When my brother, Adrian Carter, storms out of the house in anger, I go out in the pouring rain to find him—only to be struck by a fallen live wire, resulting in the complete loss of both my arms.

From then on, I, who dreamed of becoming a doctor, have been doomed to be a patient forever.

I make multiple attempts on my life. My family wrestles me back from the clutches of death every time.

Adrian crouches down in front of me and begs, "It's my fault. Please don't die."

Mom quits her job and keeps me company all day long. "You mean more to me than my life! What am I supposed to do if you're gone?"

To earn more money and help me regain the ability to live normally, Dad works as hard as he can and even takes on more work abroad.

I assume that life will eventually get better.

But after I've finally learned how to use my feet in place of my hands for everything, I inadvertently overhear a conversation.

"If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have stopped her from killing herself."

The next day, I climb to the rooftop alone. The wind is howling. It makes me sniffle, but no tears fall.

"Ally! Don't move!"

Mom rushed over and used all her strength to pull me away from the edge of the rooftop. She exerted so much force that we both ended up falling to the floor.

Before I could even get up, she raised her hand. A stinging slap landed on my cheek.

"Have you lost your mind? Are you trying to make me die of a broken heart?"

Her voice rang in my ears. My cheek continued to burn painfully.

At the very next second, Mom pulled me into her arms and held me tightly. "If you dare jump off this building, I'm going down with you!"

Her scalding tears dripped onto my neck.

Adrian Carter, my older brother, was panting hard beside us. He'd run too fast and almost tripped. Once he confirmed that I was alright, his legs gave way, and he practically collapsed onto his knees.

With my face pressed against Mom's shoulder, I said in a muffled voice, "I wasn't trying to take my own life. I swear. I just wanted some fresh air."

Mom stiffened, but her arms tightened around me. Moments later, Adrian also turned around, his back hunched.

"Let's go home," he said.

Once we went back down to the apartment, I turned on the tap to rinse my feet as usual before sitting down at the dining table. The food had to be reheated, so it ended up a little stale.

I lowered my head and used my toes to grip the spoon, delivering bites of food to my mouth.

Mom sat across from me, her eyes red and swollen. Adrian poked at his food with cutlery, unable to take a single bite.

"Ally, my girlfriend is coming over to the house tomorrow to discuss our engagement," Adrian said.

After a pause, I nodded. "Okay. I made plans with a friend tomorrow, so I won't be eating at home."

Adrian lowered his head and stuffed some mashed potatoes into his mouth.

We all knew the truth. Ever since I ended up in this condition, the only place I went to was the hospital. I'd lost contact with everyone I knew before, so how could I have supposedly made plans with a friend?

Later that night, Mom drew me a bath like she always did. I stood in the doorway, watching her as she bent over the bathtub to test the water temperature.

"Mom, can I grow my hair out?"

Mom slowly straightened up and turned around to look at me. "Why do you suddenly feel like growing out your hair?"

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. "If my hair is long, it'll cover a lot of things. People won't be able to notice that I don't have any arms."

The towel in Mom's hand fell into the bathtub.

After a long silence, she finally picked it up and rinsed it repeatedly under the tap. The splashing sounds hid her sobs.

With her back toward me, she said in a slightly choked voice, "Let's do it. I bet you'll look so pretty with long hair."

The next morning, I was woken by the sound of the doorbell. It wasn't even 8:00 am yet.

Mom hastily opened the door, exclaiming, "You're here."

Cassie Lewis' bright and cheery voice rang out. "Hi, Mrs. Carter! Sorry for showing up so early. It's my day off, so I figured I could come by earlier and help out. My parents will come later."

I got out of bed and opened the bedroom door with my feet.

I saw the young woman standing beside Adrian. Her long hair fell gracefully over her shoulders, and she had an elegant-looking gift bag with her.

She smiled as she talked to Mom, and when she heard the sound, she turned her head. Her eyes fell on my shoulders.

I turned around to slip back into my room, but Cassie walked up to me with a smile.

"You must be Ally! Adrian has told me a lot about you. I'm glad I finally got to meet you today."

She took out a light gray scarf from the gift bag and gently wrapped it around my shoulders. "This caught my eye when I was away on a business trip. It's cashmere, so it's really soft. With how fair you are, this color suits you perfectly."

The scarf smelled nice.

I froze in place, my toes curling subconsciously. "Thanks, Cassie."

Adrian and Mom stood to the side, their expressions tight. Lowering my head, I tried to step away.

"Sorry, but I made plans today, so I won't be joining you guys for the meal."

Cassie gently rested her hand on my shoulder and said, "You know, I came over a few times before, but I never got to see you. Now that we're meeting at last today, I'd love to be able to chat with you and get to know you better."

She turned to Adrian with a smile. "Wouldn't that be nice, Adrian?"

Adrian looked at me. "Why don't you reschedule your plans, Ally?"

I hummed in agreement.

By the time I sat down on the couch after washing up, Cassie had already put on an apron and was helping Mom in the kitchen. She seemed to know her way around the kitchen, chatting with Mom as she worked.

Mom was smiling.

A little while later, Cassie brought out a plate of fruit and set it down on the coffee table before taking the seat beside me.

"You have such gorgeous eyes, Ally. You should smile more."

I smiled weakly, not knowing what to do.

Soon, Cassie's parents arrived. The Lewises were dressed rather fashionably and spoke courteously. The gifts they brought for the family formed a small pile on a corner of the coffee table.

When lunch was served, I stood up. "I'll take my meal in my room. You guys can—"

Cassie stopped me before pulling a dining chair closer to her. "Sit next to me, Ally."

Mom opened her mouth, and Adrian looked like he had something to say as well. But in the end, I sat down at the dining table.

At first, everyone chatted casually about the weather and the wedding plans. Cassie kept piling food onto my plate, moving with such ease that it felt as if we'd known each other for decades.

But when I used my toes to pick up the spoon, the smiles on her parents' faces disappeared. They put down their cutlery and exchanged a glance.

For the rest of the meal, Cassie was the only one who spoke.

Once lunch was over, Mr. Lewis sipped his coffee before saying, "You're a wonderful young man, Adrian. We don't expect much. All we want is for you and Cassie to have a happy marriage."

He paused and slowly turned his gaze toward me.

"However, we have one condition—after you two get married, you must focus on your life with her. Your parents can look after your sister, so you mustn't make her the biggest priority in your life anymore."

Adrian straightened up and said, "Ally is my sister, Mr. Lewis. I will always look out for her."

Mr. Lewis raised his hand to stop him from saying anything else. "But you're about to get married. You can't look after her for the rest of your life."

"I can!"

"No, you can't—unless you don't want to marry my daughter."

The atmosphere immediately grew tense.

"He can do it."

Everyone looked at me. I fixed my eyes on my empty sleeve and repeated, "Adrian can do it."

Cassie shot to her feet. "What do you think you're saying, Dad? I won't agree to this! From this moment onward, I consider Ally my sister, too!"

Mr. Lewis' voice rose sharply. "But what will happen to you? What kind of life will it be for you? Are you always going to be second to her?"

He grabbed Cassie by the wrist. "You're coming with me. We're going home!"

As her parents dragged her to the door, she turned her head around, her tears rolling down her cheeks.

Adrian pulled out a box of cigarettes and walked over to the balcony. I heard the lighter click a few times before producing a flame.

I looked at him through the glass door. He was hunched over, the smoke curling around him before scattering in the wind.

Once again, I looked down at my empty sleeve. This time, I felt sick to my stomach. Out of nowhere, a deep, intense hatred for myself burned within me.

In the middle of the night, I woke up after hearing noises coming from the living room. When I walked out of the bedroom, I saw Adrian pulling his shoes on in a hurry.

"Where are you going, Adrian?"

He paused to tell me, "Cassie sneaked out of the house. She just called me and said she's over at Commune Park. I'm going over there to pick her up."

Taken aback, I quickly nodded. "It's cold outside. Make sure you dress warmly."

With his shoes on, he straightened up and looked at me. "You should go back to bed."

I smiled at him. "I want to wait for you. I'll wait until you come back with Cassie."

Smiling, Adrian stroked my head. "Okay."

The door shut with a soft click.

After some time, the streetlights went out. The sun had risen.

Adrian still wasn't back yet.

When Mom woke up, she was startled to find me curled up on the living room couch. "Ally? Why are you sleeping here?"

"Adrian went to pick up Cassie, but he isn't back yet."

Mom called Adrian, but it took a while for him to answer his phone. Once she heard what he said, her face paled. "Which hospital? We're coming right over!"

She turned to me, her lips trembling. "Cassie… got hit by a car."

…

The light outside the operating room was blinding.

When we arrived, we spotted Adrian from a distance. He was leaning against the wall. His clothes were dirty, and he had a bruise on his forehead.

Mr. Lewis, who looked like a refined gentleman the last time I saw him, was now glaring at Adrian with bloodshot eyes. Grabbing Adrian by the collar, he bellowed, "It's your fault! It's all because of you, you bastard!

"My daughter wouldn't have left the house in the middle of the night if it hadn't been for you! She wouldn't have been hit by a car!"

Mom staggered toward them and started to apologize.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Her voice trembled. Tears streamed down her face.

"It's our fault. We should've taught Adrian better."

Mr. Lewis flung Adrian aside and jabbed a finger at Mom. "Get out of my sight! Take your son and that cripple and get lost! Don't ever show your faces again! If anything happens to Cassie, I'll make all of you pay for this!"

We stood there for ages, until the doors to the operating room opened.

The doctor came out and removed his mask. "The patient is temporarily out of danger, but she still needs to be put under observation."

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis immediately rushed forward. Adrian took a step forward as well, only to pause in his tracks.

Mom grabbed his arm and said, "Let's go home."

The ride back home was completely silent. Adrian gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

I sat in the back seat, watching the back of his head. At one point, I saw him lift his hand quickly to wipe near his eyes.

Once we got home, I went back to my room.

After a while, I heard the sound of anguished sobs.

"Mom, it's my fault. Cassie got hurt because of me. If anything… happens to her… Why didn't I just agree to it yesterday? Why didn't I just say I'd do it?"

His sobbing grew louder. Eventually, I heard him say in a hoarse voice, "If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have stopped her from killing herself."

The crisp sound of a slap rang out, followed by Mom's heartbroken cries.

Leaning against the bedroom door, I slowly slid down to the floor. Silently, my tears rolled down my cheeks, soaking into my collar.