Chapter 1
The sound of a violent crash yanked me out of my haze.
I opened my eyes and saw Mom shielding me with her body.
My eyes filled with tears.
This moment–it was so painfully familiar.
In my last life, she did the same thing and ended up bleeding out.
“Mom, are you okay?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“Don’t worry, honey. I’m fine,” she said.
But I could see the blood pouring from her abdomen.
There was no way she was fine.
Holding back my tears, I grabbed my phone and called 911.
My hands shook as I pressed against her wound, trying to slow the bleeding.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught my reflection in the shattered car window–a determined face
stared back at me.
This was not the weak, helpless version of me from my last life.
Back then, I had panicked.
All I could think to do was call my brother for help.
He didn’t believe me at first.
By the time he finally came to take Mom to the hospital, we had already missed the window to save her.
She survived but was left paralyzed, confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
This time would be different.
The ambulance arrived quickly, and I went with Mom to the hospital.
As soon as we got there, the doctors rushed her into surgery.
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Chapter 1
I waited outside the operating room, my eyes glued to the closed door.
Before the doctors could even update me, I posted a plea for help online, asking anyone with her rare blood type to come to the hospital.
I couldn’t rely on my brother or his foster sister.
More avenues meant more hope.
But I still called him.
“Mom was in an accident.”
“She’s losing blood fast. Bring Chloe-”
“You’re still pulling this crap?”
“You’re so cruel, you can’t stand to let her enjoy her birthday, can you?”
My heart sank.
“No, it’s not like that. I’m serious. Mom-”
“Shut up. Mom’s fine.”
“The hospital doesn’t even need more blood,” he snapped, his voice icy.
“This time, I’m going to protect Chloe.”
“I won’t let you bully her again!”
At that moment, the doctor came out.
He said the hospital’s supply of rare blood wasn’t enough and that Mom’s condition was critical.
My brother overheard.
And he laughed.
“Oh, so now you’re hiring actors to help you stage this?”
I was frantic.
“Mom is hemorrhaging! She’s going to die if we don’t get more blood.”
“Please, just bring Chloe to the hospital!”
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Family Ties, Family Lies
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Chapter 1
My voice broke as I started to cry.
“Why do you always have to pick on me, sis?”
“Can’t you let me enjoy my birthday for once?”
Chloe’s voice came through the phone, dripping with fake innocence.
My stomach dropped.
“Still using Mom as an excuse? You just had to pull this on her birthday,” my brother said, his tone cold
and certain.
“Ethan, I swear I’m not lying.”
Tears welled in my eyes, and my voice shook as I pleaded.
“Enough!” he shouted.
“Do you think I’m stupid enough to fall for this again?”
“You’re always jealous of Chloe and constantly looking for ways to make her miserable.”
“Well, guess what? It’s not going to work anymore.”
And with that, he hung up.
I stood there, clutching my phone, the cold sound of the busy signal echoing in my ears as tears streamed down my face.
I leaned against the hospital wall, feeling utterly defeated.
Despair and anger churned inside me, suffocating me.
Just as I was at my lowest, a message popped up in the mutual aid group.
“Is this Central Hospital? I’m a rare blood type match, and I’m nearby.”
I wiped my tears and quickly replied, my hands trembling.
“Yes, yes! That’s it!”
“Alright, I’ll head over now.”
But five minutes later, my phone buzzed with several voice messages from the same person.
Family Ties, Family Lies
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Chapter 1
When I played them, an angry middle–aged man’s voice roared through the speaker.
“Are you kidding me?”
“You’re faking this just to compete with your foster sister?!”
“Do you think people have time to waste?”
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
The rest of the messages were just him tearing into me, full of accusations and insults.
It felt like I had been plunged into an icy lake.
How could this happen?
Why would he say that?
Then it hit me–this had to be Ethan.
My brother must’ve done something to sabotage me.
The group chat exploded after that.
“Who pulls a stunt like this in a hospital aid group? Unbelievable.”
“Some people are just messed up. Kick her out already!”
My body started to shake.
The anger, the helplessness, the humiliation–they all collided inside me like a storm, threatening to swallow me whole.
I stared at my phone, watching the stream of hateful messages pour in, one after another.
My nails dug into my palms so hard I should’ve felt pain, but I didn’t.
Desperate, I typed out a reply.
“This isn’t a joke. The patient is really bleeding out.”
I attached a photo of Mom’s medical report.
“It’s Central Hospital. Please, you have to believe me.”
“Please, I’m begging you–someone come save my mom.”
