“Arthur, I heard that last time I had an episode at the hospital, I really wanted pickled fried radish. You and Abraham waited two hours in the snow just to get it for me and bring it to my ward? That’s so sweet... I was in a coma then, and I’ve been recovering, so I never got the chance to say thank you.”
Arthur’s expression melted. “We’re family. It was nothing.”
Family? What a joke.
That day, I was writhing in pain at home from a stomach infection, barely able to stand. He left with Abraham for three hours, claiming he had to attend a father-son event.
Turns out, their little “family” event was for Loren.
“Then I owe you and Abraham a big dinner,” Loren said in a coy, sugary voice.
Arthur didn’t decline. A faint smile curved his lips. “Sure. Whatever you say.”
“And of course your sister should come too,” Loren added sweetly. “We all live nearby, don’t we?” Her tone was gentle, but her eyes gleamed with challenge when they landed on me. “Sister, why do you look so tired? I’m the one who's been sick for years, remember?”
I had no interest in this game. “Just focus on taking care of yourself. Stop worrying about others. Maybe if you stopped thinking so much, you wouldn’t be so anemic.”
Her expression faltered before she quickly masked it with a smile. Arthur’s brow furrowed, deeper this time, but he said nothing.
Thankfully, the host announced the start of the seminar, bringing a welcome end to this farce. I walked straight to my seat. One more second around them, and I would’ve thrown up.
I’d be getting married in Hawaii soon. It was likely I wouldn’t be able to continue my research after that. This seminar was important—not just for the institute, but for me. I needed to secure a strong partnership for the team and close the chapter on the years I’d poured into this work.
I had once been accepted to a top-tier medical university. But because it was over a thousand kilometers from home—and I wouldn’t be nearby to donate blood to Loren—my parents altered my application behind my back and forced me into a local nursing program.
They chose nursing not for my future, but because it would help me “take better care of Loren.”
When I resisted, they cut off all financial support. I worked part-time jobs to survive, finally got into graduate school, and chose the major I really wanted. But I got pregnant shortly after, and again, everything was put on hold.