Chapter 3

"Those two are definitely bad luck and jinxed me! Why else would I suddenly get into a car accident out of nowhere?"

Before we even stepped through the door, we could hear Abigail throwing a tantrum inside the hospital room.

According to the doctor, the accident happened because she was driving the wrong way down a one-way street and got sideswiped.

She didn't even have a scratch on her. Yet, my dad was worried sick, buying the highest-grade organic fruit to bring to her.

"Hurry up and apologize!" Dad glared fiercely at my mom.

Mom clenched her fists tightly.

Finally, her shoulders slumped, and she defeatedly muttered, "I'm sorry."

Dad’s phone rang with a call from the construction site. Before he left, he shot another warning look at Mom, telling her not to even think about running away.

Once he was gone, Abigail started frantically ordering Mom around.

One minute her back was itchy, the next she wanted sliced apples. Mom rushed around for three straight hours without a single moment of rest.

However, Abigail still wasn't satisfied. She deliberately splashed a scalding cup of hot tea right onto Mom's hands.

The skin on Mom's already cracked hands instantly began to bleed.

I was so furious that I automatically threw a punch at Abigail. "Don't you dare bully my mom again!"

Abigail erupted instantly, slamming a harsh slap across my face. "Who allowed a little brat like you to talk? Being a mistress' kid, no wonder you have zero manners!"

Mom immediately shielded me behind her back. "You're the one who's the mistress! You knew Chris had a family, yet you still threw yourself at him!"

Abigail didn't feel a shred of shame. Instead, she laughed.

"Aren't you just jealous of my youth and beauty? You couldn't sell yourself even if you wanted to! All you're good for is being a maid."

"Do you have any idea how much money Chris spends on me? The house and the car are both under my name, and he even gave me half a million dollars!

"He even told me that touching a wrinkly old face like yours makes him sick! He said it would have been better if you had just died when you were giving birth."

Mom tightly covered my ears.

I couldn't calculate how much money that was.

All I knew was that Dad only gave Mom one thousand dollars a month, so that much money would take forever to save up.

On top of that, Mom was the one doing all the work, and she was even the one buying Dad's alcohol. That money should belong to Mom!

The moment Dad walked back in, Abigail's face changed instantly, and she threw herself into his arms, sobbing pitifully.

"Honey, those two bullied me! That little brat even hit me!"

Dad frowned, grabbing me by the back of my collar and hoisting me off my feet. "Do you want me to beat you to death?"

Mom tried desperately to explain. "She's the one who started—"

"Enough!" Dad barked coldly, unwilling to hear any explanations. "Like mother, like daughter. Your lives have just been too easy!"

He forcefully shoved me toward the corner of the room. "If I don't discipline you properly now, you'll be completely ruined when you grow up! You stand there facing the wall until morning!"

Dad also kicked Mom. "And you, don't you dare sit down or rest until Abigail says so!"

He then snatched Mom's phone away by force.

"Don't try anything stupid, or I really will make sure you never see your daughter again."

I stood there until the middle of the night. My legs went completely numb, and my entire head felt heavy and groggy.

"Mom, I'm so dizzy."

The moment she touched my forehead, it was burning hot.

Panicking, she scrambled up to find a doctor, running straight into Dad, who was returning with midnight snacks.

"Bailey has a fever! Hurry, call a doctor!"

Seeing how pale my lips were, a flash of worry surfaced in Dad's eyes. But just as he reached out to pick me up, Abigail started limping and crying.

"Why did you use such hot water to bathe your daughter? You left the bathroom floor so slippery that I took a horrible fall! What if something happened to our baby?!"

Dad’s concern shifted to Abigail in an instant. Not forgetting to glare savagely at Mom, he said, "Playing dirty tricks again! If anything happens to Abigail, I'm going to make you pay!"

"Bailey really has a fever..."

However, Dad ignored Mom's tearful pleas, taking Abigail to find a doctor.

Left with no choice, Mom could only cry and beg the nurse. "Can you please save my daughter first? I'll make up the money, I promise."

The nurse looked conflicted, explaining that hospital policy wouldn't allow it.

I began to cough, my entire face flushing bright red. A kind-hearted patient nearby couldn't bear to watch any longer and offered to cover my medical bills.

But after typing in my information, the hospital staff looked up in confusion. "There's no record of this child."

Mom repeated my Social Security number over and over. After trying a few more times, the staff member sighed at Mom.

"Your daughter doesn't seem to be registered in the system anywhere. We can't check her in for an appointment."