Chapter 3
My mom's eyes were red. Though she tried to say something, only silent tears kept falling.
My dad's gaze kept shifting, clearly lost in thought.
In the end, Theo eventually revealed who I really was.
As soon as Elaine realized I was my parent's real daughter, she broke down in tears.
Elaine brushed away my mom's hand, swiped at her tears, and dashed upstairs.
As I watched everyone's eyes drawn to Elaine, my nose prickled.
I realized that after three years, the three people who were dearest to me all changed.
I tilted my head up, blinking hard to fight back the tears.
"You all know who Elaine is, right? Are you so nice to her because of me?" I asked.
My mom finally looked at me and wrapped my hand in hers, worry written all over her face.
"Angela, Elaine is a good kid. We owe her a lot, so we have to do everything we can to make it right," she siad.
Theo pulled me into his arms, and that overpowering perfume flooded my senses again.
"Angela, everything your parents and I are doing is for you. You'll be back on your feet soon," Theo said.
Even before I slipped into a coma, Theo had already found Elaine, who was medically compatible with me.
During those three years I was out, I could still catch faint snippets of the nurses' whispers as they cared for me.
One of the nurses whispered, "Poor Angela. It's only been a month, and her boyfriend's already moved on. He hasn't visited her once."
I knew the truth.
Even though my eyes were shut tight, I was still conscious.
Every night, Theo would sneak in just to talk to me, only slipping out when the sun came up.
But seeing all this play out today, I suddenly found myself wondering about something I'd never even considered before.
If Theo really wanted Elaine to donate her bone marrow for me, with his resources and tricks, he could've found plenty of ways to make it happen.
He didn't have to get involved personally like this.
I still felt uneasy, no matter what they said.
I pulled away from Theo and went upstairs without saying a word.
Then, I found my bedroom door closed tight.
I tried the handle a few times, but it was locked from the inside.
Then, Elaine opened the door, glaring at me with hate in her eyes.
When she saw Theo heading upstairs behind me, she started sobbing and rushed straight into his arms.
Theo instinctively wrapped his arms around her, and for a brief moment, I caught the flash of heartache in his eyes.
His feelings seemed genuine.
My hands shook uncontrollably, and I looked away, unable to watch anymore.
I walked a few steps further into the bedroom.
It seemed that none of my things had ever been here. Everything in the room had been swapped out and replaced with something completely new.
Elaine nestled comfortably against Theo's chest, her tone sweet and perfectly considerate as she addressed my parents.
She said, "Mr. and Mrs. Ramos, I truly didn't realize this used to be Angela's room. Please, just give me a little while. I'll move my stuff out right away."
She threw me a sidelong glance, and there was something cold and unfathomable lurking in her tone.
"Even though I mostly live at Theo's place now, I still have a few of my things here to pack up," she added lightly.
My dad, who hadn't said a word since I walked in, finally broke his silence.
"No need to move out. This is your room now, and you're always welcome here. Angela can just find herself another room," he said.
"I don't want to," I replied.
I locked eyes with my dad, making it clear I wasn't giving in.
"This has been my room for over twenty years. I'm not switching," I insisted.
My voice wasn't even raised, but Elaine broke down crying as if I'd just yelled at her.
"I'll move out. Angela, please, don't pressure me like this, okay?" she pleaded.
With that, she burst into tears and ran downstairs.
Theo didn't even spare me a glance. He just rushed after her without a second thought.
I stood there, numb, hearing my dad shouting at my mom.
He said, "Lock this room up. From now on, only Elaine can stay here."
It was clear those words were meant for me.
In the end, I got booted to the guest room.