Familial Bond 短篇故事與 Hypocrisy Awakening 小說

My parents made me submit a written request to the family accountant for any expense over five dollars. They said it would keep me from becoming vain. On the day of the car accident, I sat in the ER, struggling to stay still through the pain. I charged $200 for emergency treatment to the card linked to my father's account. The bandage was barely on when my parents called to tear into me. "Who said you could steal from this family? The Bennett family has rules, and they do not include feeding parasites who bleed us dry!" They froze every card I had on the spot. The hospital discharged me because I couldn't pay for further observation. So I walked. More than ten miles back to the Bennett estate on Long Island, bleeding through my clothes. I pushed the gate open and saw every light in the main house burning. My parents were throwing Sophia an enormous 18th birthday party. The custom cake at the center of the party, made by one of New York's top pastry chefs, had cost three hundred twenty thousand dollars. This time I didn't stand there and ask them why, the way I always had. I calmly signed the waiver of inheritance and the financial settlement. Then I turned around and left.

After my sister and I were both diagnosed with liver failure, we were admitted to the same hospital. But only one matching donor liver was available. My family favored her. I still wanted to live. I broke down in the hospital hallway, pleading with my parents for that chance. Someone filmed me and posted the video online. Everyone called me cold and selfish. They said I had sacrificed my humanity just to stay alive. When it was time to sign the preoperative paperwork, my brother finally came to my room. His face was hard. The moment he saw me, he started in on me. He wouldn't even look at me. "This family has always indulged you because you're the youngest. Haven't you caused enough trouble? "Camilla Hale is only twenty. Her life is just beginning. "You've been sickly since childhood, but we've taken care of you all these years. What would it cost you to put her first this once? "You've been sick your whole life, and you've always pulled through." He didn't know Camilla had secretly switched our test results. Before I could tell him, his phone rang. Camilla sobbed on the other end, asking if I was still being heartless. Henry's voice softened as he reassured her. "Don't be afraid. I'm here. "This is yours. No one is going to take it from you." Whenever I got sick as a child, my brother, Henry Hale, carried me to the hospital on his back. Back then, he would hold my hand and say, "Livia, I'll be your guardian angel." Now, as I looked at his familiar face, I understood how much trouble I had caused everyone... "All right, Henry. She can have the transplant."

When the university announced a nine-day break, my roommate started booking their tickets home on their phone while I was busy answering trivia questions on mine. This was my family rule. I had to answer questions to earn my allowance. There were ten questions, and every correct answer would get me $2. There were four levels for the trivia, which were Beginner Level, Intermediate Level, Advanced Level, and Expert Level. I did the trivia for seven years, from high school until my second year of university. One morning, my father, Norm Livingston, texted in the family group chat. [Whoever gets all ten questions correct, I'll pay for the ticket home during Thanksgiving.] I tried hard to suppress my excitement as I focused on answering the questions, but I got one wrong. I texted the results to Norm with clenched teeth and begged, [Dad, the questions this time were really difficult, but I got nine right. The train ticket is only $50. Can you cover it for me?] However, Norm replied right away with a voice note, and he berated me. "The rules are the rules. Look at your brother. He got all ten questions right and won himself the flight ticket. You should work harder to improve your knowledge. Stop thinking about having fun all the time." My younger brother, Ezra Livingston, texted the group with a screenshot of Norm transferring him the money for the ticket. [First-class ticket worth $1,000 to come home to your family.] The text was followed by another text from my older sister, Edith Livingston. [I specially set your questions at Beginner Level for you.] I stared at their texts and looked at my questions, which were at Expert Level, and I called my counselor after that. "Is it too late to submit my application to Gerasia as an exchange student?" I no longer wanted to reunite with my family during Thanksgiving.

I suffered sudden kidney failure and lay unconscious in the ICU for seven straight days. The doctors issued three critical condition notices. In the end, it was my eighteen-year-old son, Nolan Brooks, who donated one of his kidneys to save my life. Everyone praised him for being such a devoted son. The media hailed him as "the most devoted son" and even planned to turn our story into a public service campaign. But the first thing I said to him after I woke up was: "Nolan, I’m cutting all ties with you. You’re no longer my son." His face went pale, and with red-rimmed eyes, he asked me, "Dad, I just gave you a kidney. And now you’re disowning me?" I looked at his haggard face and answered, each word deliberate. "It’s precisely because you gave me a kidney that I need to sever all ties with you. Completely."

The day Dad rents out an entire hospital floor for Mom to deliver my baby brother, a young, attractive nurse can't stop staring at him. She insists Mom needs her rest right after labor and offers to take my baby brother, Alex Hardy, to the next room for a nursing session. In my past life, I was too busy staying by Mom's side, and Dad didn't think much of it, so he agreed. To our surprise, by the very next day, the nurse and Alex vanished without a trace. Unable to cope with the devastating loss, Mom fell into a deep depression and took her own life. Dad couldn't forgive himself for what happened. He left me with Grandpa and followed Mom to the grave. Overnight, I lost every member of my family. I became severely withdrawn, and less than two years later, I fell from the balcony because of my nanny's negligence. My whole family ended up dead. Meanwhile, 18 years later, that same nurse used her status as a foster mother to bring Alex back to claim his place in the family, taking over our family's entire fortune. Even on her deathbed, she still smugly told everyone around her, "Raising this boy was the best investment I ever made." Reborn, I am back to when I was three years old, right after Mom gave birth to Alex. The young, attractive nurse walks into the room with a smile. "Mr. Hardy, it's time for the baby's feeding. Let me take him next door so your wife can get some rest. "Hey little girl, how about I take your baby brother next door for a quick feed?" She gives a sweet, innocent smile, but a cold shiver runs down my spine. Memories of losing my parents flood back to my mind. Gathering all my courage, I shout, "No thanks! My mom can feed him just fine! We don't need you!"

A note under my daughter's pillow reads, "This is our little secret. Don't tell your dad." I hold the note in my hand, and the tips of my fingers turn cold. My buddy, Liam Lywood, is my childhood friend. He always wears my old T-shirts and frequently stays at my house. My wife, Gina Stroud, often praises him. "Now this feels like a real home." Yet my five-year-old daughter, Trixie Glasby, now looks at me like I'm a stranger. It turns out, the man I treat as a brother is sleeping with my wife. And the daughter I cherish has already been brainwashed by those two shameless people into turning against me! When I slap the note down in front of Gina, she snaps instead, "What are you imagining now? Liam takes better care of Trixie than you do!" I smile. Apparently, they've forgotten who really owns this house.

To save the three most important men in my life, I made a deal with the Moon Goddess. Trade my life for theirs. If I could make any one of them truly love me within five years, I'd get to live. But on the final day of the countdown, all three still had negative feelings toward me. According to the rules, I'd failed. My life was about to be erased. "Moon Goddess, could I send one last message? One final try?" Maybe out of pity, she granted me this last attempt. This message was my final shot. I hit the voice button in our group chat, fighting to keep my voice steady. "Could you guys love me just a little? I'm really going to die." After a moment of silence came their merciless laughter. "You'll do anything to compete with Lidia for attention, won't you?" "Cut the lies. This just makes us hate you more." "If you're so desperate to die, then just do it already." Mission failed. I gave them exactly what they wanted. But when I was about to die, they all freaked out.

After the SAT scores are released, Mom says we should get a family portrait taken and hang it in the living room to remember the occasion. The studio lights are already set up. Lavinia Jenkins, the photographer and my childhood friend, cheerfully starts getting everyone into position. "Alright, let's have the parents in the middle and the kids on either side." I move to stand beside my younger brother, Mitchell Simmons. Suddenly, my older sister, Meredith Simmons, puts out a hand to stop me and shoves me aside. "Maxwell, scoot over a little. Mitchell's got his new suit on today. Let him stand in the middle." Mom nods. "Exactly. It looks better with Mitchell in the middle. We're going to get a larger print of this picture." Mitchell is already standing front and center, adjusting his tie with a bright smile. Meanwhile, I'm shoved all the way to the far left, barely making it into the frame. The makeup artist beside me speaks up hesitantly, "Ms. Jenkins, could the guy on the left move a little closer to the middle?" Lavinia waves her off. "No. Leave him there. He just needs to be in the picture." I stay put, watching as half my face disappears into shadow in the shot. It suddenly hits me that there's never really been a place for me in this family. If that's the way they want it, then I don't need to make room for them in my life anymore.