Chapter 34
Book 4: I’m Dying, and Now They Love Me Again.
Ring, ring-
The phone rang again. The screen displayed a dozen missed calls from her.
Victoria was relentlessly dialing my number.
“Sis, tomorrow’s our birthday, make sure to come early, okay?”
I didn’t respond to her invitation, but she continued talking.
“Mom made so many dishes, and she bought a huge mango cake!”
She continued to share her excitement, but I couldn’t empathize with her joy.
Because I’m allergic to mangoes.
And August third-that’s her birthday, not mine.
My birthday is in the winter.
A sharp bitterness stung my nose, my vision blurred, and I quickly lowered my head, sniffling.
“Oh, and sis, my boyfriend’s coming too!”
Her upbeat tone made it clear how happy she was.
My heart clenched painfully. My fingers turned white as I gripped the phone, tears falling uncontrollably onto the back of my hand.
Victoria kept talking, unaware.
I cut her off: “I’m not coming tomorrow.”
I couldn’t bear to listen any longer and hung up.
But your boyfriend-he used to be my boyfriend.
Leaning against the wall, I slowly sank into the chair by the door, the cold seeping through my body.
I recalled what the therapist told me: “Your condition is severe. You need to take your medication on time, understood?”
“Mm.” I absentmindedly rubbed the diagnosis papers.
Depression. Now severe.
The costly medications, the endless diagnosis reports.
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That’s a lie. I can’t cry at all.
The next day, I didn’t go, When I returned home, I saw John standing outside the building.
Book 4: I’m Dying, and Now They Love Me Again
I wanted to head straight upstairs, but he suddenly reached out and grabbed me.
“Lisa, can we talk?”
There was something in his gaze, maybe affection-or was it regret?
A month ago, I might have believed he only had eyes for me.
I brushed his hand away. “Respect yourself. We have nothing to do with each other anymore.”
Keeping my distance from him, I turned to upstairs.
Suddenly, warmth pressed against my back.
I struggled madly, hitting John repeatedly. “What are you doing? Let go of me!!”
“Lisa, trust me, I have my reasons for all of this!”
“Just give me a little more time, please?”
“What are you two doing?!”
A shocked voice called out from behind us.
John’s hand released me faster than lightning, and he shoved me hard.
I fell to the ground without warning, my palms and ankles scraping against the rough pavement.
Looking back, I saw three people standing there.
Victoria, Dad, and Mom.
“Elisabeth, you really are shameless, seducing men right here at home, huh?”
Mom’s scolding pierced deep into my heart.
As I stared at the absurd scene unfolding before me, a chill settled inside me.
Victoria rushed up and clung to John’s arm, her wide eyes looking at me like an innocent doe.
“Sis, how… how could you do this?”
Ignoring the pain, I stood up and asked her, “What did I do?”
Mom stormed over and slapped me with all her strength.
My head turned to the side, cold sweat trickling down as I struggled to stay upright.
Before I could speak, Mom pointed at my face and shouted, “How dare you ask what did?!”
“Johnny is your sister’s boyfriend! How could you even think of seducing him?”
“Have you no shame? Why did I ever adopt such a shameless daughter?”
Book 4: I’m Dying, and Now They Love Me Again
I held my face, staring at them in disbelief.
You all know John was my boyfriend!
I shook my head, wanting to explain.
But Mom didn’t look at me anymore. She turned and comforted Victoria instead.