When Truth Finally Echoes

When I was eight, I caught my dad cheating. He told me that if I dared tell Mom, I wouldn't have a family anymore. So, I kept his secret. When Mom finally found out, she divorced him without making a scene. Instead, she turned all her fury on me, hysterically calling me an ungrateful little monster. She said I was just like my dad—a born liar. From that day on, she never believed a single word I said. When I ran a fever of a hundred and four, she sneered and said I was faking it to slack off. When I was away at boarding school and called to say I missed her, she mocked me, claiming I was just buttering her up for money. Later, she remarried a wealthy man who had a daughter of his own, and they built a happy life together. She often said she was going to raise my stepsister right, making sure the girl would never turn into a habitual liar like me. Then, one evening, eight-year-old Mia blurted something out at the dinner table. "Mom, I saw Claire's medical report yesterday." Mom didn't even glance my way. "What is it this time?" Mia spoke up loudly, "There's something growing inside her belly!" Mom froze for two seconds. The next second, her hand cracked violently across my face. "Instead of doing something with your life, you went and got knocked up out of wedlock! Do you have any shame at all?!" The force of the slap knocked me sideways, sending me crashing to the floor. "I didn't..." "Mia never lies! She's not like you!" My ears rang violently. Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion washed over me, and I lost all desire to defend myself. Mia really hadn't lied. There truly was something inside my belly. But it wasn't a baby. It was a malignant tumor. Mom looked down at me from above. "You haven't even graduated from college, and you pull a disgusting stunt like this? Are you deliberately trying to ruin my life in the Vance family?!" I shook my head weakly. Even though I was her flesh and blood, I was the person in this world most terrified of getting in her way. As a divorced single mother, it hadn't been easy for her to remarry someone as wealthy as Richard. I never wanted to be her burden. The year of my high school graduation, I intentionally applied to a college on the far coast. I had even prepared to take out student loans, thinking that getting out of her sight would allow their family of three to live in peace. But when she found out, she forced me to change my enrollment to a local university. She wired all my tuition and living expenses to my account in one lump sum. Then she screamed at me, "Running off so far—what dirty little secrets are you trying to hide from me?!" In that fleeting moment, a tiny flicker of secret joy had bloomed in my chest. Maybe she just couldn't bear to let me go. So, I stayed in the city where she lived. Yet I only dared to visit her house when Richard specifically invited me over. Just like tonight. I struggled to push myself up from the floor, my stomach twisting with sharp, agonizing cramps. "I'm not pregnant." "Then what is wrong with you?" "I..." The words caught in my throat. I couldn't get a single sound out. I had never planned on telling her about the stomach cancer in the first place. Whether she believed me or not, it would only drag her current family down with me. Seeing my silence, Mom grew even more convinced that Mia was right. "Cat got your tongue? Feeling guilty now, are you?" "I knew it. An eight-year-old wouldn't lie. Unlike you." I smiled bitterly on the inside. Yesterday, Mia had dug my hospital diagnostic report out of my bag. She could read, but she couldn't fully comprehend medical jargon. To her simple mind, it just meant there was a thing growing inside my belly. Sometimes, a half-truth is far more terrifying than a lie. I grabbed my backpack, ready to head back to campus. "Anyway, I'm not pregnant. Not that you'd believe me even if I swore on it." Mom grabbed my arm roughly and snatched the phone straight out of my hand. "Let's see what you're hiding from me this time." My heart clenched as I watched her swipe open my screen. I had a habit of clearing my message history regularly, so she probably wouldn't find anything. Ding. A notification suddenly popped up. I leaned in anxiously to look. It was a Venmo alert. A senior from my department had sent me seven hundred dollars. My mind went blank. I finally remembered: to cover my treatment, I had borrowed that money from him just this morning. Mom's face turned completely cold. She shoved the screen practically into my face. "Who is this? Why is he sending you money?!" My mouth opened, but no words came out. She let out a harsh sneer. "Abortion money, isn't it?" "No! It's because—" The truth surged to the back of my throat. I was right on the verge of coming clean to her. Suddenly, Mia tugged on Mom's sleeve. Rubbing her eyes, she whined, "Mommy, Mia is sleepy. Stop fighting, please. Can you tuck me in?" The tense, furious line of Mom's face melted instantly. She crouched down and picked Mia up in her arms. "Okay, sweetheart. Mommy will take you to brush your teeth." "We're not going to waste our time on someone who doesn't deserve it." Watching their warm, intimate figures walk away, I dazed out for a second. My body swayed. Before I could take a single step toward the door, her sharp reprimand cut through the air. "You're sleeping here tonight. Tomorrow morning, I'm dragging you to the clinic myself!" She put me in the guest room, which had been converted from an old storage closet. Late into the night, I had to swallow several painkillers just to stop my body from trembling with agony. Sometime later, Richard returned home from his business dinner. Through the haze of pain and drowsiness, I overheard Mom venting to him in the hallway. "I really regret having her. Tell me, are some kids just born to be a curse on their parents?" Richard gently consoled her, "Don't let it get to you like this. Take her to the doctor tomorrow for a proper checkup. Maybe it's nothing serious." Mom scoffed. "I know her all too well." "With the way she acted today, she's definitely guilty of something." I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She really did know me so well. Yet, she had never once believed me.Early the next morning, Mom dragged me to the hospital. Even when we reached the entrance, I dragged my feet, terrified to go in. Memories of the day I was first diagnosed with stomach cancer flashed through my mind. The fear and dread still made my heart pound out of my chest. She glanced back at my hesitation and said coldly, "Ashamed of yourself now?" "Stay right here. I'm going to get a check-in ticket." Striding in her high heels, she briskly walked toward the kiosk. That resolute, commanding silhouette of hers somehow brought a bizarre sense of comfort to my chest. For as long as I could remember, Dad had rarely paid attention to me. Whenever I got sick, it was always Mom running around the hospital with me in her arms. Back then, her presence was like an immovable mountain standing behind me. I never had to be afraid of anything. Because no matter what happened, my mom was there. Then everything changed. My pain and illness became mere lies in her eyes. From a very young age, I was forced to learn how to walk into hospitals alone, how to see doctors alone. Now, watching her busy figure bustling around for my sake, a burning sting welled up in my eyes. Even though she was only doing this because she was terrified my scandal would taint her new family. Ticket in hand, she called to me from down the hall, "Come upstairs." I knew very well that whatever exams she had in mind, they would definitely draw blood. And the moment my blood was drawn, my terminal illness could no longer be hidden. Yet at this very moment, a selfish impulse surged inside me. I hurried over and walked slightly ahead of her. A fragile, desperate glimmer of hope bloomed in my heart. Let her find out. When she knows, will she finally forgive me? Will she care for me, take me to see specialists, and feed me medicine just like she did when I was a little girl? If she knows, maybe I won't have to face this fatal diagnosis all alone anymore. My pace quickened. I felt a sudden rush of urgent anticipation. "Wait!" Mom abruptly called out behind me. She frowned, pulling me aside into a corner. Her gaze turned strange and complicated as she told me to turn around. I froze. "What is it?" She stayed silent for a few seconds, then pulled a sanitary pad from her purse and shoved it into my hand. "Go to the bathroom." A warm trickle ran down my inner thigh. It was only then that I realized what had happened. My period had started. I walked into the restroom in a daze. When I came out, I took off my jacket and tied it around my waist to hide the stain. Since this was the case, there was no chance I was pregnant. And Mom didn't need to take me in for an exam anymore. "What a waste of my time," she grumbled under her breath. Suddenly, her phone rang. The moment she answered, her voice softened to a gentle whisper. "Mia? What's wrong at school, baby? Your tummy hurts? Mommy will come pick you up right now." Hanging up, she spun on her heel in a panic and hurried toward the exit. She didn't leave me with anything except an impatient glare. "Stop causing me trouble." I stood there, frozen on the cold hospital floor. I watched silently until her figure completely vanished from sight.I went back and checked myself into the oncology department alone. The moment the specialist saw me, his brow furrowed deeply. "Why are you here alone again? Didn't I tell you last time that your family needs to be informed so we can discuss the next steps of your treatment?" "You're far too young to carry this on your own. Don't push yourself." Remembering Mom's retreating back from earlier, I shook my head softly. "No need. I'll make the decisions myself." The mountain behind me was long gone. All I had left was myself. The medical bills were an impossible mountain to climb. I found a night shift job as a waitress at a diner near campus. Working from dusk until past midnight, I ground myself down every single day just to scrape together cash. Until this evening, when three familiar figures walked through the diner doors. It was Mom, Richard, and Mia. Panic seized me. I ducked my head and tried to bolt toward the back kitchen. Before I could slip away, the manager shoved me right back out into the dining room. "Go take their order! Are you deaf or just stupid?!" he barked. Stumbling forward, I had no choice but to brace myself and walk over to their table. "Hi, welcome. What can I get for you?" "Claire?" Mom stared at me in complete disbelief. Her eyes dragged over me, taking in my drab, stained uniform from head to toe. "What the hell are you doing here instead of going to your classes?!" I curled my fingers into tight fists. "Working. Trying to make some money." Her anger flared instantly, her voice rising to a sharp pitch. "Did I not give you enough for tuition and living expenses?! Where did you blow all that money?!" Richard took her hand, trying to calm her down. "Don't get upset. There's no shame in a kid working a part-time job to support herself." "No shame?! Her college advisor called me this morning! She said Claire has skipped half her classes this month!" Mom let out a cold sneer. "If you don't want to go to school, tell me now so I can save my damn money!" My whole body stiffened. After a beat, I answered in a quiet voice. "That's fine." "What did you say?" "I said, you don't have to pay my tuition anymore." Anyway, I didn't even know how much longer I had left to live. Mom's expression warped with rage, blowing up right on the spot. "Claire! Who are you playing the victim for right now?!" Hearing the loud commotion, the manager rushed over, bowing and apologizing profusely. "I am so sorry, folks. She's just a temporary hire, clumsy and completely brainless." He turned and glared at me murderously. "Get your useless ass into the kitchen and prep the dishes!" I kept my head down, silently turning to leave. Mom's face was dark with fury, but she didn't call after me again. The manager took their order. Mia wrapped her arms around Mom's neck, whispering something sweet into her ear. Only then did Mom's rigid expression begin to soften. Whenever I wasn't around, their family of three looked so warm, so picture-perfect. Through the narrow glass window of the kitchen, I watched them quietly, like a ghost peeking into someone else's paradise. Mom took an extra glass, filled it with warm water, and rinsed the spicy dishes thoroughly before feeding them to Mia bite by bite. As Mia chewed, Mom gently brushed the stray hairs away from her forehead. It was as if she were raising a child all over again from the age of eight. Slowly overwriting every trace of me. A bitter sting pricked the bridge of my nose. This was good, too. The love I lost after turning eight—at least someone else was receiving it now. When they were ready to settle the bill, the manager barked at me to run the register. That familiar, excruciating stab of pain shot through my limbs again without warning. Cold sweat beaded on my forehead. My vision blurred into darkness. Gritting my teeth to check the receipt, my dizzy mind missed an item on the ticket. The manager exploded instantly. "Are you an idiot?! A whole college student and you can't even count basic change?!" Ignoring the customers around us, he raised his hand to slap me across the face. I shut my eyes tight, waiting for the impact. But the blow never landed. Richard caught the man's wrist tightly and shoved him back with force. "Back off." Mom yanked me behind her in a flash, holding her phone up high. "You want to hit her? I'm recording every second of this." The manager froze. Seeing that this family clearly had money and influence, he retreated a couple of steps in defeat. Mom dragged me toward the exit, her voice still biting cold. "Look at you, skinny as a sick bird. Trying to play independent—do you even have what it takes?"Naturally, I was fired on the spot. Mom dragged me back to their house once again. For some reason, she stayed furious the entire drive home. "He went to hit you! Are you too stupid to dodge?!" The corner of my mouth twitched weakly as I opened my hands. "I forgot." In reality, the pain had blinded me; I simply hadn't possessed the strength to move. "Useless," she snapped, not sparing me another glance. Richard looked me over, his brows knitting together in concern. "Claire, why have you gotten so terribly thin?" Mom said flatly, "She runs around doing who knows what all day. It'd be a miracle if she weren't skin and bones." I kept my lips pressed together, following behind them without uttering a word. Once inside, Richard noticed my sickly, yellowish complexion and asked gently, "Claire, did you not eat anything today?" "I'll have the maid whip something up for you. Here, eat this pastry first to settle your stomach." He pressed a wrapped roll into my hands. Yet I couldn't bring myself to tear open the plastic. It wasn't that I didn't want to eat; it was that anything I swallowed came right back up. If I threw up in front of them, Mom would only become angrier. I offered him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Richard. I already ate earlier, so don't worry about me." Richard was a genuinely good man. Even though we didn't share a drop of blood, he still treated me with kindness. A small warmth stirred in my chest—at least Mom had chosen the right person this time around. Mom cast a suspicious glance at me, but she didn't comment. Suddenly, my phone buzzed violently in my pocket. When I answered, my biological father's voice came through the line. I moved to slip into the bathroom to take it, but Mom snatched the phone from my grip in an instant. She recognized his voice immediately. Her entire body began to tremble with rage as she slammed the end-call button down. I knew that look all too well. It was the calm before the storm. She pointed a shaking finger at my face, her voice piercing the room. "Why are you still talking to him?! After all these years, you're still on his side, aren't you?!" My lips quivered. "...I haven't been talking to him." I lied. In truth, I had reached out to him once over the past few years. Just last week, desperate to pull together funds for my treatment, I called him to ask for back-pay child support. He had cursed me out and blocked my number immediately. Perhaps a sudden ping of guilt had spurred him to call me back today. "Lies! More lies!" "Claire, I gave birth to you! I raised you! Don't you realize how painfully obvious you are whenever you lie?!" Her gaze was dripping with venom, sharp as blades pinning me to the wall. For years, I had never understood. She and Dad had been divorced for over a decade, and she had built a happy new life of her own. Yet the resentment inside her had never faded. Looking into her bloodshot eyes today, the realization finally struck me. It wasn't Dad she hated. It was me. Richard placed a steady hand on her shoulder, trying to soothe her. "Calm down. He's still her biological father, after all. A phone call isn't the end of the world." I lowered my gaze, speaking softly into the suffocating silence. "I only reached out to him to ask for money for medical treatment." Mom let out a bitter, furious laugh. "Still making up stories? Couldn't you at least come up with a smarter lie?!" "I took you to the hospital myself the other day! There wasn't a damn thing wrong with you!" My breath shook in my chest. Why is it that when I finally tell the truth, you can never see it? "I'm sorry." I dragged my feet toward the front door. Before the door clicked shut, her lingering, furious voice echoed from inside. "Leave! If you have the guts to walk out, don't you dare ever come back!" She used to tell me that raising a dog would have been better than raising me. When I was little, back in the countryside, we had a small stray dog. When it was nearing the end of its life, it quietly crept away from the house, dug a shallow ditch in the dirt, and lay down inside to die. Now, I was leaving home just like that little dog. And this time, I probably wouldn't ever come back. ... A few days later, Mom's phone suddenly rang with an unfamiliar call from the hospital. "Hello, is this Claire's family?" Her heart skipped a beat. "Yes. What happened?" "Why hasn't Claire checked into the hospital yet? Her malignant tumor has already metastasized. Her life is in critical danger at any moment." "What tumor?!" Clatter. The phone slipped from her fingers, smashing onto the floor. Mom's face turned completely, horrifyingly pale.