Chapter 2

In the hospital hallway, the stench of antiseptic made my stomach churn.

Leo was wheeled into the ER to have his stomach pumped.

Brenda's eyes were swollen from crying. She glared up at me with raw, venomous hatred.

"Stella Vance, if anything happens to your brother, I will never forgive you."

Her voice was raspy.

I sat on the bench opposite her, saying nothing.

The ER light clicked off, and the doctor walked out, fury blazing in his eyes before he even pulled down his mask.

"Who are the family members?"

"Me! I’m his mother!" She lunged forward.

The doctor yanked off his mask and barked at her:

"What kind of parent are you? Giving your own kid dish soap to drink?!"

Brenda trembled under the scolding, fresh tears spilling over.

"I... I didn't mean to... I saw it online from an AI home remedy..."

"A home remedy?!" The doctor’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief.

"You believe whatever an AI tells you? Your son is twenty years old, not a toddler!"

"What on earth is wrong with you?"

Brenda couldn't form a coherent word. Her legs gave out, and she slid slowly down against the wall.

Then, she raised her bloodshot eyes toward me.

"Why didn't you stop me? If you had just come out of your room and stopped me, would this have happened?"

"I knew it! You resent your brother! You hate me for loving him! You want him dead, and you want this family destroyed!"

Her shrill voice echoed down the corridor, drawing curious and judgmental looks from nurses and other patients.

People glanced our way, their expressions mixed with pity and disbelief.

I ignored them completely.

A woman nearby whispered, "Some mothers are completely out of their minds..."

She didn't finish her sentence.

But it was enough. Brenda had already secured the role she craved most—the poor, heartbroken "victim."

Hearing the whispers, Brenda doubled down. She grabbed a young nurse's hand and began sobbing hysterically:

"You be the judge! My daughter was right in the next room! If she had just spoken up, would I have made this mistake?"

"She did this on purpose!"

The nurse awkwardly pulled her hand away, glancing at me with deep discomfort, unsure of what to say.

This time around, I wasn't going to cry, drop to my knees, or beg for forgiveness.

I knew that in my mother’s eyes, breathing was my first mistake.

After filing Leo's admission paperwork, the doctor called us into his office.

"The patient is out of immediate danger, but there is chemical burning along his esophagus and gastric lining. He needs to stay for at least a week of strict observation."

"Liquid diet only for the next week. No solid or irritating foods."

Brenda nodded over and over, weeping.

"Doctor, will he have permanent damage?"

"That depends on his recovery," the doctor replied coldly.

"Let me be very clear. This incident will be officially documented in his medical records."

"If there is any suspicion of domestic endangerment, we are legally required to report it."

Brenda’s face drained of color.

"No, no! It was an accident! I was just foolish and trusted some stupid internet tip!"

She flailed her hands in a frantic panic.

The doctor didn't waste any more breath on her. "Go pay the admission fees."

Brenda dug through her purse, her expression souring by the second.

"I didn't bring enough cash... Stella, pay it for now."

I looked directly into her eyes. "How much is it?"

"The deposit is three thousand, plus emergency rescue and stomach pumping—it's fifty-two hundred dollars in total."

I pulled out my phone, unlocked my banking app, and held the screen in front of her.

"I have eight hundred dollars left. That's my living expenses for the month."

Her face dropped instantly.

"What about the money from your tutoring job?"

"I wired last month’s pay to you. You said Leo needed it for his driving school tuition."

She choked on her words.

"Then... what are we supposed to do?! Your brother is lying in a hospital bed!" she snapped.

"I can borrow it," I said flatly. "But whoever borrows it has to pay it back."

"Pay back who?! I’m your mother!"

"Even so. Money doesn't fall from the sky."

Brenda glared at me, her lips trembling with rage, but she couldn't come up with a retort.

I walked over to the billing counter and swiped my card for fifty-two hundred dollars.

When I stepped into the room, Leo was already awake.

He lay on the bed, pale as a sheet, lips cracked, an oxygen tube in his nose and an IV needle in his arm.

The moment he saw me, his eyes reddened with spite.

"It’s all your fault!" His voice was a harsh, scratchy rasp.

"If you had stopped her, would I have swallowed that crap? You did this on purpose! You wanted me dead!"

Brenda rushed over and gathered him into her arms. "Hush, baby, don't talk. The doctor said you'll ruin your throat."

Then she shot me an icy glare.

"Get out. Stop upsetting your brother."

I stood by the doorway, watching the mother-son duo.

One playing the helpless victim, the other wiping away crocodile tears.

I turned around and walked out.

In my past life, it was the exact same script: Leo got sick, Brenda blamed me, and everyone pointed fingers at my cruelty.

I was kicked around like garbage in that house until they finally sold my life away for thirty grand.

That pain was carved deep into my bones.

I pulled out my phone, opened my notes app, and began documenting everything that happened today—

Time, place, people, and exact words spoken.