

Just as I was about to pay, the sales assistant ignored me and turned to my parents. From the way she spoke, it was clear she knew them well.

"The same as usual, then? Shall I get you another set in the exact same style and size, just made with cheaper materials?"