Chapter 3

The female cab driver insisted on walking me up to the apartment when we arrived. "Miss, you can't manage on your own."

She took my arm, walked me all the way to the front door, and only left after she saw me close it.

It wasn't until I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror that I noticed my eyes had welled up with tears.

"Rhea, you really are pathetic."

I smiled bitterly and lowered my head, wrapping layer after layer of plastic wrap around my injured leg. Only then did I carefully turn on the water.

I stepped out of the shower to find a new message on my phone.

Mom wrote, "Brew a pot of tea and add some sugar. Renee doesn't like it bitter."

Scrolling up, I saw plenty of similar messages.

"Don't forget that Renee's wool sweater needs to be hand-washed."

"Help Renee pick up her package."

"Wash the cherries in the fridge. They are for Renee. Don't go snacking on them."

I replied, "Okay."

Then I opened my Instagram. Mom, Dad, and Renee all posted photos.

The location tag showed a newly opened barbecue restaurant in the city center, known for its imported meat. The average bill was well over 100 dollars per person.

In the photo, Renee sat between Mom and Dad, smiling radiantly. She was wearing a brand-new necklace. Several shopping bags containing a new smartphone, clothes, jewelry, and shoes were crammed onto the empty chair beside her.

My parents' caption read, "To help our darling shake off the shock."

Renee replied with a family-of-three emoji.

A long string of comments from my relatives appeared beneath the posts, but not one of them asked where I was.

To them, I had always been a difficult, twisted, and ungrateful child—and also the one responsible for Renee's poor health. We were twins, but while I had always been strong and healthy, Renee had always been frail and sickly.

Everyone was convinced that I had stolen the nutrients meant for her in the womb, and that I owed her. Even when the doctors repeatedly told them that her health had nothing to do with me, no one believed them. So, she naturally became the one who received all the love.

I went down the list, liking each of their posts.

After I was done brewing the tea, I returned to my room.

It was 9:30 pm when they came home. They chatted and laughed, talking about their dinner, the latest movie release, and their upcoming trip in a few days.

I curled up in bed, like an invisible person no one noticed. It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that I finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, I walked out of my room to see Renee sitting on the couch, playing with her new phone. The box was still on the coffee table, so I glanced at it. It was a top-of-the-line model that cost a fortune.

"Rhea." She smiled and handed me her phone. "What do you think of this color? I spent a long time picking it."

I didn't take it, leaning on my crutches. "It looks nice."

She looked at me and hesitantly said, "How about I tell Mom and Dad to get you a new one too? You're still using the one I retired years ago. It probably doesn't work very well now, right?"

I shook my head, clutching my phone with a shattered screen. "No need."

If I was selected for the expedition, I'd barely be able to use a regular cell phone. I'd only have access to a satellite phone, so there was no point in getting a new one.

Besides, my parents wouldn't get me one anyway. They'd just think I didn't need it.

"Rhea, I—" Renee tried to say something, but at the moment, the doorbell rang.

I limped over to open the door and took the anti-inflammatory medication I'd just ordered from the pharmacy.

Mom came out of her bedroom. When she saw the item in my hand, she frowned. "Why are you wasting money again? Didn't I tell you we already have medicine at home? We work hard for the money, and it's certainly not for you to waste like this."

I clenched the box of medicine. "Mom, we only have amoxicillin at home. I'm allergic to penicillin. I can't take that."

"Really?" She froze, trying to recall the memory. Then her expression relaxed. "Oh, you're right. Okay, take care."

When I was nine, Mom gave me an amoxicillin pill when I had a high fever. I quickly developed a severe allergic reaction, breaking out in a rash and having difficulty breathing.

From then on, I knew I could never take it again.

I poured myself a glass of water and took the medication.

I was about to return to my room when Mom told me, "Our relatives are coming over later to visit Renee. You stay inside your room. Don't come out and don't make any sound, okay?"

I glanced at the new email notification on my phone screen. "Okay."