Chapter 4Mom's Favoritism Made My Sister Drink Death

I huddled in the stairwell, shivering. The humiliation made tears stream down my face uncontrollably. I could hear Mom and Sheryl laughing inside.

At that moment, family and blood ties—none of it meant anything to me anymore. I only wished they would drop dead and die.

In the end, it was the neighbor across the corridor who heard the commotion, came out to take a look, and took pity on me. They gave me a set of clothes so I could go home.

I'd always thought Mom simply didn't love me.

Today, I finally understood. In her eyes, I didn't even deserve to be treated like a human being. I was nothing more than a walking ATM that she and Sheryl could leech off anytime.

When they were happy, they pretended we were a loving family. But the moment they were upset for whatever reason, they would take it all out on me without mercy.

I had no need for toxic family members like them.

If they were so desperate to court death, then that was their own business.

After pulling myself together, I told Rick that the samples had been lost.

He went silent for half a minute before losing his temper. "Andrea, if you don't want this job anymore, then get the hell out! You were the one who proposed this research plan. The entire group postponed several projects because of this experiment.

"Now that we've arranged and allocated all the equipment and personnel, you're telling me the samples are gone? Do you understand this isn't just about you anymore? More than a dozen people on this research team are going to be delayed because of this!"

I knew that if I couldn't fix this, my career would be over.

I'd spent years staying up late, putting in endless effort just to earn a place at the research institute. Now, Mom had ruined everything just because she'd casually taken something.

From now on, I wouldn't concern myself with anything they did anymore.

I immediately apologized to Rick and booked a round-trip ticket to Esithra. Following the original sampling plan, I collected the samples all over again. I walked over 100 thousand steps and stayed awake for a full 36 hours.

By the time I handed over the samples, I felt like my whole body was falling apart.

Fortunately, I managed to resolve the crisis. Rick's anger abated, and he even gave me a day off to go home and rest.

But when I dragged my exhausted body back home, I found my front door wide open. Everything I owned had been thrown into the hallway like garbage. Even the trophies I'd carefully displayed on the cabinet had all been smashed.

When Mom saw me, she didn't even bother looking up. "Andrea, we've decided to forgive you for what happened last time. I've given it some thought. Sheryl's pregnant now, so she needs the best environment and care. Hurry up and transfer this apartment to her so she can live here.

"I won't repeat myself a second time. Do you hear me?"

Mom lived in an old apartment. She thought the neighborhood wasn't nice enough. So, she wanted me to give up my apartment.

At this point, I wasn't even surprised anymore by how shameless the two of them were.

I stared at Sheryl's pregnant belly and frowned hard. Only a day and a half had passed since the last time I'd seen her. Yet, her stomach had visibly grown an entire size larger.

It made no sense.

Sheryl didn't notice anything unusual. Instead, she rubbed her belly proudly.

She gloated, "Imported mineral water really is different. It's packed with minerals. After the baby absorbed them, it already started putting on weight. I finished all nine bottles. Hurry up and order a few more cases for me."

Mom beamed with delight. "If Sheryl wants it, then give it to her. Don't be stingy and hide all the good stuff away, Andrea. If my precious grandchild doesn't get enough nutrients, can you take responsibility for that?"

I took two steps backward. "I already told you that water wasn't safe to drink."

This time, I wasn't warning them. I was making it clear that whatever happened next had nothing to do with me.

Sheryl tilted her head and scoffed. "Keep making things up. I drank every last drop, and nothing happened to me. You're just too stingy to give me some more, so you're trying to scare me. Do you really think I'd believe you?"

I smiled and asked, "Then why are there clusters of pus-filled blisters all around the corners of your mouth?"

The last time I'd seen her, that patch of skin had been perfectly smooth.

Sheryl's expression stiffened as she countered, "What do you know? The pregnancy is causing some hormonal changes in me. It's a normal reaction!"

The very next second, her entire body began convulsing violently as she retched.

She glared at me and covered her mouth. "What are you looking at? It's morning sickness! It's just morning sickness!"

The moment the words left her mouth, a gush of blood poured from between her legs.

This time, she stopped insisting she was fine.