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They Gave My Last Birthday to My Sister
NovelMaster
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The eighteenth time Mom gave my gift to my sister, guilt flickered across her face. Then she turned it around on me. "Why didn't you remind me? Whatever. Since it's already done, she might as well kee...
章節（4）
第1章
The eighteenth time Mom gave my gift to my sister, guilt flickered across her face. Then she turned it around on me.
"Why didn't you remind me? Whatever. Since it's already done, she might as well keep it."
I stood frozen, watching my sister beam with excitement over the gift.
I just nodded, numb.
Ever since Chloe was born, Mom had constantly given away things that were meant for me.
She promised to take me to the amusement park, but ended up giving my ticket to Chloe.
I ran a fever of a hundred and four, but Mom rushed Chloe to the ER instead.
Even on my birthday, my cake ended up in Chloe's room.
"Since it's already done, just let your sister go have fun."
"Since it's already done, we can't risk you getting your sister sick."
"Since it's already done, it doesn't hurt to let your sister blow out the candles first."
Now Mom was carrying my birthday cake over to Chloe with a warm smile. I managed a bitter smile of my own.
Mom had completely forgotten.
I had cancer. The doctor told me this would probably be my last birthday.
Since it's already done, so be it.
The sound of keys turning in the lock came from the front door.
Dad was home from work.
Fighting through the searing pain in my stomach, I gripped the wall and slowly shuffled out of the hallway.
There was a time when even a tiny cough from me would make Dad rush me to urgent care in the middle of the night.
Now, I stood in the living room dripping with cold sweat, and he didn't even spare me a glance.
He walked straight toward Chloe and thrust a limited-edition plush bunny into her arms.
"Happy birthday, Chloe! Do you like the new toy Daddy bought you?"
Chloe cheered, jumping up and planting a big, loud kiss on his cheek.
Dad beamed, his eyes crinkling with joy. It was only when he turned around that he finally noticed me leaning against the wall, on the verge of collapsing.
His smile vanished instantly, his brows knitting into a harsh scowl.
"What's with that look on your face?"
"Today is your sister's birthday. Do you really have to pull a long face and ruin the mood?"
"You're getting more depressing by the day. Just looking at you gives me a headache."
I bit down hard on my lower lip, my fingers clutching the diagnosis report crumpled inside my pocket.
"Today is my birthday," I said, my voice trembling.
Dad paused for a split second, an awkward flicker in his eyes.
But that tiny hint of guilt was instantly swallowed by annoyance.
"How old are you, picking fights with your little sister? Can't we just buy you another cake in a few days?"
Mom rolled her eyes as she sliced the cake beside him.
"Buy her another one? For what? She just can't stand seeing Chloe happy."
"Always throwing tantrums and pulling stunts just because she wants everyone looking at her."
I slowly pulled the sweat-soaked medical report out of my pocket.
"The doctor said this might be my last birthday."
"Stomach cancer."
Both Mom and Dad frowned at the same time, their expressions wavering for a fraction of a second.
Suddenly, Chloe pointed at me and burst into tears.
"Mommy! She's scaring me! I don't want her to die!"
Seeing how terrified Chloe looked, Mom rushed over, snatched the diagnosis paper from my hands, and shoved it straight into the trash can.
"Lauren, do you just hate seeing anyone in this house happy?"
"So what if you have stomach cancer? Do you really have to scare Chloe half to death before you're satisfied?!"
I froze, shaking my head desperately.
"I didn't..."
Smack!
A hard slap cracked across my face.
The force knocked me off my feet, sending me crashing onto the floor. My ears rang violently, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.
Dad towered over me, glaring down with utter disgust.
"You're rotten to the core!"
"How did we raise such a useless, spiteful bully of a daughter?!"
I lay on the cold floor, staring at the diagnosis paper beside the trash can.
The hospital's name was printed across the top of the report, but neither of them cared to look.
A wave of exhaustion washed over me.
Every defense, every ounce of grievance I had kept inside, died right then and there.
Using the wall for support, I pulled myself up and wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand.
I turned around and walked toward my bedroom.
Dad grabbed a mug off the coffee table and hurled it violently at my feet, shattering it.
"You're like a walking corpse every single day!"
"If you ever use dying to threaten us again, get out of this house and drop dead somewhere else!"
"We don't need your bad luck in this family!"
第2章
The next morning, I was jolted awake by an agonizing spasm in my stomach.
I hadn't eaten anything the night before, and no one had come to check on me.
Even though it was my birthday, I could only curl up inside my room, listening to them celebrate my day with my sister on the other side of the door.
I opened my eyes to find a warm bowl of plain porridge on my nightstand.
Mom was sitting at the edge of the bed, wearing a gentle smile I hadn't seen in years.
"You're awake? Sit up and eat some porridge."
I froze, tears instantly stinging my eyes.
She did something she hadn't done in forever—she reached out and stroked my hair.
"Your dad lost his temper yesterday. Don't take it to heart."
"How about this weekend, Mom takes you to the amusement park you've been begging to go to?"
My dry, cracked lips trembled. That tiny, dead ember inside my heart flickered back to life with a faint spark of hope.
The amusement park. I had dreamed of going for three whole years.
When I was little, Dad used to carry me on his shoulders, laughing as we rode the carousel together.
Maybe deep down, they still loved me.
As long as I stayed quiet and didn't upset Chloe, maybe they would still care.
Swallowing the pain in my stomach, I nodded vigorously.
"Okay. I want to go."
"Thank you, Mom."
When the weekend finally came, I dug out the prettiest white dress from my closet.
It was already a bit too short for me, but I couldn't bear to throw it away.
Ever since I got sick, I hadn't had any new clothes.
Standing in front of the mirror, I splashed cold water on my face, trying my best to look less pale.
I didn't want to ruin their mood.
Holding onto the wall, I slowly dragged my feet out of my room.
Mom was on the phone in the living room.
She was bent over, adjusting Chloe's bright yellow backpack.
Her voice was dripping with sickening tenderness.
"Yeah, taking Chloe to the amusement park. Got the tickets already."
"Don't worry about Lauren. Dragging her sickly self along would just ruin the whole day."
"Right, Chloe's happiness comes first. Who has the patience to deal with an invalid?"
I stopped dead in my tracks, feeling as though the entire world had caved in on me.
What about that bowl of porridge from that morning? What about her promise, her gentle smile, and her comforting words? How could it all change so completely?
Dragging my fragile body forward, I stepped into the center of the living room.
"Mom?" My voice was hoarse. "Didn't you say you were taking me?"
Mom hung up the phone, the warmth on her face vanishing instantly.
She knit her brows in annoyance.
"What are you throwing a fit about now? Didn't I tell you to stay in your room?"
"But you promised me."
"Promised you what? Just look at yourself!"
She looked me up and down with utter revulsion.
"Look at what you're wearing! Are you trying to embarrass us in public?"
Chloe ran over and shoved me hard.
"Get lost! Mommy gave the ticket to me! She's only taking me to the theme park, not you!"
I was already weak, and the shove threw me completely off balance.
Instinctively, I reached out to grab the hem of Mom's shirt to steady myself.
Mom jerked back as if dodging the plague, shoving me away with all her strength.
"Don't touch Chloe! Are you trying to fake another illness to frame us?!"
My back slammed hard against the solid wood coffee table. A blinding, agonizing pain ripped through my lower spine.
I curled up on the floor, drenching my clothes in cold sweat within seconds.
I gasped for air, unable to find the breath to even scream.
Mom looked down at me struggling on the floor with cold eyes.
"Enough with the drama. I'm sick of you trying to make us feel sorry for you."
She took Chloe by the hand and stepped toward the front door.
As she reached the doorway, she stopped, turning back to cast a chilly glare at me.
"Since you're already in this state, why go out and embarrass us at an amusement park?"
"Don't you dare call me today. Nobody is ruining your sister's weekend!"
The door slammed shut with a heavy bang.
第3章
Once the door closed, the empty house fell dead silent.
The pain in my spine mingled with the relentless cramping in my stomach. Every breath I took tasted of copper.
After I'd been lying there for hours, the pain in my stomach suddenly intensified.
A warm wave of liquid surged up my throat, bursting past my lips.
Fresh, dark blood instantly stained the front of my favorite white dress and splashed across the tile floor.
Agony racked my body with violent convulsions. I curled tightly into a ball.
I reached out my trembling hand, clawing helplessly at the air.
As the dark pool spread across the floor, all I could think about was staying alive.
I really didn't want to die.
Gritting my teeth, I dragged myself inch by inch toward the landline phone in the corner of the living room.
Those few short yards took me ten whole minutes.
I dragged a horrific, smeared trail of red across the tiles behind me.
A memory from when I was seven flashed across my mind.
That year, I was hit by a car and broke my leg.
Mom and Dad had rushed to the hospital so frantically they hadn't even put their shoes on properly.
Mom had held me, crying her eyes out, while Dad begged the doctors with bloodshot eyes to save my life.
I thought that even if they hated me now, even if they favored Chloe,
if they knew I was really dying, if they saw how much blood I was losing,
they would run back to save me, just like they used to.
With trembling fingers, I struggled to punch in Dad's cell number.
It rang for a painfully long time before he finally answered.
The roar of a roller coaster whooshing past came through the speaker, accompanied by Chloe's joyful squeals.
"Hello? What do you want now?!" Dad snapped, his voice oozing frustration.
Gasping for breath, I wept weakly into the receiver.
"Dad, it hurts so bad."
"I'm bleeding so much. My stomach hurts. Please, come home and save me."
There was a brief second of silence on the other end.
Then, Mom's cold scoff rang out.
"I told you she'd pull something! Listen to that, playing dead again!"
"She just can't stand seeing our family having a good time!"
Dad hesitated. "What if it's real?"
Mom sneered, "Real? She's just stirring up drama because we took Chloe out today and left her behind."
Dad let out a breath.
Then came a cold, mocking laugh.
"Lauren, you really stoop to every disgusting trick in the book just to compete with your sister."
"You think saying you're bleeding is going to make us run back? Do you take me for a three-year-old?!"
I clutched the phone cord in despair, hot tears spilling over and hitting the floor.
"I'm not faking. It hurts so much. Please..."
In the background, Chloe yelled, "Daddy, I want that giant strawberry ice cream!"
Dad's tone turned incredibly soft and sweet in an instant. "Okay, sweetie, Daddy's getting it for you right now."
When he turned back to the phone, his impatience had grown ten times worse.
"Did you hear that? Your sister is having a great time."
"If you really want to drop dead, go do it somewhere far away! Don't call us and ruin our day!"
I opened my mouth, but another surge of warm blood flooded my throat.
I spat a heavy mouthful of blood directly over the phone, completely losing the ability to speak.
Dad's angry roar erupted from the receiver.
"I'm warning you! If you dare call back, I'll break your legs when I get home!"
Then, a harsh click followed by a flat, continuous dial tone.
He hung up on me.
第4章
As I listened to the dial tone, the pain suddenly vanished.
The agonizing cramping that felt like it was tearing my insides apart seemed to disappear with that beep.
I thought, maybe this was for the best.
I really had been a bad daughter. Even getting sick was treated as a selfish cry for attention. I shouldn't have been like that.
Slowly, I placed the blood-stained receiver back on its cradle and wiped the tears off my cheeks with my sleeve.
I looked down at the long, ghastly smear of red across the tiles.
It was so dirty.
Mom hated a mess. If she came home and saw the floor ruined like this, she would definitely yell at me.
Leaning against the wall, I gathered the very last shred of strength in my body and shuffled into the bathroom to grab a rag.
Lying flat on my stomach, inch by inch, I wiped away every trace of my blood until the floor was spotless.
The water in the bucket turned a deep, murky red. I poured it into the toilet and flushed five times before the water ran clear again.
The Barbie dolls and building blocks Chloe had scattered around the couch before leaving were still lying everywhere.
I picked them up piece by piece and arranged them neatly inside her toy box.
Once that was done, I walked back to my bedroom.
From the dented metal tin under my bed, I pulled out a small stack of crumpled bills.
It was three hundred dollars in total.
I had saved it by secretly stopping my expensive targeted therapy and passing out flyers behind their backs.
I found a clean sheet of paper and picked up a pen.
Mom, Dad, please don't be angry.
I stopped taking my medication without telling you. My cancer is too far along to be cured. There's no point wasting money.
Keep this money for Chloe's school fees, or buy her some new toys.
As long as you guys had fun at the amusement park today, I'm happy.
I won't ever disgust you or ruin your mood again.
I hope you'll always be happy.
I folded the money inside the note and walked over to my parents' bedroom step by heavy step.
Carefully, I slid it beneath their soft pillows.
After that, I went back into my dark, tiny bedroom that never saw the sun.
I peeled off the blood-soaked white dress and changed into an old, faded school uniform.
It was the only set of clothes they had bought for me in the past few years.
I climbed onto the narrow, hard mattress and curled up tight in the far corner against the wall.
I wrapped my arms around my knees and curled into the fetal position.
Gradually, my breathing grew lighter and shallower.
Until my chest stopped rising altogether.
My soul lifted, floating weightlessly toward the ceiling.
I looked down at the tiny, stiff body on the bed—a girl who finally didn't have to cry out in pain anymore.
How nice. I would never be yelled at again.
At eight that evening, the key turned in the front door.
My parents stepped into the house, laughing cheerfully as Chloe held a massive colorful balloon.
The living room was spotless. There wasn't a single drop of blood, as if nothing had ever happened.
Mom kicked off her shoes and walked toward my closed bedroom door out of habit.
She put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes dramatically.
"Still rotting away in your room playing dead? You can't even come out and pour your sister a glass of water?!"
"Do I have to personally beg you to move? Get out here right now!"
When no sound came from inside, her temper flared even hotter.
She grabbed the doorknob and shoved the door open with a hard push.
The bright hallway light spilled into the dim room.
The room was completely quiet—so quiet that an uneasy chill crept into her chest.
Then, her eyes landed on the bed.
The phone slipped from Mom's hand, clattering loudly against the floorboards.