جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

Today was my last day of work.Even if I was leaving, I wanted to finish everything properly.After completing all my handovers and officially quitting all four of my jobs, I suddenly realized I had nowhere to go.Ever since I arrived in this world, I had not had a single moment to rest.First, my adoptive parents treated me like an object. Being beaten and cursed at was part of everyday life.Every day was spent figuring out how to survive. I felt terrified that I would die before I could complete my mission.Six months later, my adoptive parents were arrested.Just when I finally reconnected with my biological family, I ended up carrying the burden of three lives on my shoulders. From that moment, every second of every day was spent working to earn money.As I wandered through downtown, I spotted a familiar figure.Derrick stood at a jewelry counter, holding up his phone with the camera pointed at a display case.On the screen was the face of a girl around my age.She poin

I had less than two days left in this world.My body felt more exhausted with every passing hour, and I did not have the energy to talk.However, even though I refused to respond, the girls only became more enthusiastic under Sheila’s smug smile.At first, Derrick glanced in our direction every now and then. After seeing Sheila laughing and chatting happily, he stopped paying attention.Sheila leaned close to my ear and whispered, her voice filled with triumph.“So what if you are the biological daughter? As long as I am unhappy, you will not even make it through the front door of the Lawson family.”I looked straight at her and spoke slowly and clearly. “I just want some peace and quiet. Can you make them leave me alone, Janet?”The moment she heard the name Janet, Sheila’s pupils tightened.Panic flashed across her face.She forced herself to stay calm, then quickly found an excuse and led her friends away.I wiped the blood from my nose and stayed in the restroom for what

It had taken him nearly half the night to calm Sheila down before she finally hung up.The next day, he told me his condition had gotten worse and that he needed a higher dosage of medication.He watched me take on extra food‑delivery shifts before dawn, running myself ragged to earn enough money for the additional medicine.All he thought was:‘Sheila is still young. Give her a little more time to adjust.’Later, he grew used to life in the wheelchair. He grew used to being supported by me wherever he went.He even found a strange sense of satisfaction in it.His muscles were strong and his bones were perfectly healthy. Whenever he leaned against me and watched me grit my teeth to hold him up, he felt an indescribable pleasure.It gave him the illusion that he was my entire world and that I could not survive without him. No one had ever devoted themselves to Derrick that completely, not even Sheila. Sheila had never lacked love. She had Mom and Dad, her brother, and friends wh

When had that love faded?When had it been replaced by someone else?Derrick did not know.Just then, his phone rang.“Hello, is this Mr. Lawson? This is the customer service manager from Sunridge Hotel.“Yesterday afternoon, one of the guests attending a Lawson family event collapsed in one of our restrooms and was discovered by a member of our cleaning staff.”The manager paused politely.“We were wondering how the guest is doing now. Is she all right? Has she recovered?”Derrick opened his mouth, but his throat felt blocked.Yesterday afternoon…What had he been doing?He had been drinking and laughing with business associates. When he left the hotel, he had completely forgotten about his own sister.Later, when Sheila did not come home and my phone could not be reached, his first assumption had been that I had driven Sheila away.The moment he saw me, he had thrown an ashtray at my head.When Mom slapped me, he had not felt a trace of sympathy.He had even thought sh

I forced myself to speak clearly, making every word count.“Franklin, come back right now. Immediately.”“Come back?” he said, confused. “I am at the construction site. I have overtime today…”“Please.” My voice shook. “Come back now. If you do not, I will go to the construction site and find you myself.”The moment he heard me crying again, he gave in without another argument.“Okay, okay. I am coming back right now.”His tone softened.“Stop crying, all right? Just wait for me at the orphanage.”After hanging up, all the strength left my body.I sank onto the bed.Franklin Lloyd and I were brother and sister. After our parents died when we were young, no one adopted us, so we grew up together in the orphanage, relying on each other for everything.Franklin was two years older than me. He worked himself to exhaustion, taking whatever jobs he could find, and nearly every dollar he earned went toward supporting me.He always said I was smart enough for school and that one da