Chapter 4
Sophie's eyes were filled with tears.
"Grandma, I'm okay. Mom always thought I was never much like her. Now that there's a poor kid here, of course she feels sorry for her," Sophie said.
Hearing how sensible she was, the people outside the door couldn't help but sigh.
"Poor thing, she's really being wronged," someone murmured.
"Her own mom is doubting her in front of outsiders. Who could take that?" another person added.
Joanna turned around and shot back.
"Seriously, didn't you hear what she just said?" Joanna snapped.
A middle-aged woman curled her lip.
"She just misspoke, and you guys won't let it go. That kid in bed doesn't seem right. Who knows if she's just been coached?" the woman said.
Hearing someone call her 'weird,' Lily hid her face even more.
Sophie was crying on the other side of the screen.
"Mom, my performance is the day after tomorrow. Dad says it's really important. Can you please not let the media find out about all this? If you really care about her, I can donate my entire performance fee to her," Sophie said.
Margaret's eyes immediately filled with tears.
"See? This is what a child raised by the Carter Family is like," Margaret said.
I asked, "How much are you willing to donate?"
Sophie froze for a moment, caught off guard.
"Anything's fine," she replied.
"Alright, I'll have Joanna reach out to the media and let them know you're willing to sponsor her medical bills. And while we're at it, you can explain what you really meant earlier," I said.
Sophie's face drained of color.
"Mom, you know the media will spin this out of control," she protested.
"Aren't you supposed to have a clear conscience?" I shot back.
"Emily!" Andrew called out, his voice tense.
Andrew finally appeared on the screen, his face dark with anger.
"Don't push her," he said.
I looked at him.
"Am I pushing her, or am I pushing you?" I shot back.
Andrew's voice was low and serious. "Fine, we can do the test. But until the results are out, you can't bring her back to the Carter Family, and don't go telling anyone she's got anything to do with us."
"Fine," I said.
Margaret let out a sigh of relief.
I continued, "She's living in my house and getting treatment with my money. If the Carter Family doesn't want her, I do."
Andrew fixed his gaze on me.
"Are you really going to push things to this point?" he asked.
"You're the ones who forced me to see things for what they are," I replied.
After the call ended, Margaret jabbed a finger at me.
"If you dare take that filthy thing away today, I'll see to it that Andrew files for divorce," she snapped.
Joanna muttered under her breath, "Go ahead, get a divorce. Who are you trying to scare?"
Margaret raised her hand, about to slap her.
Suddenly, a small, skinny hand reached out from under the covers and grabbed Margaret's wrist.
Lily had sat up without anyone noticing.
She was terrified, her whole arm rigid with fear, and a raspy, broken sound escaped her throat.
Margaret shook her off.
"You're such bad luck!" she snapped.
Lily was thrown against the headboard, her face pale from the pain, but she still stood in front of me and Joanna, shielding us.
She couldn't speak, but she locked her one good eye on Margaret.
I pulled her into my arms.
"Lily, you don't have to protect us," I said softly.
The police officer stepped forward to separate us.
"Ma'am, please don't cause a scene in the hospital," the officer said.
Margaret was shaking with anger.
"Fine, Emily. Don't come crying to me when you regret this," she snapped.
After she left, the doctor came in to take a sample.
When the swab touched Lily's mouth, she closed her eyes and clung tightly to my shirt.
Once the sample was sealed, the officer said, "You'll get the preliminary results by tomorrow afternoon at the earliest."
I nodded.
Joanna walked them out.
Once the door closed, the room fell silent.
Lily slowly spread out her hand.
In her palm was a button smudged with dirt.
It was a white, shell-like button, with a tiny star etched in the center.
I picked it up, and for a moment, I was frozen in place.
This was the button I'd sewn onto Sophie's coat myself, the day of her car accident three years ago.
By the time she was found, the coat was missing.
Andrew said the accident scene was a mess, and it wasn't unusual for things to get lost.
Lily struggled to write on the bedsheet with her finger.
Her writing was shaky and uneven.
Fire.
Piano.
Sis.
My eyes lingered on the last two words.
Emily asked, "Sis?"
Lily nodded, then shook her head frantically.
She was so anxious that a hoarse, tearing sound escaped her throat, and her fingers scratched desperately at the bedsheet.
"Take your time, Lily. Just write it down slowly," I said gently.
She wrote two words.
Swapped.
Suddenly, the door to the hospital room swung open.
A caregiver came in, carrying a basin, her smile awkward and forced.
"I'm here to help the child wash up," she said.
Joanna stepped in right behind her and snatched the basin from her hands.
"Who told you to come?" Joanna demanded.
The caregiver looked away nervously.
"The nurse's station sent me," she mumbled.
Joanna checked the water temperature, and her face darkened.
"This water's way too hot. You were really going to use this on her?" Joanna snapped.
The caregiver rushed out of the room.
I rushed to the door and saw her slip into the stairwell.
Joanna chased after her for a couple of steps, then came back and picked up a slip of paper from the floor.
There was only one sentence on the note.
Stop looking into this, or she'll suffer even more than she did three years ago.
I handed the note to the officer.