Chapter 3

The next morning, I woke up from a stabbing pain in my stomach.

I hadn't eaten dinner last night, and nobody had come to check on me.

Even though it was my birthday, I could only curl up in my room, listening to Hayden celebrate his birthday right outside my door.

I struggled to open my eyes. Surprisingly, there was a glass of milk and two slices of toast on my nightstand.

Mom was sitting on the edge of my bed. She had a rare, gentle smile on her face.

"You're awake? Come on, eat something."

I stared at her. My nose stung with tears.

She did something she hadn't done in years—she reached out and gently stroked my hair.

"Your dad was just stressed yesterday. Don't take it to heart."

"This weekend, I'll take you to that theme park you've been begging to go to, okay?"

My dry, cracked lips trembled. The dying embers of hope in my chest sparked back to life.

The theme park. I had been waiting for this for three years.

When I was little, Dad used to put me on his shoulders, laughing as we rode the carousel.

Maybe... maybe they still loved me.

As long as I behaved, as long as I didn't make Hayden mad, they would still care about me.

I swallowed the stomach pain and nodded quickly.

"Okay. I'll go."

"Thank you, Mom."

I held on until the weekend. I pulled my favorite white dress out of the closet.

It was a bit too short for me now, but I couldn't bear to throw it away.

Since I got sick, I hadn't gotten any new clothes.

I stood in front of the mirror, splashing cold water on my face to make myself look a bit more alive.

I didn't want to ruin their mood.

I leaned against the wall, taking slow steps out of my room.

In the living room, Mom was on the phone.

She was packing Hayden’s bright yellow backpack, her voice dripping with affection.

"Yeah, taking Hayden to the theme park today. Already got the VIP passes."

"Oh, don't worry about Audrey. She looks like a walking corpse anyway. Bringing her would just ruin the fun."

"Exactly. Hayden's happiness is what matters. Who wants to drag a sick drag-along around?"

I froze. It felt like my entire world had collapsed.

Mom's milk that morning, her promise, her gentle smile, and her comforting words...

How did it all change so fast?

I dragged my weak body into the center of the living room.

"Mom..." My voice was incredibly hoarse. "You said... you were taking me."

Mom hung up the phone. The smile on her face vanished instantly.

She knitted her brows in disgust.

"Are you having another episode? Didn't I tell you to stay in your room?"

"But you promised me..."

"Promised you what? Look at yourself in the mirror!"

She looked me up and down with pure disdain.

"Dressed like that... are you trying to embarrass us in public?"

Hayden ran over and shoved me hard.

"Get out of the way! Mom gave the tickets to me! They're only taking me to the theme park, not you!"

I was already running on empty. His shove threw me completely off balance.

I reached out, trying to grab Mom's sleeve to steady myself.

But Mom flinched away as if I were a leper, shaking me off violently.

"Don't touch Hayden! Are you trying to fake a fall to blame him now?"

My body slammed hard against the solid wooden coffee table. A sharp, agonizing pain shot through my lower back.

The pain was so intense that I curled up on the floor, cold sweat instantly soaking through my dress.

I gasped for air, unable to even scream.

Mom watched me writhe on the floor with cold eyes.

"Cut it out. Stop acting. I'm sick of your little guilt trips."

She took Hayden's hand and walked toward the front door.

Before stepping out, she stopped and threw one last icy look at me.

"Look at you, acting like this. Why would we bring an embarrassment like you to the theme park?"

"Don't bother calling me today. Nobody is going to ruin Hayden's weekend!"

The front door slammed shut.