My mother hated me, to the point that she wished I were dead.

I knew I deserved to die.

Sixteen years ago, if I hadn’t insisted on going out, my brother wouldn’t have died while trying to save me.

Eventually, both of us got what we wished for.

I got brain cancer. She had become a stranger to me as I forgot everything and went to die in blissful ignorance.

Then, she went mad.

The doctor's words echoed in my mind long after leaving the hospital.

"You're already showing signs of memory loss.

“With active treatment, you might live for another six months to a year. You should contact your family to discuss a treatment plan as soon as possible."

"And if I don't get the treatment?"

"Well…At most, you’ll have three months."

Just then, my phone rang, and a middle-aged woman's voice came through.

"Come home this weekend for Tara’s birthday party."

Her tone was cold as though she were making a routine announcement.

That was my mom, Margaret Salem.

Tara, whom she mentioned, was my late aunt's daughter.

My aunt had passed away when Tara was very young and so she had been taken in by my family.

Over the past 16 years, Tara and Mom had seemed more like mother and daughter than I had ever felt with her.

I didn't want to be an audience to their tear-jerking mother-daughter bond.

"I don't—"

Before I could finish, Mom’s voice blasted through the phone.

"Serena, if Tara hadn’t insisted that a family should stay whole, do you really think I’d want a troublemaker like you back?

"You’ve always been so stubborn. If it weren’t for you, your brother…Look come by or not, I don’t care either way.”

Then she hung up.

I stared at the black screen, my hand tightening around my medical report.

I suddenly felt grateful for my illness.

Brain cancer—

It not only allowed me to die as Mom wished, but it also gave me the chance to quickly forget everything from my past.

I still went home that weekend.

I had to retrieve something very important, something I feared I would forget completely in time.

By the time I arrived, Tara’s birthday party had ended an hour ago.

Yet the villa’s decorations from the party were still up—thousands of dollars worth of flowers, the finest orchestra…

Such a lavish, thoughtful affair.

She used to treat me the same way.

But I hadn't celebrated my birthday in eighteen years.

Because now that day was also the anniversary of Michael’s death.

Before I turned ten, I thought I might have been the happiest little princess in the world.

I had loving parents and my brother, Michael, who, though he would tease me from time to time, would always stand up for me when it mattered.

Our parents often told Michael, “Serena is your younger sister so you must always protect her."

We were a happy family of four.

On my tenth birthday, my parents promised to take me to the amusement park but just as we were about to leave, Tara, who was playing at our house, suddenly doubled over in pain.

My parents had no choice but to break their promise and take her to the hospital.

I was spoiled and used to getting my way, so I threw a tantrum, insisting that we still go to the park.

Michael was helpless in trying to talk me out of it so he reluctantly took me there.

Then the accident happened.

A group of men targeted us, planning to kidnap us and extort my parents.

I was small, frail, and unable to run fast.

Soon, they were catching up to me.

Michael could have escaped but chose to lead the thugs away to save me.

He died at the hands of the thugs.

When Mom returned and found out about Michael, she fainted.

When she woke up, her eyes were filled with hatred as she looked at me.

"Why did you have to go out? You killed your brother! Why didn’t you die instead?"

I flinched, turning to seek comfort and protection from my dad.

But the father who would have always picked me up and called me his little princess turned away and ignored my plea.

My world had collapsed.

Michael was dead, and the parents who had loved me were gone.

I became the source of all the misfortune and pain in the family.

I had tried to take my own life countless times, hoping to trade my life for his.

But every time, Michael’s last words echoed in my mind.

"You must live on, Serena. Stay strong and be happy. From now on, you are Mom and Dad’s only hope."

I survived, but my parents never saw me as anything more than the pain I had caused them.

Dad treated me like I didn’t exist, and Mom saw me as a curse.

When I entered the living room, Mom was warmly embracing Tara and speaking to her softly.

When they noticed me, Mom’s smile instantly faded.

"Gosh Serena, you did that on purpose! If you weren’t coming, fine. But now, coming here an hour late and making it awkward for everyone else?"

In truth, I hadn’t meant to.

I had simply woken up to find it was already so late in the day.

But I knew Mom wouldn’t believe me, and I couldn’t be bothered to explain.

"If I come back later, wouldn't that just make it easier for you to avoid seeing me?" I said.

"You!" My mom hissed.

I gave her a mocking smile.

"Aren't I so well-behaved and obedient?" I asked sarcastically.

I had once tried to be dutiful but no matter what I did, Mom always thought I was scheming or trying to steal attention from Tara.

So I thought, I may as well face her head-on.

Tara lowered her head.

"Aunt Margaret, Serena, please stop fighting. It’s all my fault. You two are a family, I shouldn’t be here."

Tara stood up, looking like she was about to leave.

Mom grabbed Tara’s arm and glared at me angrily.

"Don’t listen to her. She’s just jealous. She ruined her brother’s life before, and now she can’t accept you. If I had known, I never should have had…"

She didn’t finish the sentence, but I knew exactly what she meant.

If she had never had me, then Michael wouldn’t have died.

I didn’t want to hear anymore. I turned and went upstairs.

Behind me, Mom’s curses followed me.

"You’re running away again! You’re just a troublemaker! I’ve really had the worst luck in the world to have given birth to you!"

I hastened my retreat until I reached my room.

I slammed the door shut, finally blocking out those voices, and collapsed to the floor in despair.

I had heard those words countless times before, yet each time they pierced me to the bone.

This time, though, they seemed to hurt a little less.

I wasn’t sure if I had simply grown accustomed to them or if my illness was starting to take its toll on me.

I hoped it was the latter.

I lost track of time, but eventually, I began to regain my composure.

Slowly, I got to my feet and walked over to the bookshelf where I kept my things.

There, I had stored the gifts Michael had given to me.

A strawberry hair clip, a teddy bear, a Barbie doll…

I hadn’t taken much with me when I moved out of the house,

I was afraid that if I didn’t take them now, I might forget to come back for them.

The desk, bookshelf, and chair were all covered in dust. It was clear no one had entered the room in a long time.

Somehow, I felt a sense of peace at the thought. It seemed no one had disturbed my belongings.

Yet when I opened the cabinet, the box containing my brother's gifts was nowhere to be found.

Albert the housekeeper wouldn’t have touched my things so the only person who would take them was Mom.

I rushed downstairs and shouted at her.

"Why did you take my things? Give me that box back!"

For a moment, Mom seemed stunned, but she quickly composed herself.

"You stuff? Those were Michael’s things.

“Of course, I have the right to take it. You don’t deserve to have those things."

"Don’t deserve it?"

But those were gifts Michael had given me, the only things over the years that connected me to him.

Mom had kept all of Michael’s things, and she forbade me from touching any of them.

She didn’t even let me attend his memorial on the anniversary of his death. Instead, I had to sneak away the next day to honor his memory in secret.

I screamed in a frenzy, all my restraint shattered.

"Give it back to me! Give it back!"

My frantic behavior seemed to have startled her.

Mom hesitated.

"As long as you behave, I can give those things back to you."

I stared at her, my gaze cold and unblinking.

"What do you want me to do?"

Mom reverted to her usual, businesslike tone.

"Tara is going to report to the company tomorrow to take over as the vice president. You need to cooperate with her and not cause any trouble."

I froze, realizing what this was all about.