Chapter 6
They ran into the basement, only to find me, skeletal and wrapped in a tattered blanket,
“Riley!” Noah stared at me in shock, rushing over to grab my hand.
“How did you end up living in a place like this?” His eyes reddened, choked sobs escaping his throat
I looked at him strangely.
He was actually crying.
Noah picked me up and said: “We’re going home. I’m taking you home.”
But I struggled fiercely. “No, I don’t want to go home!” Fear roared like a wild beast inside me, making my entire body tremble.
But I couldn’t break free from his grip. I was too weak–nothing but skin and bones with no strength left. I could only watch helplessly as we got closer to home.
Large teardrops rolled down my face.
That place I once longed for and depended on now filled me with disgust and terror.
When we arrived, Mom and Dad’s faces still showed aversion. “Why bring her back? So we can watch her throw another tantrum?”
“She’s been living in the basement all this time,” Noah’s voice trembled as he pushed back the smelly coat covering me, revealing my jaundiced face.
Mom and Dad stared at me for several seconds before bursting into tears. They seemed unsteady on their feet, legs swaying as they stumbled toward
- me.
“Riley… How did this happen? We didn’t know…” they sobbed, falling over me.
I raised my hand in disgust, trying to push them away. But I had no strength in my body, only managing a weak gesture.
“It’s not just the basement. It’s my illness too. I have cancer. Didn’t you say you didn’t believe me?” I laughed bitterly.
They immediately wanted to take me for tests. I didn’t resist this. I still wanted to live.
Noah drove frantically, sweat dripping from his forehead.
At the hospital, the doctor removed his glasses with a serious expression. “Why did you wait so long?”
Mom and Dad stammered: “We… we didn’t know.”
I turned my head away.
I had told them countless times, but they never believed me.
“With the right contacts, top foreign specialists might be able to help, but unfortunately…” the doctor shook his head and mentioned the name of the leading expert in the field.
I silently clenched my fist. The world seemed to collapse around me, and everything went black. The surroundings fell silent. My last hope was gone-
That specialist was exactly the one Ms. Stevens had arranged for me. They had destroyed my chance with their own hands.
“Can’t we start treatment here at this hospital?” Mom and Dad asked, tears streaming down their faces.
I spoke weakly: “Don’t bother. Let me go home.”
When the doctor had spoken so clearly, there was no point in trying anymore.
12:48
Burnt Beauty, Family Beasts
4.6%
Chapter 6
Our family was just middle class, with no hope of contacting that specialist.
I wanted them to watch me die in agony, to know that they had caused this suffering!
After returning home, I became the center of attention. The formerly invisible girl suddenly became the pampered princess.
But I felt no joy. My hair fell out completely. I was nothing but skin and bones, unable to keep any food down.
Mom and Dad quit their jobs to care for me, running everywhere seeking good doctors. They said they were grasping at the last straws of hope.
One day, they returned home to find the house spotless, then hugged Emma and said softly: “You cleaned again? Good girl. Thank you for always lightening our burden.” They sighed deeply, looking utterly exhausted.
Emma clutched her collar and lowered her head without saying anything.
Noah exploded from the side, he kicked a chair in anger. “It was Riley who cleaned! I tried to stop her, but she insisted!”
I wheezed heavily, feeling an odd urge to laugh.
Noah, you’re not defending Emma for once?
Mom and Dad looked shocked. They turned to me in disbelief: “So…. the housework before, that was all you too?”
I closed my eyes, ignoring them.
Every time, they assumed it was Emma. Every time I tried to get attention, they immediately decided I was being difficult, that I was attention–seeking.
But I was only fighting for fairness.
They came over and took my stick–thin wrists. They were practically kneeling, begging me. “Please don’t be so considerate anymore, okay? Throw a tantrum again, please.”
“You always told me to be mature before. Why have you changed now?” I struggled to breathe, barely managing to complete a sentence.
Their eyes immediately reddened, and they wiped away tears.
I could tell they’d been crying a lot–the skin around their noses was raw.
“I’m being good now. You won’t send me away again, will you?” I looked at them.
Fear made my voice quiver. “I don’t want to live in that dark basement anymore. The rats bite me there.”
Tears rolling down my cheeks, I just wanted decent food and shelter in my final days.
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