Chapter 2
"Honey, my sister has never been in any romantic relationships.
"She's such a wonderful person. If you know any decent guy, do introduce him to her," Nikoletta begged as she tugged at Siegmund's hand petulantly.
"I'm good. I like being on my own," I demurred.
I couldn't stand Nikoletta's phony act. After grabbing her dirty clothes, I quickly walked out of the room.
"There's nothing wrong with my sister. She's great in every way. But she's just too aloof.
"If only she could have someone as warm as you to melt her heart." Nikoletta's voice was just loud enough for me to catch every word.
A wave of bitterness washed over me.
Back in university, they used to call me "Sweetie Pie."
Siegmund was always saying I was his little sun, the one who lit up his life...
I was squatting on the floor, hand-washing Nikoletta's clothes. After a while, my legs went numb.
When I suddenly stood up, everything started spinning.
"Careful!" Siegmund's hand grabbed my elbow to steady me. Then he watched me worriedly as I shrugged off his hand and took a step back.
"Is it due to low blood sugar?" Siegmund asked as he fished out the all-too-familiar Life Savers candy from his pocket and offered it to me.
I didn't accept it.
Bracing myself, I grabbed the basin and made my way to the balcony.
But that Life Savers candy only drove the thorn in my heart deeper.
It was all because of him that I had low blood sugar.
Back in my senior year, in the middle of a lecture, Siegmund rushed in and dragged me out of the lecture hall.
He then grabbed both my shoulders and pleaded, "Genni, I beg you! Please save my sister!"
I had no clue what was happening, but he was too busy sobbing to explain.
Eventually, in between tears, he finally told me what happened.
For some reason, his younger sister had downed a bottle of pesticide in a suicide attempt. Thankfully, the dosage was too low to take her life.
However, the chemicals had already entered her bloodstream, and the only way to flush out the poison was a blood transfusion. If she didn't get it soon, she could die any time.
It turned out that his sister had the same extremely rare para-Bombay phenotype as I did.
Back then, I was terrified.
But I was also madly in love with Siegmund.
I was so love-smitten that I allowed him to lure me into the operating room.
After that, my body became a lot weaker, and I kept getting numbness in my hands and feet. They were the long-term side effects of the blood transfusion.
Back then, I didn't want him to worry about me, so I lied to him that I had low blood sugar.
"Genni, from today on, we will always carry candy in our pockets," he promised solemnly.
"I want the Pineapple Life Savers flavor, because it is as sweet as our love!" I clamored excitedly.
That pineapple candy made me feel so sweet all over that reason and common sense became blinded.
It wasn't until after he vanished that I finally found out that his so-called sister was actually Nikoletta all along.
Nikoletta, my half-sister, was the person Siegmund had begged me so tearfully to help…
*****
The sun on the balcony was blindingly bright. I fumbled with the hanger, and the wet clothes slipped right out of my hands. They landed with a soggy thud on the floor.
As I bent down to pick them up, I caught a glimpse of Siegmund leaning against the door frame. He was watching me with a frown.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to. Just let me know how much, I'll pay for them," I said hurriedly.
Some people were more particular about maternity clothes. They did not like it if maternity clothes came into contact with the floor.
When such incidents happened in the past, I had always compensated the owner of the clothes.
"That's not what I meant. If you're not feeling well, don't push yourself," Siegmund said gently as he took the wet clothes from my hands.
"Thank you, Mr. Herrndorf." I did not make a fuss as my back was starting to ache. I massaged my lower back as I made my way to the couch.
"How's your dad doing?" Siegmund had his back to me, so his voice sounded muffled.
I paused mid-way in my massage. To think he still had the courtesy to ask about my dad…
"He has already passed away. He died on my graduation day." Though my voice was steady, my heart felt like it was being torn apart.
Siegmund was a low-income student, but he was very diligent.
On the other hand, I was the typical rich girl, spoiled rotten since I was a kid.
That year, when Siegmund and I first started dating, my dad, who doted on me, noticed it right away.
So that summer after my freshman year, I did exactly what he asked and brought Siegmund home.
Siegmund had good character, so my dad took a liking to him almost instantly.
When Siegmund was in his third year, he teamed up with his buddies to start a business. My dad was the investor who backed them.
After he graduated, my dad introduced him to all the people with connections and helped him establish himself as a rising star in the business world.
Life was smooth sailing for him back then. His business kept getting better and better.
"Genni, when you graduate, I will marry you," he enthused.
"Sure! When everyone else is wearing their graduation gowns, I'll be the one in a wedding gown. Everyone will be so envious!" I said jokingly.
Siegmund then pulled me into his arms. He proceeded to kiss me tenderly and delicately like I was his treasure…