Chapter 2

I stood there, still holding the piece of cake Mom had given me earlier.

The living room fell silent, save for the noisy New Year's Eve special on TV. The host was excitedly counting down:

"Ten more minutes! The New Year is almost here!"

I carried my cake and slowly walked back to my small room.

The storage room had no windows. I sat on my little bed, eating the cake in tiny bites.

It was sweet.

Bitterly sweet.

I suddenly remembered that night when I was seven, after the kidney transplant surgery.

The anesthetic had worn off, and the wound burned like fire.

I cried for Mom. A nurse came in, looked at me, and said Mom was in Ava's room because Ava had a nightmare.

That night, I counted the cracks in the ceiling. When I reached three hundred twenty-seven, the sky turned light.

At eight, after the liver surgery, I vomited until I was dizzy.

Mom came into the room for a quick look, frowning as she told the nurse,

"Why is her reaction so strong? It won't affect the liver's quality, will it?"

She didn't ask if I was in pain. She didn't ask if I was scared.

She only cared about the organ that was no longer in my body, whether *it* was okay.

The cake was quickly finished, but a sharper emptiness and pain gnawed at my stomach.

Since that afternoon, I had only eaten this small piece of cake.

Mom said I needed to fast, but no one told me fasting would be this unbearable.

The old scars on my abdomen began to throb faintly. Ever since my kidney was removed, I’d been in pain every night, unable to sleep.

The living room lights were already dim. Elara had probably gone to her room to rest after tidying up the kitchen.

The entire house was quiet, except for the rumbling in my stomach and the scattered firecrackers celebrating the New Year in the distance.

I held back for as long as I could, but eventually, I gently pushed open the storage room door. There had to be something to eat in the kitchen, even just a slice of bread.

There was a bowl of soup in the fridge that looked delicious. I swallowed hard.

"Willow?"

Elara's voice came from behind me. I jumped in fright, nearly dropping the bowl.

"Are you hungry?" Elara walked over, looked at me, and her face showed a troubled expression. "But Mrs. Celeste specifically instructed that you need to have blood drawn tomorrow and must fast..."

"Just one sip of soup," I pleaded softly. My stomach let out another loud rumble. "Elara, I’m so hungry, my stomach hurts…"

Elara hesitated. She looked at the clock on the wall, then at my pale little face and the hand clutching my stomach. Finally, she sighed.

"Just a tiny sip, truly, only a tiny sip. Otherwise, if Mrs. Celeste finds out, I'll be in trouble."

She took the bowl of soup from the fridge, poured a small spoonful into a cup, and heated it in the microwave.

During those few seconds, a rich aroma wafted out. My stomach felt clutched by an invisible hand, and the pain made me bend over.

"Here, drink slowly."

The moment the warm soup flowed down my throat, I almost burst into tears.

I was so hungry, every warm sip felt like salvation. I held the cup, sipping in small gulps, afraid of drinking too fast and running out.

Just then, the sound of keys turning came from the entryway.

Dad and Mom were back with Ava.

Ava was cradled in Dad's arms, her little face buried in his shoulder, breathing steadily. Mom followed behind, carrying Ava's small backpack.

When they saw me standing in the kitchen, holding the cup, their smiles instantly froze.

"Willow? Didn't I tell you to fast?"

Mom rushed over in a few steps, snatching the cup from my hand.

Ava woke up with the commotion. She opened her eyes, saw Mom's furious face, and instinctively shrank further into Dad's embrace.

"Mom..." I looked at her, tears uncontrollably welling up. "I'm really hungry, my stomach hurts so bad..."

I pointed to the side of my abdomen where my kidney was missing. It was throbbing with pain from hunger and cold.

"Why are you in pain? You're doing this on purpose! Are you deliberately eating because you don't want to donate your heart to Ava?"

"No, Mom, I'm really hungry..." I cried out, trying to pull on her sleeve.

Dad frowned, carrying Ava and turning to walk towards the master bedroom.

"Celeste, put Ava to bed first. Don't scare the child."

Mom's finger almost poked my nose.

"Willow, didn't I tell you that as long as you're good, I'll love you? Didn't you promise you'd give your heart to Ava?"

"I promised, I promised, Mom, please don't yell at me, don't abandon me..." I cried, gasping for air.

"You're a liar! You just don't want to save Ava! I raised you for nothing!"

She grabbed my arm, her grip so strong it felt like she was crushing my bones, and dragged me towards the storage room.

A familiar fear washed over me like a tide.

She was going to abandon me, just like the auntie at the orphanage said back then, disobedient children eventually get thrown away.

Mom shoved me roughly into the storage room. I stumbled and fell to the floor, the pain piercing.

"You selfish ingrate, stay here and reflect!"

The storage room door slammed shut, and the familiar darkness enveloped me.