"Why are you going out today? Isn't today your day off?

"Can't you stay at home? Maia likes you the most. None of us can take care of her as well as you do."

They were about to stuff Maia into my arms.

"No. I won't do that anymore."

"You ungrateful girl!"

My mom was interrupted by me before she finished speaking.

"I have terminal cancer."

"What?"

They were so scared that they froze.

I took out the diagnosis report and put it on the table.

I thought they would be in pain, sad, and cry with me after knowing this.

But they were so calm and even silently took a step away from me.

"It's not contagious, right?

"See? Girls shouldn't hang out with punks. Now you're sick."

"I didn't do such things!"

I retorted loudly.

"It's because I'm overworked."

Their reaction was like a sharp blade, deeply hurting me.

Although I knew that I had always been the one in the family who wasn't favored and loved, I still felt a bit at a loss now.

I had two siblings, an older sister, Gale, and a younger brother, Jack.

Usually, the second child in the family was the most neglected but also the most sensible.

When we were young, there were many eggs at home. One was for Gale, and one was for Jack. But I didn't get one.

When we were out buying snacks, my parents always ignored me as if I didn't exist.

When I questioned them and said I wanted some, too, they'd brush me off.

They said Gale was the eldest who needed nourishment, whereas Jack was young and a boy and everything he needed was prioritized.

They said I was the second child, and naturally, I had to give in to Gale and Jack.

As a young child, I didn't understand. I just realized that after I was treated unfairly, Mom and Dad would smile at me.

It went on till we grew up.

Gale did well in the SAT and went to a good school. My parents were very happy and paid for her to travel abroad.

Jack didn't do well on the SAT, so they spent money to send him to an elite school to make up for it. They comforted him softly and said, "It's fine. Your grades can't represent who you are."

I worked hard and finally got into a top domestic university. When I happily sought their praise, they simply contacted someone coldly to give me a summer job.

"You got lucky. Gale is way smarter than you."

After I entered university, they claimed that they wanted me to develop myself, so they didn't give me any living expenses or tuition fees. I had to work part-time while studying, and I was tired every day and could fall asleep at any time.

Later, I graduated, and Gale got married.

She was deceived into marrying a fake rich man and gave birth to Maia.

After realizing that she was deceived, she quickly divorced the man and brought Maia back to our parents.

As the unfortunate one, I naturally took on the responsibility of taking care of Maia.

I believed I had done a good job in doing everything I could for my family and maintaining family ties over the years.

So I didn't understand, and I didn't know why they reacted like this when they found out that I didn't have much time left.

I wiped my nose, and my eyes turned red.

Forget it. It's fine.

After I take my money, I'll leave. I won't see them again.

I guess if I really undergo chemotherapy, they definitely won't come to see me.

"Mom, where did you put my money?

"I need the money for treatment."

I spread my hands and asked my mom.

"Money? What money? Since when do you let me keep your money?"

Her reaction left me stunned. I put all my money with her.

How could she not know?

"Ramona."

My dad said.

"To be honest, given your situation, don't spend any money. It won't be necessary."

"There is still hope!"

I shouted at them.

"I'm going to get treatment! Give me the money!"

I was so scared, trembling uncontrollably.

Had they already spent all my money?

Then I would die for sure.

"OK. OK!

"I'll withdraw the money. Don't worry."

I was too loud, and they were afraid of disturbing the neighbors, so they had to come and calm me down.

"But the money is deposited in the bank for a fixed term. It's too late today, so we'll have to wait until tomorrow. I'll withdraw the money tomorrow."

"Alright."

Although I had doubts, I still foolishly decided to believe them.

That night, I was tormented by illness.

I couldn't fall asleep even after a long time.

I didn't know if it was the psychological effect of being diagnosed. Usually, it only caused me a slight pain. However, today I felt so uncomfortable that I tossed and turned in bed.

I remembered there was a box of painkillers in the living room, so I decided to take some.

I reluctantly got up and put on slippers, planning to go to the living room to get them.

But when I walked to the door, I found a beam of light shining straight from the living room.

It's so late. Why aren't they asleep yet?

I suspiciously put my ear close to the door crack, wanting to hear what they were talking about.

"What should we do? Should we really give her money?"

"She's dying. What's the use of giving her money?"

"What a troublemaker. Why is she dying so soon? She hasn't earned enough money for us yet. The money she gave us was so little. We could do nothing with it!"

"Jack just paid the down payment for the house. If she's dead, who will pay the mortgage?"

"Mom, don't worry. After she's dead, we can go to her company for compensation. We'll say that the company exploited and exhausted her to death."

I listened to their conversation and felt cold all over.

They spent my money and paid the down payment for Jack.

What about me?

I desperately restrained my instinct to question them.

Tears ran down my face. I had shed a lot of tears today.

But this time, my state of mind was different.

I finally gave up completely and knew that I was not the one loved.

The next day, I had a rare lie-in.

Today was a workday. I was usually a workaholic and rarely took leave.

After telling the boss I was gonna take some time off, I threw my phone aside without waiting for the reply.

After getting up, I came to the dining table and saw the whole family sitting there.

"Ramona, why didn't you make breakfast today?"

Gale asked.

I'm dying, and you still want me to make breakfast?

"Gale, you know my condition, right?

"The diagnosis is right here. If you can't take care of yourselves, I'll drag you down together with me when I'm about to die. How about that?"

I raised one eyebrow and looked at her with a fierce expression.

Gale immediately changed her attitude when she realized she had said something wrong.

"Sorry, Ramona. That's inconsiderate. I'll go buy some."

After breakfast, I urged my parents to go to the bank to withdraw money.

They asked me to wait and claimed the sun was too strong now.

"Hurry up. I don't have much time."

Finally, I urged them to leave, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, I started to carefully search for valuable things in the house.

My mom didn't like to keep money in the bank. She was afraid the people in the bank would steal it. She wouldn't change her mind no matter how I persuaded her.

It made it easier for me to take it back.

I opened her bedside table and took every wallet, searching carefully.

I also took the money my dad secretly kept behind the TV.

Gale usually took the most money from me, and my parents always used my money to subsidize her and Jack.

We were family, but Gale locked the door as if she was guarding against thieves.

I kicked open her door and searched her room.

She was still the same as before. She hid valuable items in the doll's belly.

I got so scared when I saw her take out bags of snacks from the doll's body when I was a child.

Oh, right. I shouldn't forget about Maia.

I paid for her clothes and accessories, and I gave her the money in her piggy bank.

When Gale came back with Maia, my parents grabbed my ear and made me write a guarantee, saying that I would be good to Maia for the rest of my life.

I thought at the time that they said this in front of Gale deliberately. They felt sorry for her after her divorce, given that no one was helping her, and they were afraid that she would be too upset.

I laughed at myself, packed my luggage quickly, and left with the money.

Wait.

I came back, opened the computer, and logged into their WhatsApp.

After transferring all their account balances to me, I deleted them from my contacts.

The money I had now was a far cry from my savings.

But this should be all they had.

Unfortunately, Jack was working out of town. Or I would have asked him to give my money back, too. He was one of them.

My parents, who wandered outside for a whole day, didn't come back until the evening.

They figured they'd tell me they couldn't withdraw the money no matter how they tried.

But I was nowhere to be seen after they came back.

Of course, I had already left with the money.

With this money, I went to the hospital. The doctor looked at it then at me, shook his head, and said it was not enough.

If I still had my savings, I could barely manage.

The doctor told me not to worry. If I want to be treated, they could do it through crowdfunding.

But I didn't want to.

Actually, there was nothing in this world worth living for.

I used to be naive, thinking that I was unique in the eyes of others.

So, I kept enduring and taking care of other people's feelings.

"Thank you, but I have decided not to receive treatment."

I wanted to travel around the world in my last days.

I hadn't traveled, nor had I tasted many local specialties.

So, in my last days, I decided to fulfill all my regrets.