Chapter 2

When the paramedics arrived, the black area on Mom and Dad's bodies had already spread from their toes to their entire lower bodies!

The doctor's face was grim.

"The condition is worsening too fast. Prepare for immediate amputation!"

I was utterly distraught.

Remembering the second wish I made, I wanted to slap myself senseless.

The money we had just painstakingly gathered was now all going towards surgery fees.

"Why are my Mom and Dad like this?"

Looking at me, crying uncontrollably, the doctor shook his head and sighed.

"We don't know the exact cause... I've never seen a case like this, not even my mentor has!"

I almost cried myself into a coma.

3

The next day, the loan sharks came knocking.

"Damn it! We've been looking for you all over! Don't think you're safe just because you're hiding in the hospital!"

"Today, no matter what, I'm chopping off your hands!"

I fell to my knees in front of the loan shark.

He impatiently kicked me away.

But when they walked into the hospital room and saw Mom and Dad's horrific state, they immediately froze.

Their previous arrogance was completely replaced by pity.

"This..."

"Fine, just pay us back whenever you have the money..."

Before leaving, they even threw me two hundred dollars, telling me to buy something to eat.

As I put the money in my pocket, I suddenly touched the third match.

The first time, I wished for something good, but it turned bad.

The second time, I made an opposite wish, hoping a bad outcome would turn good, but the bad outcome actually came true!

This wasn't a match that fulfilled wishes; it was a key to Pandora's Box.

But not making a wish was already a dead end.

The third match was the only chance for Mom, Dad, and me to turn things around.

But what kind of wish should I make with the third match?

My mind was a chaotic mess.

Mom and Dad still needed my care, so I had to temporarily put the match incident aside.

Mom and Dad, after their sudden amputations, were depressed and morose, tormented by phantom limb pain.

But even though they were in so much pain they couldn't sleep all night, they still tried their best to comfort me.

"Anya, Mom and Dad aren't hurting. Don't be too sad. Maybe these are just tests from above. As long as we can endure, everything will clear up!"

I held back my tears, forcing myself to be strong.

To provide my parents with nutrition, I went to work as a laborer on a construction site.

After finally saving a few dozen dollars, I bought a good cut of beef for Mom and Dad.

All the way, I imagined the smiles that would bloom on their faces.

But as soon as I reached the hospital room door, Mom picked up a water cup and violently threw it at my head.

"Get out! Get out of my sight!"

I froze.

I turned my head and saw Scarlett, who had been missing for days, standing beside my parents.

She smugly shook her phone at me before hugging Mom and Dad tightly.

"Mom, Dad, you all thought I was out partying, but I was actually keeping a secret watch on Anya. I noticed she was acting strange a while ago, so I used a drone to record this. The footage is one hundred percent real! Anya may seem sweet, but her heart is pure poison."

In the video, I was clutching a match, my expression devout as I made my wish.

"I wish for Mom and Dad to become crippled and live in poverty forever!"

4

The rage in my parents' eyes was explosive.

"No wonder your father and I have been so unlucky lately! You've been cursing us all along!"

I panicked and rushed to explain the entire truth.

"Mom and Dad, listen to me! The matches Grandpa left me have wish-granting powers. Because the first time I wished for you to get rich, you went bankrupt, that's why the second time I made the opposite wish..."

A flicker of hesitation crossed Mom and Dad's eyes.

But Scarlett walked over and slapped me hard.

"According to you, then the matches Grandpa left you will bring disaster no matter what wish you make?"

"Nonsense! That was your own grandpa; how could he leave you something like that?"

Mom and Dad thought her words made sense, and their eyes turned cold again.

"From now on, Scarlett is our only daughter! You jinx, get out and stay out!"

I completely broke down. Why did it turn out like this?

Scarlett threw all my belongings out. I seized the opportunity to confront her.

"This is all your doing, isn't it? Don't you already have billions? Why do you still want to steal Mom and Dad from me?"

Scarlett rolled her eyes.

"No reason. Just because I can't stand you!"

With a bang, the door slammed shut.

Inside, three people were laughing joyfully.

People came and went in the hospital corridor, and I stood at the door like a clown.

In the previous life, Scarlett had hated Mom and Dad.

This time, she actively approached Mom and Dad; she definitely had ulterior motives.

I had to find out the truth quickly, or the tragedy of my previous life would repeat itself!

My first suspicion was that Scarlett had swapped the matches in my hand.

The original wish-granting matches had been replaced by her with evil objects that brought misfortune.

I sold all my belongings and borrowed a lot of money to hire Detective Miller.

But Detective Miller's investigation results left me incredibly disappointed-

These three matches were indeed left to me by Grandpa George. Scarlett hadn't even touched them, let alone swapped them.

I wanted to ask Detective Miller to investigate further, but he flat out refused.

"You borrowed money to hire me just to investigate three matches?"

"Are you crazy? I'm not taking this job. I'm afraid you'll try to scam me!"

Because of my strange behavior, I was blacklisted by the entire detective community.

Since science couldn't explain it, I could only turn to the supernatural.

I posted a few times online, causing a stir.

A revered priest, Father Michael, voluntarily offered to help me for free.

I was overjoyed and rushed to him that very night.

After listening to my story, Father Michael's eyes welled up with tears, and he promised he would help me.

But Father Michael examined the matches over and over for a long time, unable to find anything wrong with them.

In the end, he just comforted me with words like, "Evil people will get their comeuppance."

The matches weren't the problem, so was I the problem?

But I had just had a full physical examination a few weeks ago, and I was perfectly healthy, both physically and mentally.

Just when I was at my wits' end, I suddenly received a picture from Scarlett.

"Anya, Mom and Dad gave your room to me, you know!"

"And this looks like your favorite teddy bear from when we were kids. Oops, I accidentally cut it up. You're not mad, are you?"

I gripped my phone tightly.

That teddy bear was the only keepsake my beloved grandma had left me!

A wave of rage crashed over me. I wanted to tear Scarlett apart.

Then, suddenly, a detail in the photo caught my eye.

Connecting it with what Father Michael had just told me, a realization struck.

I finally understood why, in this life, none of my wishes had come true.

And at last, I knew what to wish for with the final match!