Chapter 3

Because one of my blood indicators was high, I needed to be temporarily isolated and couldn't leave the hospital.

To put my mind at ease, Dr. Liam Smith offered to go home in my stead and reassure my parents.

I wanted to tell him not to bother, that no one cared if I lived or died.

But meeting his earnest gaze, I couldn't bring myself to refuse.

After all, if it weren't for Dr. Smith, I probably would have died in a foreign land.

Sighing lightly, I sent him the address.

Because the call remained connected, I could clearly hear my parents' voices.

Upon hearing Dr. Smith's purpose, my dad's furious voice immediately flared:

"What new stunt is Skylar pulling now?! She went to Africa and still can't behave? No wonder even her own fiancé doesn't like her!"

"And she got malaria? Wouldn't it be better if you just said she died?"

"I don't care how much money Skylar spent to hire you for this performance, please tell that ungrateful child that if she insists on not apologizing to Tiffany, she can forget about ever leaving Africa!"

Listening to my dad's angry roar, my heart ached, yet I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

He probably forgot how long it had been since he last gave me any allowance.

Hire an actor?

If I truly had that kind of spare cash, I wouldn't have had to fight someone over half a dry pancake, ending up with a clump of my hair pulled out.

Dr. Smith was completely unprepared for such a response.

He stood stunned for a long moment before speaking again:

"I... I truly am a doctor from the Central Hospital, and a member of the medical team that aided Africa this time. Your daughter..."

"That's enough! Haven't you performed enough?"

"Forget about malaria, even if she truly died out there, her mother and I wouldn't shed a single tear for her!"

With that, without waiting for Dr. Smith to respond, the door was slammed shut.

Dr. Smith instinctively covered the phone's microphone.

He then belatedly remembered his still-connected phone and quickly hung up.

But everything that needed to be heard, and everything that shouldn't have, I had heard crystal clear.

Although I had told myself a thousand times to completely give up on this couple,

at that moment, my eyes still burned with tears, and my hand beneath the covers gripped the bedsheet tightly.

The parental love that was so easily accessible to others was an untouchable luxury for me.

Perhaps, I should have given up on this false family affection long ago.

[Skylar, are you… okay?]

Even though it was just a text message, I could feel Dr. Smith's concern and worry.

See? A stranger I'd known for less than a month could care for me so much, yet my parents, whom I'd spent over twenty years with, treated me like dirt.

Skylar, how ridiculous you are!

My trembling hand typed out a line:

[I'm fine. I already knew this would be the outcome, I'm used to it…]