Chapter 1

My parents were a couple brought together by nothing but spite.

Back when they were young, they both got dumped by their own beloved one, so their families set them up for a rushed, arranged marriage, and that was how they ended up together.

They did love each other, but neither would ever say it out loud.

So instead, they took it all out on me.

Mom would say, "Your eyes are so small. Just like your dad's."

Dad would say, "You're so clumsy. Just as dumb as your mom."

They'd spot each other's flaws in me, and then lash out at one another through me.

Then, Dad's old flame got divorced, and Mom's old flame came back.

They finally stopped fighting and started fawning over their old flames' kids, doing everything they could to win them over.

When I was seven, I burned up with a fever so badly that I started convulsing.

But my parents were both obsessed with picking out Christmas presents for their old flames' kids.

Not one of them bothered to take me to the hospital.

I licked my cracked lips, pleading weakly, but Mom just gave me a frosty stare. "Quit faking it. You just got a little chill yesterday. Don't act like you're on death's door. Those lousy genes of yours are just like your dad's."

Dad, furious, smashed his glass. "Lousy genes? Weren't you the one who jumped into my bed and insisted we have a kid? I never even wanted this kid."

Their shouting kept going, while I lay on my little bed, feverish and barely hanging on.

After that, everything finally fell silent.

This time, there was nothing left for them to fight about.

*****

The argument was getting more and more heated.

Broken glass went flying, and a shard cut my cheek.

I stumbled over to Mom, clung to her skirt, my voice barely a whisper, desperate for her to notice me. "Mom, I don't need to go to the hospital. Please, just stop fighting. I'm sorry."

She yanked me away, hard. My palm was stabbed by the shards, the pain so sharp that it made my vision blur.

Mom shot me a look full of disgust and then gave me a rough kick to shove me away. "Yasmin, stop pretending.

"Either go find your dad, or just stay here and die. I really want to see if catching a cold is enough to finish you off."

She crouched down and brushed off the hem of her skirt, which was stained by me, not even giving me a single glance.

Meanwhile, Dad just stepped right over me, grabbed Mom's wrist, and shouted, "Julia, don't you dare walk away. Whose genes are lousy here? Yasmin's nasty temper is just like you, isn't it?"

Mom yanked her wrist free, refusing to back down. "Her temper is like mine? Seriously? And what about her face? She's basically your clone. Every time I look at her, I feel nauseous."

Dad was furious. "You think you're the only one who's disgusted? Same here. I can't even stand the sight of you. Let's just get divorced."

Mom let out a cold laugh, glancing at me with disdain. "Divorce is fine, but only if you take this worthless girl. I don't want her."

Dad waved his hand, his disgust obvious. "Why would I want something even you're tossing aside?"

I grabbed onto Dad's leg, begging him softly, "Dad, please, don't throw me away. I'll be good. I promise. I won't be any trouble and cost too much money."

Maybe seeing the cut on my cheek made Dad feel a bit sorry for me. He scooped me up and dropped me back onto the bed.

"I have to go pick out a gift for Claire. I don't have time for you. It's just a little fever. You will be fine after sleeping," he said.

He didn't wait for me to answer. All I saw was his back as he walked out and slammed the door.

Mom glared at me with pure hatred and snapped, "He doesn't care, and neither do I. Why don't you just drop dead? That way, none of us has to put up with you."

The door slammed shut again.

The darkness closed in around me, like it wanted to pull me into a bottomless pit.

The fever made my whole body convulse, and my eyelids felt like they weighed a ton.

Everything hurt. Mom, it hurt.

It felt like my whole body was being ripped apart, and my lungs were burning so badly that I couldn't even cry out anymore.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself standing there, feeling completely weightless. All the pain was gone.