Chapter 2

Inside, though, Kyle was calling me an idiot.

"She's the dumbest one in the family, isn't she? She can't even see through her family's fake illnesses, and here she is, feeling all guilty about it. Who does she think she is? A saint?

"And after what we did last night, she still hasn't realized I'm only pretending to be disabled?"

When I heard Kyle's thoughts, I instinctively clenched my fists.

Me? Dumb? Yes, the old me had indeed been dumb.

To earn money for my family's medical bills, I had worked myself to the bone. If I hadn't unexpectedly gained the ability to hear inner thoughts, I might still have been left in the dark.

But now that I could hear their thoughts, I'd just play along.

The broke, useless boyfriend whom Mable doesn't want? I'd gladly take him.

I was going to let them know what it meant to dig their own graves.

…

For the next few days, life seemed to slip back into that same suffocating routine. I continued to wake up before dawn every day to brew medicine, cook, and work.

However, I did quietly quit the three exhausting part-time jobs that had been crushing me.

Mom, Dad, and Mable noticed I suddenly had more free time, so they put even more energy into their performance.

That night, as I was slicing an apple, Dad sighed heavily.

"I heard from another patient today," he started, almost offhandedly. "They have a relative abroad who has the same illness as us, and they managed to get cured."

Mom's eyes lit up in response, only to dim again as she said in a frail voice, "Abroad? How much would that cost… With our family's situation… Forget it, we can't add to Talia's burden."

"Yeah, Talia," Mable chimed in at just the right moment, her tone filled with despair but also understanding.

She added, "Medical care might be better abroad, but it's not guaranteed to work. Besides, the medical bills will definitely be sky-high."

I watched as the three of them put on this perfectly coordinated act while I scoffed inwardly.

Whenever the old me heard the word "cured", I would've grabbed it like a lifeline and given everything I had to try, even if the chance was only one in ten thousand.

They knew me too well. That was why their performance was so precise.

I set down the knife and discreetly gave myself a hard pinch, forcing my eyes to redden quickly.

My voice trembled slightly, yet carried unshakable determination.

"Mom, Dad, Mable, what nonsense are you all talking about?"

I stood up and looked at each of them earnestly.

"As long as there's even a sliver of hope, I'll never give up! Money can be earned again, but once a person's gone, that's it!"

Mom looked at me worriedly. "But… how much money would that take?"

I gritted my teeth, my face set with fierce determination.

"Don't worry! Even if I have to sell my blood or a kidney, or even borrow from loan sharks, I'll make sure to send you three abroad for treatment! As long as you can get better, I'm willing to do whatever it takes!"

In an instant, the hospital room fell silent.

Then, three pounding hearts, racing with ecstasy, sounded clearly in my head.

"It worked! The fool really took the bait!"

"Loan sharks? Sell a kidney? This idiot really is way too easy to fool!"

"Perfect! We can finally go abroad and live the good life!"

They quickly plastered fake expressions of gratitude and concern across their faces.

Mom struggled to sit up, then reached for my hand. "Talia, how could we bear to let you do so much?"

Dad was in tears as well. "I'm a useless father… I've dragged you down…"

"It's nothing," I said. "I'm happy to do anything for this family."

I pulled my face into a gentle, meek smile, then carefully pulled my hand free from theirs.

"You all rest well. I'll go find out exactly how much money we need so we can start preparing."

With that, I turned and stepped out of the hospital room.

The moment the door clicked shut behind me, the smile vanished from my face, replaced by a cold, sharp chill.

Sell blood? Sell a kidney?

The old me would've done something that foolish. But now, since they wanted money that badly, I'd just have to give them a little "help".

Over the following days, under the pretext of processing documents for overseas medical treatment and needing to verify their identities, I easily obtained all three of their passports, along with the forged medical records and diagnostic reports they had created for the sake of their act.