Chapter 2
Lydia kept scrolling through her phone contacts, again and again.
Finally, her finger stopped at Amelia Guzman's name.
Amelia had been her best friend in college, and after graduation, they both stayed in the same city. But they'd both been busy with work, so they hadn't kept in touch much lately.
She dialed, and Amelia picked up almost instantly. "Lydia? What made you think of me today? Why are you calling all of a sudden?" Amelia's bright, surprised voice came through the phone.
Hearing that familiar voice, Lydia felt her nerves finally loosen a little.
Her eyes burned, and she nearly burst into tears.
"Amelia, I..." Lydia began, but her voice was so hoarse it barely came out.
Amelia immediately sensed something was off. "Lydia, what's going on? Did something happen?"
Amelia bombarded her with questions, her concern obvious and unfiltered, a sharp contrast to the cold indifference Lydia had gotten from her family.
Lydia couldn't hold back anymore. She poured out everything to Amelia.
She tried to keep her voice steady, but by the end, her voice broke, and she couldn't help but choke up.
On the other end, Amelia was silent for a long moment. Lydia could hear her breathing, sharp with barely contained anger.
"Lydia, where are you right now?" Amelia's voice was chillingly calm.
"I'm still at the hospital," Lydia replied.
"Which hospital? Send me the address. I'll be there right away," Amelia said.
"Don't worry about the money. I'll handle it. Wait for me."
Amelia's tone brooked no argument, and her words made Lydia feel safe.
Amelia burst into the hospital, barely half an hour after the call ended.
She wrapped Lydia in a firm hug, rubbing her back. "Don't be scared. I'm here."
Those simple words made Lydia's tears spill over instantly.
Amelia grumbled, "Seriously, what kind of family is that?" Then she dug out a bank card from her purse and shoved it into Lydia's hand.
"There's 2400 bucks on it. I started working, so that's all I've got saved. Take it, okay? I'll ask around and see if anyone else can help," Amelia said.
Lydia gripped the card, her hands trembling so much she could barely hold on. "Amelia, I—"
"Don't waste your breath. Your life is worth way more than money," Amelia cut her off.
Right in front of Lydia, Amelia made two more calls, both to their old college roommates.
Amelia gave them a quick rundown of what was happening, and neither of the girls hesitated for a second.
One said, "I've got about 1200 bucks. I'll send it over right now."
The other said, "I got paid. I only have about 400. Is that enough?"
In less than ten minutes, Amelia's phone lit up with notifications, transfers coming in one after another. They'd scraped together the surgery fee.
Lydia watched the notifications pop up on Amelia's phone, and she broke down even more.
The family she thought would have her back left her cold and alone, but these friends she hadn't talked to in forever were the ones who stepped up for her, no questions asked, when she needed help most.
Amelia handled the money and stuck with Lydia as they got her admitted to the hospital.
*****
Early the next morning, Lydia was wheeled into the operating room.
When it was time to sign the consent form, the doctor asked, "Where's your family?"
Lydia glanced at Amelia, who was as nervous, and shook her head. "I don't have any family. I'll sign it myself."
She picked up the pen and carefully wrote her name, stroke by stroke, in the Patient section.
In that moment, her heart was calmer than it had ever been.
Lying on the cold operating table, the giant overhead light glaring down, Lydia felt the anesthesia start to kick in, her thoughts drifting and hazy.
Right before she blacked out, a rush of memories flickered through her mind.
When she was a kid, Liam would snatch her toys, and she'd run to their mom in tears. But her mom would say, "You're the older sister, you should let him have it."
In college, her parents gave her brother 8000 bucks for living expenses, but only 2000 for her. "You don't need that much money," they said.
After she started working, she sent money home every single month, but Linda would always throw shade in the family group chat, saying she was ungrateful.
Scenes flashed by like a rapid-fire montage. All those times she'd tried to numb herself with the idea of family love, all the injustice and grievances she'd buried deep down, suddenly came into sharp focus.
She finally understood that she was never truly their daughter. She was a tool for earning money, endlessly exploited, a girl bred to sacrifice for her brother's sake.
Now that the tool was broken and needed fixing, they didn't hesitate for a second to toss her aside.
Maybe only by letting go completely could she be reborn. Once she left this operating table, she'd cut all ties with that family forever.
*****
The surgery went smoothly. When Lydia woke up, she was already back in her hospital room. Amelia was slumped over the edge of the bed, fast asleep, with heavy bags under her eyes.
Lydia didn't wake her. She watched the ceiling quietly. Sunlight poured in through the window, warm and gentle. For a moment, she felt like she was alive again.
During her week in the hospital, Amelia came by nearly every day, bringing her homemade soup and chatting with her.
All the while, Lydia's phone stayed dead silent. Not a single call, not a single message. That so-called family of hers had pretty much erased her from their lives.
The day she was discharged, the first thing Lydia did was get her phone back.
She opened the family group chat. The last message was still Linda showing off her new bag.
Lydia's lips curled into a cold smirk. Without hesitation, she exited the group chat. Then, one by one, she added her family's phone numbers to the block list.
When she was done, Lydia let out a long, slow breath.
She would never set foot in that house again. She would never see those people again. From now on, her life belonged to her, and her alone.