Chapter 4

On the day of Michelle's surgery, my parents and Dante waited outside her room before dawn as the first snow fell.

Mom brushed her hair while Dad kept pressing the doctor about the risks.

Dante crouched beside her bed and put the lucky charm that belonged to me around her neck. He told her, "Don't be scared. We'll be waiting outside."

I stood at the far end of the corridor, watching them quietly. No one noticed that I had changed into a hospital gown too.

In the early hours of the morning, I suffered acute heart failure and was rushed to the intensive care unit. The doctor said a standard room was no longer suitable for me and that my family needed to sign a form acknowledging my critical condition.

But they couldn't get in touch with them, so the nurse told me to find them.

I had only taken a few steps when a searing pain attacked me. It felt as though a rusty knife was slowly twisting inside my chest with every breath I took.

Mom spotted me first. She quickly walked over and grabbed my arm.

I was momentarily dazed when I heard her say, "Lia, you've come just in time. Before the surgery starts, Michelle wants to hear you say that you forgive her."

I looked down to see Michelle lying on a gurney, clutching Dante's hand. She gazed at me with reddened eyes. "Lia, I know you're reluctant to give up this spot. If I could wait, I wouldn't have taken it from you."

Tears of distress rolled down Mom's face. "Oh, Michelle, this isn't your fault."

Dad frowned, urging me, "Lia, she can't go into surgery with this on her mind."

My chest hurt so much that it was physically impossible for me to talk, and somehow, they thought I was unwilling to forgive Michelle.

Dante rose to his feet and abruptly pulled me aside. "Do you really have to act out at a time like this?"

My arm slammed against the wall, and then the form fell to the ground.

Dante lowered his head, noticing my name printed at the top of the paper. He froze. "What's going on?"

I gasped, trying to talk through the agony. "The doctor said… I need a family member's signature."

He was about to read it when Michelle suddenly cried, "Dante, I'm scared!"

Dante instinctively turned his head. The doctor was also urging them to get her into the operating room.

He hurriedly folded the form and tucked it into his pocket. "Go back to your room first. Once Michelle is in the operating room, I'll go meet the doctor."

I looked at him. "Will you really come?"

Dante frowned. "Lia, since when did I lie to you?"

I didn't remind him.

He promised to spend my 24th birthday with me, but he never showed. He promised to buy me the bracelet, yet in the end, he put it on Michelle's wrist. He said he would return the lucky charm, but now it rested against Michelle's chest.

Somewhere along the line, Dante had stopped fulfilling his promises to me.

The nurses wheeled Michelle into the operating room. The moment the red light came on, the whole family gathered outside.

As for me, I slowly made my way back, steadying myself against the wall. Just as I turned the corner, I heard Mom's voice.

"Is that Lia's critical condition form?"

Dante fell silent. "They've issued one before."

Dad let out a sigh. "She's always been sickly. No matter how bad things got, she always managed to pull through. Let's focus on Michelle for now. Lia has always been able to tough it out."

I froze on the spot, and my heart rate began to plummet. I was having trouble breathing due to the pain. As the defibrillator repeatedly pounded against my chest, my vision became blurry.

In that fleeting moment, I caught a glimpse of my younger self sitting on a hospital bench, with electrode pads attached to my chest. I saw Mom wrapping her arms around me, crying, while Dad sat beside my bed all night without resting.

I saw Dante too. He had bought me a plush toy with all the money he had saved over six months.

They all said they just wanted me to survive. And so, time and again, I actually did. Gradually, they grew accustomed to my illness and my resilience. They even grew accustomed to giving up on me whenever a choice had to be made.

The monitor let out a long, piercing beep.

This time, I wouldn't be competing with Michelle anymore.

Word came that Michelle's surgery had been successful. Mom immediately wept with joy, and Dad thanked the doctor repeatedly.

Yet, at that moment, Dante felt the forgotten form in his pocket. He pulled it out and unfolded it. Upon seeing what the doctor had written, the color drained instantly from his face.