Chapter 3

"Addie, are you asleep? Dad left you some chicken soup. It's in the thermos," Dad said.

"Dad, I'm right here!" I jumped up and down in front of him, but he didn't react at all.

Dad went on, "Are you feeling sick again today? Come out and let me take a look at you, okay? Don't be upset with Mom anymore."

Of course, I'd do as he asked. Playfully, I tried to sit on his shoulders, but I passed right through him.

But none of them could hear me or see me. What was I supposed to do?

No one could answer me.

Mom's weary voice came from the living room. "Leave him alone! I think we've spoiled him rotten. We emptied our savings for him. You even used the down payment your brother needed for his wedding. And what did we get in return? An ungrateful brat who throws tantrums!

"Just because I scolded him a little, he gives me attitude. Let him stay locked in his room. From now on, I only have one son, and that is Jas! I'll just pretend I never had Addie."

I stood frozen in place.

So, that was how Mom really felt. She had already given up on me...

"Bad Adrian! You made Mom angry," I scolded myself.

I copied Mom's actions and beat myself hard, but I couldn't feel any pain at all.

Dad walked over and pulled Mom into his arms.

She began crying quietly against his chest and whimpering, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Addie... I didn't mean it... Dear, I'm just so tired. I can't keep going."

My eyes stung as an indescribable feeling spread through my heart.

Ever since I could remember, I had known that my illness cost a lot of money. To pay for my treatment, Dad sold the old house Grandma and Grandpa had left behind. Mom quit the job she loved so she could take care of me full-time.

The smiles on their faces grew more strained with each passing day.

Whenever my uncle, Peter Lowe, came to visit me in the hospital, he would always whisper in my ear. "You money-draining brat. If it weren't for you, your brother would've been married by now."

He had also said that I had dragged the entire family down and that I was a burden.

I had been confused because I didn't have an older brother.

Later, I learned the truth. Uncle Peter's son, Raymond Lowe, who was my older cousin, had broken up with his girlfriend because his family couldn't afford to pay for their wedding. That money had been used to pay for my surgery.

Because of that, Uncle Peter and his wife, Lucy Greene, cut ties with our family. They demanded that my parents stop my treatment and return the money.

My parents refused without hesitation.

Dad had said, "Peter, Addie is my son. There's no way I'm giving up on him. I'll find a way to pay you back, but not now."

But later on, I watched the hair at Dad's temples slowly turn white. In addition to working three jobs, he even started working at construction sites.

Mom cut off the long hair she had kept for years. She said washing her hair took too much time. She'd rather use that time to make me another batch of traditional medicinal concoction.

Because of me, they became less and less like themselves. I didn't know what the point of my existence was anymore.

When I asked that question, a smile spread across Mom's face for the first time in a long while.

She had said, "Adrian, your existence is the greatest meaning in our lives."

Back in the present, I thought, "Mom, please don't cry. You're not as pretty when you cry. I like it better when you smile."

I wanted to wipe away her tears, but I couldn't do anything.

Suddenly, a tiny hand passed through my body and touched Mom's face—it was Jasper. He was still just a baby, and all he could do was babble incoherently.

Mom hugged Jasper tightly and looked up at Dad. "Dear, let's take Jas for a photoshoot tomorrow. Addie's photo wall is full of pictures, but Jas doesn't even have a single one yet. Let's go tomorrow, okay?"

Dad nodded without hesitation.

The next morning, he placed the warmed chicken soup and a small dish of chopped fruit beside my bed. He even left a note, thoughtfully making his handwriting bigger and easier to read.

"Adrian, Mom and Dad are taking Jas out for a while. Be a good boy and drink your soup."

He looked at the lump under the blanket on the bed and started to walk over, intending to tuck the covers around me.