Chapter 1

Dad was arguing with Mom again.

I could feel how angry he was, even from behind the door.

"If you're not feeling well, go to the hospital. What's the point of telling me?" he snapped. "I promised Lily I'd be there for her birthday. I can't be late. You're not actually jealous of a kid, are you?"

After losing his temper, Dad stormed out without even looking back.

I rushed into the room, a little worried, and asked Mom, "Lily's birthday is today too. Can I still celebrate mine?"

Mom smiled and said yes, telling me to pack my things. She was going to take me to the amusement park.

But just as I got back to my room and put on my little backpack, I heard the sound of something heavy hitting the floor.

I ran over and saw Mom lying on the floor. Blood was all over the floor.

My baby brother came out of Mom's tummy.

My teacher said that the red water was blood, and if it didn't stop, you'd die.

I didn't want Mom to die, so I put my little hands on her belly, hoping I could make it stop.

But my hands were too small, and the warm blood kept seeping out between my fingers.

I was so scared and started crying really hard.

My crying woke Mom up. She called out to me, her face ghostly pale, "Alison, help me get my phone."

Once I handed it to her, Mom called 911 right away.

She gave our address and explained what was happening.

I heard the doctor say they'd get here as fast as they could and told Mom to hold on.

Once she hung up, Mom dialed Dad's number.

She had to call three times before he finally picked up, and he sounded really annoyed, "What is it?"

Mom was shaking all over from the pain, her voice so weak that I could barely hear her. "Jasper, I'm going into labor early. Please, come home now."

But before she could finish, Dad cut her off, his voice full of rage, "Margaret, drop the act. You were perfectly fine when I left. How could you suddenly go into labor early?

"Did you forget how Lily came into this world? Years ago, on Helen's birthday, you faked being kidnapped. Anthony and I went looking for you, but you were totally fine. Meanwhile, Helen got wasted at her own party, and some random guy knocked her up.

"After that, you forced both of them to leave the country. If I hadn't bumped into her abroad, they'd still be living in misery. Quit being jealous. Everything I'm doing now is to pay for your sins."

Mom was so angry that tears streamed down her face. She cried out, "No, I never did anything like that."

But Dad didn't hear a word she said.

Because I saw the phone screen had already gone black.

Mom's eyes rolled back in her head, and she looked like she was in agony.

I was so terrified that my whole body was shaking as I cried out, "Mom."

Mom was jolted awake by my voice. "Don't be scared, Alison. I'll call your uncle. If your dad won't help us, he will take care of us."

Mom picked up the phone again, and I could hear my baby brother's weak cries next to her.

Mom said, "Alison, go find a blanket and cover your brother with it."

I nodded obediently and dashed into my room, grabbing my favorite little blanket.

But after I covered my brother and went to check Mom, she was already unconscious.

Just then, Mom's phone came to life with a voice.

"Hello?" It was Uncle Anthony's voice.

I clutched the phone, sobbing, and cried out, "Uncle Anthony, please come to our house. Mom's bleeding so much. Please help her."

"Alison, give the phone to your mom," he said.

I whimpered, "But Mom is sleeping."

There was a brief silence on the other end, and then Uncle Anthony's voice suddenly got louder. "Margaret, you liar. Are you teaching Alison to lie? Really impressive.

"Jasper just called me. He said you're jealous because he's going to Lily's birthday. Are you seriously that malicious, causing drama over a kid's birthday?

"Let me tell you, Jasper isn't the only one going today. I'm going too. We're not letting what happened years ago happen again."

After Uncle Anthony finished yelling, there was nothing but silence.

When I finally snapped out of it, the phone screen was already dark.

I didn't know how to unlock Mom's phone, so I ran to my room and grabbed my phone watch.

I called Uncle Anthony again and again.

But every time, he just heartlessly hung up on me.

Just as I was freaking out, there was a knock at the door.

The doctors had arrived. They put Mom and my baby brother onto a stretcher and took them out to the ambulance.

They brought me along to the hospital, too.

Mom was taken into a little room, and the doctors kept rushing in and out.

I stood at the door, craning my neck to peek inside, hoping to see if Mom had woken up.

One of the doctors noticed me and gently led me over to a seat.

She patted my head and said, "Hi, sweetie. We are trying our best to save your mom and your brother. Can you stay here and wait for them to come out?"

I nodded.

Just then, a round-faced man rushed out. Written on the nameplate hanging on his chest was his name, Allan. He asked, "Angela, where's the patient's family?"

The doctor named Angela pointed at me.

Allan frowned, looking shocked. "Seriously? A kid?"

Before Angela could answer, Allan blurted out anxiously, "Her condition is critical. The uterine adhesions are so severe that we may have to remove them. The baby's even worse off.

"The pediatricians have already checked him, and he needs to be transferred to a specialized children's hospital. But honestly, he might not even make it during the transfer. Her family needs to make these decisions right now.

"Go get an adult from her family, now. Otherwise, we might lose both of them."

I only understood one word he said, "lose."

Mom told me that meant dead.

Dead meant I would never see them again.

I would never see Mom again.

I was so scared that I burst into loud sobs.

Angela hurried over, grabbed some tissues, and gently wiped away my tears. "Don't be scared, honey."

I was gasping for breath, sobbing, "Are my mom and my little brother going to die?"

"No, honey, they're not going to die," Angela said, shaking her head. "Everyone here will do everything we can to save them. Do you know your dad's phone number?"