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.

The next afternoon, my phone rang. I took a deep breath and used my toes to answer the call.

Dad's face appeared on the screen. In the background was a makeshift work shed and an overcast sky. He'd gotten a lot more tanned and had lost a ton of weight.

"Have you eaten yet, Ally? How are you doing? Are you still in any pain?" he asked.

I forced a smile and did my best to keep my tone light. "I did. I feel really full now. You lost so much weight, Dad. You're a lot darker, too."

He brushed off my concern for him. "I'm fine. Your dad's a tough man. This project is almost complete. Once I get paid, I'll come home and find you the best prosthetist there is."

Just then, someone on the other end called Dad's name, urging him to go back to work.

"Go on, Dad. I'm fine, really. Make sure you look after yourself, okay, Dad? Don't fall sick, and don't go hungry. Dress warmly…"

Dad chuckled as he heard me rattle off instructions for him.

"Alright. I'll get back to work. Be good and listen to your mom, okay?"

I put down the phone and rubbed my cheek with my knee. It was wet.

The apartment was quiet. Mom and Adrian had left for the hospital early in the morning.

A plate of food had been left on the table for me. I sat down and ate slowly, taking the time to savor every bite. I made sure to eat every last crumb on the plate.

Then, I returned to my room and opened the closet with my foot. A light blue dress with delicate embroidery on the front hung at the very back.

Adrian had bought me that dress with his first paycheck, saying, "I'm sure you'll look like a princess in this dress, Ally."

That felt like a lifetime ago.

I took longer than usual, using my feet and my teeth, to clumsily put the dress on. The zipper was at the back. I couldn't reach it, so I had to let it hang open.

Sitting down in front of the mirror, I stared at myself. Since the dress hadn't been zipped up, it was a little loose on me. The empty sleeves dangled on the sides.

I suddenly felt the urge to hear Mom's voice, so I picked up my phone and called her. It kept ringing for ages, but the call went unanswered.

The same thing happened when I called again, so I tried Adrian next. This time, the call was rejected right away. A few seconds later, I got a curt message.

"I can't deal with you right now."

My eyes remained fixed on the words for a very long time. In the end, I typed out a reply.

"I'm sorry."

After putting on the softest pair of shoes that I owned, I left the apartment.

I knew there was a secluded residential building at the very back of the neighborhood. Instead of using the elevator, I climbed up the stairs.

The building was on the edge of the neighborhood, and right outside was a patch of greenery that no one ever strolled past. Most of the shrubbery looked half-dead.

I climbed to the 18th floor—the top floor of the building. It was very windy on the rooftop. I walked right to the edge and sat down, my feet dangling in the air.

I knew I wouldn't be falling on anyone here.

After retrieving a painkiller from the pocket of my dress, I used my teeth to take the pill out of its foil wrapping and swallow it.

I was scared of pain. I was afraid I wouldn't die from the fall. It'd be horrible to end up severely injured instead of dead.

As I leaned forward, the wind rushed against me, roaring in my ears.

…

Mom and Adrian returned in the evening. As the car turned into the neighborhood, they saw a large crowd gathered in the distance.

A flicker of unease welled up inside them.

Mom opened the car door and almost collapsed to the ground, her legs buckling. Adrian managed to catch her. He held her steady, and they stumbled over to the crowd together.

They pushed through the crowd, forcing their way to the front.

A soiled plastic sheet had been laid out on the ground. Peeking out from under it was some light blue fabric and some dark hair.

As if possessed, Mom pushed everyone aside and lifted the plastic sheet.