Chapter 3

I had countless moments when I wanted to directly tell Sarah that Rita, upon hearing the news of her hospitalization, had coldly hung up the phone and, over the past few days, neither showed up nor even bothered to call and check on her.

But each time I saw Sarah's pale face, weakened by her illness, my impulse to say that was quickly suppressed, as I didn't want to upset her and risk interfering with her recovery.

Honestly, I could understand why Sarah might not like me; conflicts in family life were nothing new.

What I found hard to accept, though, was Sarah's clear favoritism toward Rita.

Over the past ten years, since Jeffrey and I got married, Sarah has lived under the same roof with us. Our child, Keith Brown, was already seven years old now.

I had done my best to show filial piety, but I had never earned Sarah's genuine affection in return.

My thoughts drifted back to the time when Jeffrey and I got married. Both our families were ordinary, living simple lives.

When we discussed our wedding, I only symbolically proposed an engagement gift of sixty-six thousand dollars, and after the wedding, I brought it all back as start-up money for our little family.

However, when Earl and Rita got married, she immediately asked for an engagement gift of two hundred eighty thousand dollars. As far as I know, this money ended up in her brother's hands, and it was used to buy property.

Not only did she not bring back a penny, but she also often moved things from her home to her parent's place.

So, whenever I saw Sarah's preference for Rita, a deep sense of injustice would rise in my heart.

At that moment, Rita sat on the hospital bed, her eyes full of tears as she expressed her concern for Sarah. Sarah, equally emotional, tightly grasped Rita's hand, tears streaming down her face in response.

Seeing this scene, I couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. I couldn't bring myself to look at Rita's hypocritical face any longer.

I rolled my eyes and turned, walking out of the room.

I wasn't surprised at all by Rita's sudden appearance at the hospital today.

Yesterday, the doctor informed Jeffrey and me that Sarah was recovering well and would be discharged soon. Hearing the news, I was genuinely happy.

Even though Sarah had always been cold towards me, I sincerely wished for her to be healthy and free from illness.

Jeffrey was also glad. Although he held a grudge against Rita's family for their indifference, the bond of brotherhood was not so easily broken.

After thinking it over, he still decided to share the good news with his brother, Earl.