5

"The hospital was asking for payment, and I couldn't reach you..."

"What?" My brother frowned, but before he could finish, Selene approached us.

"Skye, come inside," she said warmly. "Are you feeling better? You need money for the hospital bill, right? I'll transfer it to you."

"I'll handle it," my brother interrupted, immediately sending me ten thousand dollars.

"Is that enough?" he asked curtly.

I nodded and turned to leave, intending to reclaim my necklace.

"Where are you going now?" he demanded.

"The healing crystal necklace Mom left me—I had to leave it at the clinic as collateral."

I had only taken a few steps when Selene caught my arm.

"It looks like rain," she said with false concern. "You just got out of the hospital. Don't run around. Let the driver get it for you."

I wanted to refuse, but my brother was watching me intently.

I knew that the moment I rejected Selene's suggestion, he would get angry.

But the driver returned much later without my necklace.

The healer claimed it had disappeared.

"How could it be gone? How? It was just one day! I said I'd come back with the money! I promised!" My voice cracked with desperation.

"Well," the healer shrugged, "the clinic sees so many people every day. We can't keep track of everything. Look, we'll waive your medical fees if that helps."

I grabbed the healer's arm, begging and demanding answers.

"Enough! Stop embarrassing yourself!" My brother yanked me away. "Mom's necklace! You carelessly handed it over to strangers! Now it's gone—whose fault is that?"

He apologized to the healer and dragged me out.

"I'll have someone look for it," he muttered. "Don't go making a spectacle of yourself. Screaming in a public place—what's wrong with you?"

His harsh words left me speechless.

I locked myself in the basement, unable to sleep through the night.

I couldn't understand why losing the necklace filled me with such terror and panic.

Perhaps because it was one of the few things in my life that still belonged to me—and yet I couldn't hold onto even that.

That night, I dreamed of my mother. She touched my face, smiling with such tenderness, her eyes full of concern.

"My darling, why have you grown so thin? Hasn't your brother been taking care of you?"

Fighting back tears, I threw myself into her arms and wept.

"Who's been bullying my daughter? I'll teach them a lesson. Is it your brother?"

"No, Mom. Brother is good to me." I couldn't stop my tears. "Mom, I miss you so much. I'm so tired. I lost the necklace you gave me. I'm useless."

I shut myself in my room for an entire day, not wanting to see anyone.

My brother never came to check on me, but Selene did.

When I saw her, I tried to close the door, but she tilted her head to display my lost healing crystal necklace hanging from her neck.

"How did you get that?" I gasped.

Taking advantage of my shock, she pushed her way into my room.