The Discarded Daughter's Final Gift

Loading promotion info...

The Discarded Daughter's Final Gift

NovelMaster new Completed
现实主义-Realistic

I was the curse of the family. My mother had severe chondromalacia and nearly bled to death giving birth to me. My parents hated me for it, dumping me in the dark basement to fend for myself. Later, my little sister was born. She was always sickly. My parents claimed it was all my fault—that my bad omen had doomed her too. So they banished me to our old, rundown house in a remote rural town. They left me no money and bought me no groceries. I survived for years by digging through garbage cans. It wasn't until I turned nine that my father finally came to bring me back. I genuinely believed I was finally coming home to a loving family. Instead, the second my mother saw me, she lunged forward and began beating me frantically. "It's all your fault, you little monster! You poisoned your sister, and now she needs a kidney transplant to survive!" My father stood by, his gaze utterly chilling. "We should have aborted you the day we had the chance." But Mom and Dad, I don't have much time left either. It was my little sister's first birthday party. Dressed in an exquisite fairy-tale gown, she was cradled warmly in Dad's arms. Meanwhile, I was pinned to the icy floor tiles, battered and covered in blood. Mom glared down at me with pure venom. "Riley, you only came back to murder Stella, didn't you?" "Why couldn't you just drop dead?! I almost bled to death in the delivery room because of you! And now you dare lay a hand on my precious daughter? How can an evil creature like you even exist?!" Baby Stella burst into tears. I instinctively reached out to soothe her, but Mom violently shoved me aside. "Riley, the moment I find the bruises you left on Stella, I will pay you back a thousand times over!" Mom collapsed onto the floor, trembling with exhaustion. Dad instantly rushed over, wrapping his arms around her with profound tenderness and whispering softly, "Chloe, sweetheart, take it easy. You need to take it easy. You're already unwell." "If you hate Riley that much, the second she donates her kidney to Stella, I'll ship her right back to the countryside." "Chloe, the only daughter we care about is the one you love. As long as you despise her, Riley is nothing more than an unwanted stray." Dad's voice was devoid of warmth. When his eyes shifted toward me, there was only bitter disappointment. "Riley, I told you to behave." "How many times must I warn you? Your mother is sick. Everyone in this household caters to her!" "If you hadn't hurt your sister and made her cry, your mother wouldn't have had an episode." "Riley, you disgust me." Dad waved the maid over. "Throw her in the basement." Panic immediately set in. Cold sweat broke out across my forehead as the crushing weight of claustrophobia gripped my chest. Everyone had forgotten I was terrified of dark, enclosed spaces. Curled up in the damp, freezing corner, tears trickled down my cheeks. "But Dad... I really was being good." I didn't hurt Stella. She started crying, and I just wanted to gently pat her. Because that was how Mom used to hold me, a very long time ago. Mom had a cartilage condition that made her knees hurt. During my delivery, complications nearly cost her life on the operating table. She had suffered from severe depression ever since. The sight of me triggered her rage. So, when I was only three, I was dumped in the countryside to scavenge through dumpsters for scraps and stale bread just to stay alive. Now, at age nine, Stella's kidneys were failing, and Dad brought me back for one sole purpose. There was no warmth, no affection. Just bruises and beatings on my very first night back. I lay sprawled on the concrete floor, my small body aching all over. Later that night, an icy bucket of water splashed across my face, snapping me awake. Mom loomed over me in the shadows, looking like a vengeful specter clawing out of hell. Her eyes were bloodshot, dripping with pure hatred. "Riley, as long as you're breathing, my little Stella will live in terror." "For Stella's sake, you don't deserve to exist in this world!" Her fingers locked onto my throat, squeezing with terrifying force. She truly wanted to choke the life out of me right then and there. Suddenly, Dad stepped in, pulling Mom into his embrace and whispering reassurances. "Chloe, stop. Don't be afraid. As long as I'm here, I'll never let Riley hurt you or our baby." "Stella still needs her kidney to stay alive. She can't die yet. Please. Take a breath." Mom buried her face into Dad's chest, sobbing hysterically. She cried that she must have sinned in a past life to give birth to such a heartless monster. "Mark, in one week, I want Riley gone!" "As long as she leaves her kidney behind, our little girl will be saved!" Dad gently carried Mom away. I was left lying alone on the damp, freezing concrete. Endless darkness threatened to swallow me whole. I squeezed the small tracker bracelet tightly in my hand. Miss Anderson, my teacher in the countryside, had given it to me. She told me that whenever things became unbearable, all I had to do was press the emergency button. She promised she would send someone to rescue me. I held the bracelet against my chest, as if drawing a sliver of warmth and courage from the cold plastic. I really didn't want to run away from my parents. I just wanted a family.The next morning, I was dragged out into the living room. My clothes were stiff with dried blood, my skin mottled with dark purple bruises. Across the room, Dad sat holding Stella on his lap. She was dressed in an adorable, frilly pink dress, her cheeks glowing with health. "Our little Stella is such a precious angel. Mommy's golden girl." "You're going to grow up so bright and successful, aren't you, sweetie?" As she spoke, Mom shot a cold, murderous glare my way. "Anything that tries to hurt you deserves to die." Mom praised the baby endlessly, but her gaze toward me was laced with poison. Dad held Mom soothingly until her ragged breathing finally stabilized. Mom never looked at me once, nor did she care whether my wounds throbbed in pain. The maid dropped a dog bowl onto the floor, gesturing rudely for me to get on my knees. "Here you go, Miss Riley. There aren't any spare dishes left in the kitchen. Since you grew up scavenging in the sticks, you won't mind, will you?" "Honestly, a wild stray should know its place. Why embarrass yourself pretending to be part of high society?" Mom had clearly instructed the maid to treat me this way, and Dad merely watched without saying a word. I quietly avoided Dad's gaze, curled myself into the corner, and scooped the food into my mouth with trembling fingers. I was so, so hungry. The woman my parents left me with in the countryside hardly ever fed me. I hadn't eaten a full meal in over a year. I had forgotten what it felt like not to starve. Before I was three, Mom hadn't been this cruel. Whenever she was having a good day, she would cradle me in her lap and softly sing to me. "Our sweet little Riley is so good. You'll take good care of Mommy when you grow up, won't you?" "Look how pretty you are, just like your mother. You're the cutest little girl in the whole wide world." Yet now, all she ever offered me was hatred. Mom stepped out for a moment, leaving Stella sitting at the dining table. The baby blinked her wide, innocent eyes and reached out her chubby little arms, wanting me to hold her. My heart melted. Miss Anderson once taught me that older sisters should always look out for their younger siblings. I could never hate my little sister; I wanted her to have everything bright and beautiful in the world. Looking at the warm, rich chicken porridge left in Stella's bowl, my mouth watered and gently pushed it toward her. "I'm not hungry, Stella. You eat." The toddler babbled incoherently, flailing her arms, and accidentally swiped the bowl off the edge. Scorching hot porridge poured directly over my hands, scalding my skin. Hearing the crash, Mom rushed back in. Her face paled, and she snatched Stella into her arms, examining her frantically with tear-filled eyes. "Stella! Baby, are you hurt?!" "It's all Mommy's fault! I never should have let you anywhere near this vile monster!" "The moment this stray hands over her kidney, Mommy will kick her out into the street, okay?" Mom's eyes were icy. Once again, I was thrown back into the dark basement. Suffocation weighed heavily on my chest, a dull, familiar ache crushing my lungs. But I seemed to be getting used to it. Nobody cared if I was terrified. Mom had said it herself: she didn't want me. I was a stray, a freak, and I deserved to die. I closed my eyes and pressed down on the button of my tracker bracelet. A moment later, Miss Anderson's voice came through the tiny speaker. "Riley? Sweetheart, are you all right?" "Tell me where you are. Do you remember the address?" I choked back a sob and cut her off. "Miss Anderson... can you come get me? I want to go away." I managed to give her our street name, but my fingers curled so tight around the bracelet I could hardly go on. "I don't belong here." Mom despised me. Dad didn't care. They only brought me back to strip a kidney from my body, and after that, they just wanted me gone forever.When the maid finally hauled me out of the basement, my limbs felt completely numb. Mom, Dad, and Stella had gone to the amusement park. The maid shoved her phone into my face, smugly showing me a video clip. On the screen, Dad wrapped his arms around Mom and Stella, all three smiling radiantly beneath the bright sun. They looked so whole, so blissfully happy—they had completely forgotten my existence. The maid sneered down at me. "Mrs. Hayes made it very clear: our family has no room for a freak like you." "You nearly killed your own mother while still in the womb. God knows what kind of menace you'd become once you grow up." I didn't understand how I was a menace. Everyone called me a stray, an abomination, a filthy trash-picker. I lacked the courage to argue. I quietly picked up the cold, stale crust from the dog bowl and forced it down my throat. I crept back into the basement. That night, a slap woke me, my cheek stinging. Mom stood over me, clutching a snapped silver Saint Christopher medal, shrieking hysterically. "Riley, you just can't stand seeing your sister well, can you?!" "I had this Saint Christopher medal blessed specifically to protect her life! You cut the cord because you want my baby dead!" "You sick, evil parasite! If anything happens to my daughter, I will make you pay with your life!" I shook my head desperately. I never touched Stella's Saint Christopher medal. I never wanted to harm my little sister; I truly prayed she would grow up healthy and happy. "Mom, it wasn't me... I swear I didn't..." Mom refused to hear a word. She was utterly convinced I was trying to murder her child. Mom tied my hands against the wall, whipping my bare back with a thin belt. Dad rushed in, wrapping his arms around her to hold her back. "Chloe, calm down! Don't overexert yourself. I'll check the security cameras right now." "Riley wouldn't have the guts to do this. She doesn't even know what Stella's Saint Christopher medal looks like." "The maid saw her do it with her own eyes, and you're still defending her?!" Mom shrieked, her voice venomous. "Mark, tell me right now—is it going to be me and Stella, or this monster?!" The maid stood quietly off to the side, her eyes darting guiltily. I vaguely realized it was the maid who had cut the cord and framed me for it. Suddenly, Stella started coughing violently, spitting up a mouthful of blood. Mom's knees buckled, and she collapsed in a dead faint. Dad caught Mom, then looked at me. His eyes had gone cold. "Riley, you have disappointed me for the last time." Stella's renal failure had worsened drastically; she was on the brink of death. By the time Dad got us to the hospital, Mom was still too shaken to stand. He fetched a wheelchair and pushed her to Stella's room. Stella was Mom's entire world. If the baby died, Mom wouldn't survive the grief either. Mom looked up at me, begging through tears, "Riley... please, have some mercy on your sister! Just give Stella your kidney, won't you?" "I just want my baby to live! If Stella dies, I'm dying with her!" Mom clutched Dad's sleeve. "Mark, please. I just need my little girl to live." Dad said the hospital would never clear me to be a donor, but he had found a private clinic willing to do the surgery without an independent assessment. Mom only cared about Stella. My death, to them, was nothing more than a convenient solution.I gave in. "Mom... if you need it, I'll give Stella my kidney." Miss Anderson always told me that an older sister should protect her younger sister. Mom went through so much pain to bring me into this world; I wanted to grant her final wish. I had never once thought about what I wanted. So many people called me a stray, telling me I should never have been born, so whether I lived or died didn't seem to matter anymore. I secretly made one last call to Miss Anderson. "Miss Anderson, you don't need to come pick me up." "I think I might die soon. Thank you so much for everything, Miss Anderson. Meeting you was the happiest part of my life." Her voice turned frantic on the other end. "Riley?! What happened? Are your parents hurting you?!" I told her softly about Stella's illness. "Miss Anderson, if I give my kidney to my baby sister, she gets to live." Miss Anderson told me she'd already called child protective services after our first conversation. "Where are they taking you, Riley? Can you tell me the name of the hospital?" I didn't know. I heard Dad coming down the hall and ended the call. Miss Anderson was so good to me, but giving my kidney to Stella was my own choice. Back then, I thought it was a choice because I was the one who said yes. If, by some miracle, I survived the surgery, I just wanted to find a quiet place far away and live on my own. I wanted to learn how to cook, to eat warm meals every single day, and finally understand what it felt like to have a full, satisfied stomach. Dad drove us to a private clinic outside town. By the time they wheeled me into the operating room, I'd stopped asking where we were. Mom gently stroked my cheek, offering me a rare, fleeting smile for the very first time. "Riley, when your sister wakes up safely, you can keep living in the basement." "If you save Stella, I won't hold the broken Saint Christopher medal against you anymore." Tears slipped from the corners of my eyes, rolling into my mouth—salty, bitter, and cold. I was terrified. Trembling, I pulled a folded piece of paper from my hospital gown and handed it to Mom. "Mom... this is my report card. Miss Anderson said I was very smart." "And this is a card I made for you. I wanted to wish you a happy Mother's Day." The card was crumpled and creased. I had stayed up writing it the very night I was brought back to the city. It was my final wish: I just wanted my mother to know that I could have made her proud. Mom's fingers tightened around the card, a ripple of unease flashing across her face. Dad gently placed a hand on her shoulder, soothing her. "Chloe, don't worry. Stella will be completely fine with me here." "Go get some rest. When you wake up, Stella will be safe in your arms." Mom said nothing. Dad wheeled her back to the waiting room. The operating light was the last thing I saw before I went under. When I came around, my kidney was already gone. I found out later that they'd put it into Stella while I was still asleep. It felt as though the very bones inside my body had dissolved into water. Dad was standing by the door of the recovery room. "Riley, you saved Stella." "Once this is over, tell me whatever you want, and I'll buy it for you." An alarm went off. A doctor called for an ambulance, saying my blood pressure was dropping and they couldn't manage it there. Tears soaked my collar. I parted my lips, trying to lift an arm, but my body refused to obey. "Dad... I don't think I can move anymore."

Chapters (4)

第1章

I was the curse of the family. My mother had severe chondromalacia and nearly bled to death giving birth to me. My parents hated me for it, dumping me in the dark basement to fend for myself. Later, my little sister was born. She was always sickly. My parents claimed it was all my fault—that my bad omen had doomed her too. So they banished me to our old, rundown house in a remote rural town. They left me no money and bought me no groceries. I survived for years by digging through garbage cans. It wasn't until I turned nine that my father finally came to bring me back. I genuinely believed I was finally coming home to a loving family. Instead, the second my mother saw me, she lunged forward and began beating me frantically. "It's all your fault, you little monster! You poisoned your sister, and now she needs a kidney transplant to survive!" My father stood by, his gaze utterly chilling. "We should have aborted you the day we had the chance." But Mom and Dad, I don't have much time left either. It was my little sister's first birthday party. Dressed in an exquisite fairy-tale gown, she was cradled warmly in Dad's arms. Meanwhile, I was pinned to the icy floor tiles, battered and covered in blood. Mom glared down at me with pure venom. "Riley, you only came back to murder Stella, didn't you?" "Why couldn't you just drop dead?! I almost bled to death in the delivery room because of you! And now you dare lay a hand on my precious daughter? How can an evil creature like you even exist?!" Baby Stella burst into tears. I instinctively reached out to soothe her, but Mom violently shoved me aside. "Riley, the moment I find the bruises you left on Stella, I will pay you back a thousand times over!" Mom collapsed onto the floor, trembling with exhaustion. Dad instantly rushed over, wrapping his arms around her with profound tenderness and whispering softly, "Chloe, sweetheart, take it easy. You need to take it easy. You're already unwell." "If you hate Riley that much, the second she donates her kidney to Stella, I'll ship her right back to the countryside." "Chloe, the only daughter we care about is the one you love. As long as you despise her, Riley is nothing more than an unwanted stray." Dad's voice was devoid of warmth. When his eyes shifted toward me, there was only bitter disappointment. "Riley, I told you to behave." "How many times must I warn you? Your mother is sick. Everyone in this household caters to her!" "If you hadn't hurt your sister and made her cry, your mother wouldn't have had an episode." "Riley, you disgust me." Dad waved the maid over. "Throw her in the basement." Panic immediately set in. Cold sweat broke out across my forehead as the crushing weight of claustrophobia gripped my chest. Everyone had forgotten I was terrified of dark, enclosed spaces. Curled up in the damp, freezing corner, tears trickled down my cheeks. "But Dad... I really was being good." I didn't hurt Stella. She started crying, and I just wanted to gently pat her. Because that was how Mom used to hold me, a very long time ago. Mom had a cartilage condition that made her knees hurt. During my delivery, complications nearly cost her life on the operating table. She had suffered from severe depression ever since. The sight of me triggered her rage. So, when I was only three, I was dumped in the countryside to scavenge through dumpsters for scraps and stale bread just to stay alive. Now, at age nine, Stella's kidneys were failing, and Dad brought me back for one sole purpose. There was no warmth, no affection. Just bruises and beatings on my very first night back. I lay sprawled on the concrete floor, my small body aching all over. Later that night, an icy bucket of water splashed across my face, snapping me awake. Mom loomed over me in the shadows, looking like a vengeful specter clawing out of hell. Her eyes were bloodshot, dripping with pure hatred. "Riley, as long as you're breathing, my little Stella will live in terror." "For Stella's sake, you don't deserve to exist in this world!" Her fingers locked onto my throat, squeezing with terrifying force. She truly wanted to choke the life out of me right then and there. Suddenly, Dad stepped in, pulling Mom into his embrace and whispering reassurances. "Chloe, stop. Don't be afraid. As long as I'm here, I'll never let Riley hurt you or our baby." "Stella still needs her kidney to stay alive. She can't die yet. Please. Take a breath." Mom buried her face into Dad's chest, sobbing hysterically. She cried that she must have sinned in a past life to give birth to such a heartless monster. "Mark, in one week, I want Riley gone!" "As long as she leaves her kidney behind, our little girl will be saved!" Dad gently carried Mom away. I was left lying alone on the damp, freezing concrete. Endless darkness threatened to swallow me whole. I squeezed the small tracker bracelet tightly in my hand. Miss Anderson, my teacher in the countryside, had given it to me. She told me that whenever things became unbearable, all I had to do was press the emergency button. She promised she would send someone to rescue me. I held the bracelet against my chest, as if drawing a sliver of warmth and courage from the cold plastic. I really didn't want to run away from my parents. I just wanted a family.

第2章

The next morning, I was dragged out into the living room. My clothes were stiff with dried blood, my skin mottled with dark purple bruises. Across the room, Dad sat holding Stella on his lap. She was dressed in an adorable, frilly pink dress, her cheeks glowing with health. "Our little Stella is such a precious angel. Mommy's golden girl." "You're going to grow up so bright and successful, aren't you, sweetie?" As she spoke, Mom shot a cold, murderous glare my way. "Anything that tries to hurt you deserves to die." Mom praised the baby endlessly, but her gaze toward me was laced with poison. Dad held Mom soothingly until her ragged breathing finally stabilized. Mom never looked at me once, nor did she care whether my wounds throbbed in pain. The maid dropped a dog bowl onto the floor, gesturing rudely for me to get on my knees. "Here you go, Miss Riley. There aren't any spare dishes left in the kitchen. Since you grew up scavenging in the sticks, you won't mind, will you?" "Honestly, a wild stray should know its place. Why embarrass yourself pretending to be part of high society?" Mom had clearly instructed the maid to treat me this way, and Dad merely watched without saying a word. I quietly avoided Dad's gaze, curled myself into the corner, and scooped the food into my mouth with trembling fingers. I was so, so hungry. The woman my parents left me with in the countryside hardly ever fed me. I hadn't eaten a full meal in over a year. I had forgotten what it felt like not to starve. Before I was three, Mom hadn't been this cruel. Whenever she was having a good day, she would cradle me in her lap and softly sing to me. "Our sweet little Riley is so good. You'll take good care of Mommy when you grow up, won't you?" "Look how pretty you are, just like your mother. You're the cutest little girl in the whole wide world." Yet now, all she ever offered me was hatred. Mom stepped out for a moment, leaving Stella sitting at the dining table. The baby blinked her wide, innocent eyes and reached out her chubby little arms, wanting me to hold her. My heart melted. Miss Anderson once taught me that older sisters should always look out for their younger siblings. I could never hate my little sister; I wanted her to have everything bright and beautiful in the world. Looking at the warm, rich chicken porridge left in Stella's bowl, my mouth watered and gently pushed it toward her. "I'm not hungry, Stella. You eat." The toddler babbled incoherently, flailing her arms, and accidentally swiped the bowl off the edge. Scorching hot porridge poured directly over my hands, scalding my skin. Hearing the crash, Mom rushed back in. Her face paled, and she snatched Stella into her arms, examining her frantically with tear-filled eyes. "Stella! Baby, are you hurt?!" "It's all Mommy's fault! I never should have let you anywhere near this vile monster!" "The moment this stray hands over her kidney, Mommy will kick her out into the street, okay?" Mom's eyes were icy. Once again, I was thrown back into the dark basement. Suffocation weighed heavily on my chest, a dull, familiar ache crushing my lungs. But I seemed to be getting used to it. Nobody cared if I was terrified. Mom had said it herself: she didn't want me. I was a stray, a freak, and I deserved to die. I closed my eyes and pressed down on the button of my tracker bracelet. A moment later, Miss Anderson's voice came through the tiny speaker. "Riley? Sweetheart, are you all right?" "Tell me where you are. Do you remember the address?" I choked back a sob and cut her off. "Miss Anderson... can you come get me? I want to go away." I managed to give her our street name, but my fingers curled so tight around the bracelet I could hardly go on. "I don't belong here." Mom despised me. Dad didn't care. They only brought me back to strip a kidney from my body, and after that, they just wanted me gone forever.

第3章

When the maid finally hauled me out of the basement, my limbs felt completely numb. Mom, Dad, and Stella had gone to the amusement park. The maid shoved her phone into my face, smugly showing me a video clip. On the screen, Dad wrapped his arms around Mom and Stella, all three smiling radiantly beneath the bright sun. They looked so whole, so blissfully happy—they had completely forgotten my existence. The maid sneered down at me. "Mrs. Hayes made it very clear: our family has no room for a freak like you." "You nearly killed your own mother while still in the womb. God knows what kind of menace you'd become once you grow up." I didn't understand how I was a menace. Everyone called me a stray, an abomination, a filthy trash-picker. I lacked the courage to argue. I quietly picked up the cold, stale crust from the dog bowl and forced it down my throat. I crept back into the basement. That night, a slap woke me, my cheek stinging. Mom stood over me, clutching a snapped silver Saint Christopher medal, shrieking hysterically. "Riley, you just can't stand seeing your sister well, can you?!" "I had this Saint Christopher medal blessed specifically to protect her life! You cut the cord because you want my baby dead!" "You sick, evil parasite! If anything happens to my daughter, I will make you pay with your life!" I shook my head desperately. I never touched Stella's Saint Christopher medal. I never wanted to harm my little sister; I truly prayed she would grow up healthy and happy. "Mom, it wasn't me... I swear I didn't..." Mom refused to hear a word. She was utterly convinced I was trying to murder her child. Mom tied my hands against the wall, whipping my bare back with a thin belt. Dad rushed in, wrapping his arms around her to hold her back. "Chloe, calm down! Don't overexert yourself. I'll check the security cameras right now." "Riley wouldn't have the guts to do this. She doesn't even know what Stella's Saint Christopher medal looks like." "The maid saw her do it with her own eyes, and you're still defending her?!" Mom shrieked, her voice venomous. "Mark, tell me right now—is it going to be me and Stella, or this monster?!" The maid stood quietly off to the side, her eyes darting guiltily. I vaguely realized it was the maid who had cut the cord and framed me for it. Suddenly, Stella started coughing violently, spitting up a mouthful of blood. Mom's knees buckled, and she collapsed in a dead faint. Dad caught Mom, then looked at me. His eyes had gone cold. "Riley, you have disappointed me for the last time." Stella's renal failure had worsened drastically; she was on the brink of death. By the time Dad got us to the hospital, Mom was still too shaken to stand. He fetched a wheelchair and pushed her to Stella's room. Stella was Mom's entire world. If the baby died, Mom wouldn't survive the grief either. Mom looked up at me, begging through tears, "Riley... please, have some mercy on your sister! Just give Stella your kidney, won't you?" "I just want my baby to live! If Stella dies, I'm dying with her!" Mom clutched Dad's sleeve. "Mark, please. I just need my little girl to live." Dad said the hospital would never clear me to be a donor, but he had found a private clinic willing to do the surgery without an independent assessment. Mom only cared about Stella. My death, to them, was nothing more than a convenient solution.

第4章

I gave in. "Mom... if you need it, I'll give Stella my kidney." Miss Anderson always told me that an older sister should protect her younger sister. Mom went through so much pain to bring me into this world; I wanted to grant her final wish. I had never once thought about what I wanted. So many people called me a stray, telling me I should never have been born, so whether I lived or died didn't seem to matter anymore. I secretly made one last call to Miss Anderson. "Miss Anderson, you don't need to come pick me up." "I think I might die soon. Thank you so much for everything, Miss Anderson. Meeting you was the happiest part of my life." Her voice turned frantic on the other end. "Riley?! What happened? Are your parents hurting you?!" I told her softly about Stella's illness. "Miss Anderson, if I give my kidney to my baby sister, she gets to live." Miss Anderson told me she'd already called child protective services after our first conversation. "Where are they taking you, Riley? Can you tell me the name of the hospital?" I didn't know. I heard Dad coming down the hall and ended the call. Miss Anderson was so good to me, but giving my kidney to Stella was my own choice. Back then, I thought it was a choice because I was the one who said yes. If, by some miracle, I survived the surgery, I just wanted to find a quiet place far away and live on my own. I wanted to learn how to cook, to eat warm meals every single day, and finally understand what it felt like to have a full, satisfied stomach. Dad drove us to a private clinic outside town. By the time they wheeled me into the operating room, I'd stopped asking where we were. Mom gently stroked my cheek, offering me a rare, fleeting smile for the very first time. "Riley, when your sister wakes up safely, you can keep living in the basement." "If you save Stella, I won't hold the broken Saint Christopher medal against you anymore." Tears slipped from the corners of my eyes, rolling into my mouth—salty, bitter, and cold. I was terrified. Trembling, I pulled a folded piece of paper from my hospital gown and handed it to Mom. "Mom... this is my report card. Miss Anderson said I was very smart." "And this is a card I made for you. I wanted to wish you a happy Mother's Day." The card was crumpled and creased. I had stayed up writing it the very night I was brought back to the city. It was my final wish: I just wanted my mother to know that I could have made her proud. Mom's fingers tightened around the card, a ripple of unease flashing across her face. Dad gently placed a hand on her shoulder, soothing her. "Chloe, don't worry. Stella will be completely fine with me here." "Go get some rest. When you wake up, Stella will be safe in your arms." Mom said nothing. Dad wheeled her back to the waiting room. The operating light was the last thing I saw before I went under. When I came around, my kidney was already gone. I found out later that they'd put it into Stella while I was still asleep. It felt as though the very bones inside my body had dissolved into water. Dad was standing by the door of the recovery room. "Riley, you saved Stella." "Once this is over, tell me whatever you want, and I'll buy it for you." An alarm went off. A doctor called for an ambulance, saying my blood pressure was dropping and they couldn't manage it there. Tears soaked my collar. I parted my lips, trying to lift an arm, but my body refused to obey. "Dad... I don't think I can move anymore."