Chapter 2

"So, you've decided not to get tested to see if you're a match, and you're not giving me my money back either?" I asked.

I looked calmly at the whole family.

"That's right! You're going to jinx the whole family. Bringing sickness into the house during Christmas is such bad luck... Go pray away your bad luck, and only then come back," Mom snapped.

Mom glared at me like I was the enemy, snatched up a kitchen knife, and started waving it around, chopping at the air.

"Evil spirits, begone! Evil spirits, begone..." she kept chanting.

I snorted and headed straight for my room.

Then, I silently switched off the mini camera strapped to my chest.

*****

Since I got home, I could tell Tim's condition was definitely abnormal.

He was always tired. Even after sleeping all day, his blood pressure was high, and he had frequent and urgent trips to the bathroom.

"Men just need to sleep it off. Going to the hospital during Christmas is bad luck," I tossed out.

Surprisingly, Mom and Dad actually agreed with me.

"Exactly! Tim's got good fortune. Just let him rest, and all his troubles will be gone," Dad chimed in.

Every day, Mom and Dad had my sister-in-law running around the kitchen, whipping up feasts to help Tim get his strength back.

And what about me?

To them, it was like my kidney failure didn't even exist. I didn't need any rest at all.

Mom and Dad still bossed me around, making me feed the pigs and ducks, dragging me out of bed at dawn to clean the yard, and doing all the festive shopping.

Even on Christmas Eve, they handed me a list for the big family dinner and ordered me to get everything ready, since all the relatives were coming over.

I kept my mouth shut. With all the relatives coming over for Christmas, this was just the opportunity I needed.

I started prepping the dishes in silence.

Sure enough, as evening came, the relatives began to trickle in, one after another.

"Well, well, Jessica's back! Haven't seen you in years. Spent so much time in the big city, you probably look down on us small-town folks now, huh?" my aunt started, her tone full of snark.

She always had that snarky edge to her words.

She'd tried to get her son a job in the city, but he either whined it was too exhausting or griped the pay was lousy. He lasted less than three months before running back home, swearing he'd never go again.

After that, she changed her tune, always saying the city was nothing special, just a place where all those wild living turned people rotten.

My second aunt piped up, "I heard Jessica's sick. Kidney failure, right? That sounds pretty scary."

Mom and Dad must've let it slip to someone while gossiping, and with how fast news travels in this village, it didn't take long before everyone knew.

Only my youngest aunt looked at me with real concern.

"Oh dear, that illness sounds serious! Why didn't you just stay in the city and take care of yourself, instead of coming back here and running yourself ragged?" she said.

I made sure to sigh loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I came back hoping someone in the family would get tested, see if maybe they're a match for me," I said.

"And I don't have enough money for treatment, so I asked Mom and Dad for some help. But turns out, they didn't want to help at all."

I just wanted the relatives to see Mom and Dad's true colors.

But who would've thought, the moment I said that, all the heat turned on me instead.

"No way! Your parents are getting old, and Tim hasn't even started his own family yet. How can you expect your family to give up a kidney for you?" someone blurted out.

"Raising daughters is just a losing deal. Who gets sick and expects the family to pay for it? That's fate, you can't force these things," another chimed in.

"It's Christmas! Don't even mention sickness. It's bad luck," someone else said, spitting on the ground for good measure.

Everyone was talking over each other, shooting me looks that were either full of pity or straight-up blame, like I was some selfish leech who didn't care if my family lived or died.

Even the relatives sitting next to me instinctively scooted away, like I was carrying the plague or just pure bad luck.

It was like kidney failure was some kind of contagious disease.

Even my youngest aunt, who'd been the only one to speak up for me just now, bit her lip and stayed quiet.

She'd always been shy and timid, and living in this village, there was no way she'd speak up for me in front of the whole crowd.

I quietly scanned the room, memorizing every single face, each one dripping with fake sympathy or silent judgment. I made sure to lock in every last bit of their hypocrisy.

It was not just Mom, Dad, and Tim who were cold-blooded. These so-called relatives were just as bad. I never really knew what they were truly like inside.

To them, I wasn't a niece or a daughter. I was just a cash cow, something they could trade for money if they needed it.

And if that thing broke, they would just toss it out. Not even worth a second thought.

With a loud bang, I slammed my palm on the table and stood up abruptly.

The sudden commotion made everyone freeze. The whole room went dead silent.

I spoke up, my voice icy.

I said, "Yeah, this illness is hard to cure. Honestly, I probably won't last much longer.

"I, Jessica Young, refuse to burden my parents or any of you.

"Since everyone's here, let's make it official. I'm cutting all ties with the Young family and the Lin family. Whatever happens to me from now on, I won't trouble any of you.

"And in return, if any of you run into problems, don't count on me to help."