Chapter 6

I asked the program director to fax the cancellation application to the hospital.

The handwriting on the paper looked almost identical to the letter withdrawing from the program five years ago.

Every stroke tried to mimic my handwriting, but the final stroke in my name had a little hook at the end.

That was how Mom always signed my name.

I grabbed the application and went to see her.

She sat by Emily's bedside, carefully peeling an apple.

"Why did you cancel my spot in the program?" I asked.

Her hand froze mid-peel. "Emily's got more checkups coming up. You have to come with us abroad."

"I never agreed to that."

"This isn't the time for you to be stubborn."

"I've already donated."

Mom cut the apple into small pieces and put them in a bowl. "So you think you're a big deal because you donated once? The doctor said it could come back, and you might have to do it again.

"It's more convenient for everyone if you stick around."

I looked at her, and I finally understood.

It wasn't about bringing me home.

They wanted to keep me close, like I was Emily's emergency backup, ready to be used whenever she needed me.

"I'm not going," I said.

Mom slammed the knife down on the table. "Your spot in the program is gone. You don't have a choice. You're coming with us."

I put the faxed paper down in front of her. "You forged my signature and falsified the application. I can report you to the police."

Her expression shifted. "I'm your mom. What's wrong with making decisions for you?"

"You canceled my spot in the program five years ago, and now you're doing it again. You never once asked what I wanted," I said.

Emily opened her eyes in the hospital bed.

She was so weak that her voice was barely audible. "Mom, give the spot back to Emily."

Mom quickly tucked the blanket around her. "This isn't your concern. She should save you."

Emily turned her head away and fell silent.

When Dad found out I was going to call the police, he rushed over.

He pulled me into the stairwell, first trying to talk me into putting family first, then offering me 1,500 dollars as compensation.

I asked him how much they got for selling those two houses.

His expression froze.

"All that money went to Emily," he said.

"So where's that 1,500 dollars coming from?" I asked.

"Helen, don't push your luck. We're your parents. What do you think you'll gain by dragging this to the police?"

"At least no one will dare sign my name for me again."

Dad raised his hand.

But before he could bring it down, Grace rushed down the stairs.

She grabbed Dad's wrist, with Scarlett and the program director right behind her.

The director had kept the original emails and fax records.

The cancellation application came from the email account Mom used overseas.

With the evidence right in front of them, they couldn't deny it anymore.

The program agreed to reinstate my spot. But they had one condition.

During the program, my guardianship had to be officially settled.

If my parents kept interfering, I could lose my place in the program at any moment.

Grace requested a guardianship change right then and there.

Mom was dead set against it. "I gave birth to her. Why should Grace get to be her guardian?"

Scarlett couldn't help but ask her. "If you didn't want to let go, then why did you leave her on her own for four years?"

"Wasn't Helen doing fine without us?" Mom snapped.

Mom jabbed a finger at Grace. "She had a roof over her head and food to eat, thanks to someone else. Why should we waste our money on her too?"

The program director recorded that statement.

Then the community workers showed up, bringing with them all the records of my life over the years.

There was proof that my parents had been missing for years, there were my scholarship applications, and there was a note saying I was basically homeless after they sold the old place.

Dad finally started to panic.

He pulled Mom aside, telling her to go along with it for now, and they'd figure something out later.

Mom stared at me, her gaze icy. It took me right back to that day when I was ten.

"You're really choosing an outsider over your own mother?" she said.

I didn't answer.

I carefully wrote out my name myself on the guardianship change application.

This time, nobody could sign for me.

Once the guardianship paperwork was being processed, I went back to school to take the make-up exam for the program.

The day I finished the exam, the hospital suddenly called.

Emily was having a severe rejection reaction, and her condition took a sudden turn for the worse.

Mom was crying on the phone, begging me to come right away.

When I got to the ward, I overheard her and Dad arguing in the stairwell.

"The doctor already said Helen can't donate again," Dad said, his voice barely above a whisper.

But Mom was gripping another test report so tightly her knuckles were white. "They're sisters. Her body isn't good for bone marrow. Emily's kidneys are failing. Helen's got two kidneys."

I stood outside the stairwell, feeling my hands and feet go numb with cold.

Mom was still inside, begging. "She already gave bone marrow, so why not a kidney?"

Dad kept his voice low. "The doctor said she finished the donation. Her body can't handle it."

"Losing a kidney won't kill her." Mom was crying so hard she could barely breathe. "Do you really expect me to stand by and watch Emily die?"

I pushed open the stairwell door.

They both instantly went quiet.

Mom quickly hid the test report behind her back. "When did you get here?"

"Ever since you said I still have two kidneys," I replied.

Panic flickered across Mom's face for a second, but she quickly put on a sad look. "Helen, I'm out of options here. Emily's kidneys are failing. The doctor said that if we can find a suitable donor, she still has a chance."

"The doctor also said I can't donate again."

"That's this hospital not wanting to take responsibility."

She grabbed my hand, her nails nearly breaking the skin. "Doctors overseas have seen way more cases like this. They'll know what to do. You and Emily are such a perfect match. Your kidney will definitely be a match, too."

I yanked my hand away from her. "I'm not doing it."

She froze for a second.

Then, her sad face twisted into pure rage. "How can you be so heartless? She's your sister. You have two kidneys, so what if you give her one?"

I stared at her, calm and unflinching. "If I were the one dying, would you force Emily to give me hers?"