Chapter 6
The back of Lucy's hand was bright red from the burn, and the lasagna had dropped to the floor.
"What happened?" Jonathan rushed in at the sound.
Lucy's eyes instantly filled with tears. "Jonathan, it's okay. Anna didn't mean to do it.
Jonathan's face darkened instantly. He shot me a loaded look. "You can't just lash out at Lucy because of what Henry said. Apologize to her right now." With that, he grabbed Lucy's hand and ran it under cold water, his eyes full of worry.
I stared at Lucy in disbelief. It felt like I was seeing this "sister" of mine clearly for the very first time. It turned out all that friendliness before was just a front.
"I'll say sorry, but only after Henry apologizes to me first. If the kid misbehaves, that's on the parents," I said.
The moment I said the last sentence, Jonathan stiffened.
Ethan immediately jumped in, swearing as he defended Lucy. "I told you she was bad luck, but none of you listened. You insisted on bringing her back. Well? Her true colors are showing now, aren't they? Ever since she stepped into this house, she's been targeting Lucy."
"That's enough! Cut it out," my father barked, shutting Ethan up. Then he turned to me. "Anna, you messed up. Say sorry to Lucy."
I gave them all a cold stare. The whole time, nobody let me say a single word—they just blamed me for everything, no questions asked.
When the standoff dragged on, my mother stepped in. "Let's all take a step back. Anna, head to your room and change your clothes first."
I thought my mother might believe me until I met her eyes that were filled with disappointment.
Fine. I was leaving anyway. Whether they believed me or not no longer mattered. I turned and went upstairs to change out of my stained clothes.
As I was coming downstairs, I stepped on a marble and suddenly lost my balance. I felt a strong push from behind, and the next thing I knew, I was tumbling down the stairs.
A sharp, explosive pain shot through my wrist and abdomen.
Just before everything went black, I forced myself to look up and saw Henry pulling a silly face at me, then running off.
When I came to, the sharp smell of alcohol filled my nose.
I struggled to open my eyes. My vision stayed blurry for several long seconds before the scene by my bedside finally came into focus.
Jonathan had one hand pressed to his forehead, the other wrapped tightly around mine. Maybe he sensed I was awake; he jolted up and looked at me.
Our eyes met. For a split second, joy flickered in Jonathan's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by guilt and unease. He said, "Anna, the doctor said your right wrist is badly injured. You might... not be able to hold a scalpel anymore."
His words felt like a dagger to my heart. Tears flooded out as hopelessness swallowed me whole. I said coldly, "This is the child you and Lucy raised."
Jonathan's voice cracked. "Henry didn't mean it. He's scared too. And maybe this isn't a bad thing. Being a doctor is exhausting. I'm moving back to Beimora soon. I can stay with you all the time. I can take care of you."
I stared at him in disbelief. He had once supported me in my career no matter what. But now, he was dismissing my years of effort for Lucy.
I refused to let him see me break. I bit down hard and forced the sob back. "Just go. I don't want to see you right now."
Jonathan reached out, as if he wanted to say more. But then his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, hesitated, then let out a quiet sigh. "Something came up at the company. I need to go. Maybe we both need a few days to cool off."