Tears spilled over, falling onto the doll’s torn fabric.
Finally, Linda spoke up.
“Enough. Don’t blame Sarah anymore. She always treasured this doll.”
“I promise you, I’ll sew it back together.”
Her warm hand brushed my head, and in that moment, my coughing actually stopped.
Love really could ease pain.
Mom, love me. Please, love me.
If you love me, I’ll endure treatment. I’ll try to live longer.
And so, I settled back into the house again.
My allowance was set to the same standard as Emily’s.
The allowance was enough for me to buy my own medication at the hospital.
After I brought the meds back, I carefully put them away.
I didn’t want to bring up my lung cancer on my own anymore—I was afraid they’d think I was faking it.
Even when I coughed, I tried to hide it from them, but they still showed their disgust.
Dr. James Wilson said the medication could hold things down for now, but I should be admitted as soon as possible.
I promised him that when the time was right, I would tell my family and ask them to accompany me for inpatient treatment.
When they truly loved me—when they truly accepted me—I would tell them.
I hid the bottles behind the bookshelf in my bedroom.
Half a month later, to celebrate Emily Carter’s recovery, my parents ordered a huge cake.
Linda Miller said it was also to make up for the fifteenth birthday I had “missed.”
But Dr. Wilson had told me I shouldn’t eat sweets—
they would only trigger more coughing.
“Thanks, Mom. I’m happy, but I really can’t eat the cake…”
Before I could finish, Emily bit her lip and dabbed at the bandage on her injured wrist, tears brimming.
“Sis, you still haven’t forgiven me after all.”
I raised a hand. “No, that’s not—”
Emily cut me off.
“I really didn’t know you had a peanut allergy before. I specifically told them not to put peanuts in the cake today.”
Pointing at two little fondant girls holding hands on top, she said,
“Look, I even had them make us as sisters—so we could be ‘good’ again.”
“If you won’t eat it, it means you won’t forgive me…”
Her voice trembled, and tears gathered again.
Daniel Miller glared at me.
“Emily already apologized like this—are you really going to keep acting superior?”
Robert Miller frowned and pressed me:
“You’re eating the cake today. Don’t make Emily sad.”
I looked to Linda for help.
Even her eyes showed disappointment as she tried to persuade me:
“Sarah, if you won’t eat it, that really is you being unreasonable.”