Chapter 2I Won’t Be Gaslit Again

At the hospital, I finally got a good night’s sleep. Bullet comments scrolled rapidly before my eyes.

“What’s going on? Why isn’t it following the plot? Where’s the regret-of-the-dead story? How can they regret it if she doesn’t die?”

“I actually think the protagonist is doing the right thing. She just struggles to express herself, clearly giving so much, but because she doesn’t want her family to worry, her parents only learn the truth after she dies.”

“Exactly, exactly! So what if the protagonist plays the victim? Her parents started playing the victim first, why isn’t anyone saying anything about that?”

I lay there, eyes tightly shut, seemingly calm and peaceful. But deep down, my heart ached.

I had been sent to an orphanage from a young age, always envying children who had both parents and grew up in loving families. I constantly fantasized about having parents, imagining that one day, they would come to take me home. I fantasized so often, only for it to fall through, that I slowly came to accept reality.

When my biological parents appeared before me, I felt my heart pound. I was happy, yet also deeply wronged. I wanted to give everything to my parents, to this family, but I never expected them to lie to me, to be wary of me, to test me. They watched me suffer, not only ignoring it but actively contriving to appear poor and ill, forcing me to give, testing my sincerity. Twenty years ago, they abandoned me with their own hands. Twenty years later, they were pushing me to my death again, all because of ridiculous prejudices. This kind of family bond? I didn’t want it.

When I woke again, it was to the sound of weeping. Daphne was at my bedside, wiping away tears, while Oliver gently comforted her from his wheelchair.

“Don’t worry, Amelia sold you the spot, didn’t she?”

I thought I’d misheard. Earlier, to support the family, I had sold my opportunity to study under my professor to a classmate. Was that also part of their scheme?

“But Mom seems to like her a little now. What if Mom doesn’t like me anymore?”

“What foolishness are you talking about? With me around, she’ll never get into the Sterling family as a young lady. You’re my only sister. Besides, have you forgotten?” He lowered his voice, "It was you who constantly donated blood and acted as a guinea pig, which led to the development of Mom’s special medicine!”

“You mean… I understand. Big brother is the best!”

I couldn’t help but curl my lips into a mocking smile. My mother suffered from a rare blood disease. In my past life, to cure her, I went to great lengths to raise money, even resorting to selling my blood and participating in drug trials to earn cash. The buyer, no one else, was my own brother. Then he turned around and credited all that effort to Daphne, proclaiming it was the result of her filial piety moving heaven itself! It wasn’t until after my death, when the truth was revealed, that Mom was filled with remorse.

Now, I naturally wouldn’t be foolish enough to work tirelessly, only to have my achievements stolen.

I coughed twice, then slowly lifted my head, meeting the hostile gazes of the siblings. Seeing I was awake, before I could even speak, Oliver, completely self-righteous, ordered me to be discharged immediately.

“The doctor said you’re perfectly fine! You know you’re faking it, right? All the burdens of life are falling on your sister’s shoulders! She doesn’t even have time to write her thesis to support the family! Go back and write it for her right away!”

I couldn’t hold back. I opened my mouth and snapped, “Whose dog isn’t leashed and barking everywhere?”