On my way out, I ran into Jasmine again.

She was still rocking designer threads, wearing delicate makeup, which was quite a contrast to my faded, frayed clothes and brittle hair.

"Helen, how did you get like this?"

She clutched her mouth, pretending to be shocked, but the gleam of triumph and challenge in her eyes was as clear as day.

"Oops, I totally forgot. Will has been on your case every day because of me, and our parents can't stop showering me with all these fancy gifts.

"My birthday's just around the corner, you know. If you're curious, I guess I can invite you..."

Just then, a snarky voice cut through the air, dripping with delight at my misfortune. "Oh, my god. Did I really just hear that?"

"Guys, check this out! Jasmine, of all people, is asking a waitress to her swanky party."

"That's just too funny. How low can she go?"

I counted the days; my birthday was the next day.

Luckily, I had just received my paycheck. Ignoring the bickering duo, I slipped away.

Then, for some reason, I found myself buying a 100-dollar cake.

When the clock struck midnight...

I eagerly placed two candles, shaped like the numbers 2 and 8, on the cake that wished me a happy birthday.

I lit the candles, which encircled the number 28 like a halo.

"My birthday wish is..."

I did not even get to finish my silent wish when Will burst in, panic written all over his face.

"Why are you still celebrating? Jasmine tried to off herself!

"The blood bank's running low. We need to get to the hospital, now!"

I watched my birthday cake fade into the distance, the spark in my eyes snuffed out in an instant.

That was supposed to be my last birthday bash.

Will hauled me off to the hospital; my head was in a fog.

It was not until I saw the needle for drawing blood that I snapped back to reality.

"I can't do it. I have cancer. I'm not allowed to donate blood..."

I tried to bolt, but Will yanked me back without mercy.

"Cancer? You're bouncing around like nothing's wrong. How can you have cancer?

"Cut the chatter and donate already. If Jasmine gets worse, I'll never let you off the hook."

The doctor looked unsure for a moment.

A nurse hurried over and said, "The patient's in critical condition. Do we have any blood left?"

Without further hesitation, the doctor started the disinfection process on my arm.

Will's grip was unyielding, and I could only watch helplessly as my strength slipped away.

"How much blood does the patient still need?"

The doctor, noticing my ghostly complexion, turned to the nurse.

She whispered, "We're 600cc short. I'll try to find more..."

Before she could finish, Will cut her off, saying, "She's tough; she can handle it. Whatever's missing, take it. We have a life to save."

The nurse looked shocked. "Taking more than 400cc can be harmful..."

"I'm her brother. I'm in charge here."

Too weak to protest, I could only let the doctor draw blood until I passed out.

In the haze, I heard familiar voices, crying tears of relief.

"Jasmine's awake, thank goodness."

"God bless! My child is safe."

"And it's all Helen's fault. Why does she have to be such a problem? We should've never brought her back."

As my parents' voices faded, I slipped into unconsciousness again.

When I came to, daylight had broken.

The doctor was there, his expression grave.

"You know you're a cancer patient, right?"

I knew, but nobody believed me. Not even my brother, who accused me of faking it for attention.

The doctor's words hit hard: I had maybe only a month left.

I wanted to laugh. Must I be gone for good before they would see me as the perfect daughter, the golden child they always wanted?

The whole time I was stuck in the hospital, my mom and dad did not even visit me once.

It was not until I had sorted out all my problems and was checking out that they decided to pop back into my life.

"We've kept things from you for a decade, but let's be real, you've been a letdown too," they said.

"Jasmine's been crying for you, though. She knows that you saved her life. Just remember who you are and don't stir up trouble, okay?"

Just like that, with a couple of sentences, they tried to wipe ten years of pain and struggle as if it were nothing.

I ran my fingers over the scars that crisscrossed my skin, each one a story of neglect and cruelty from the people who were supposed to be my guardians for the past 18 years.

I massaged my stomach, aching from the cancer that came from never knowing when my next meal would be.

I thought about the fresh bruises my brother gave me, the ones he called punishments.

The jagged line where my kidney used to be was a souvenir from eight years ago. I bit back the bitterness and made up my mind.

"Maybe it's best if I don't come home. You can pretend you've never had me."

The words left my mouth, and to my surprise, I felt lighter.

My dad's response was a slap that turned my cheek hot and red.

My mom's eyes were misty, looking at me like I was the villain in some tragic story.

Out of nowhere, Jasmine came running in, tears streaming down her face, begging for forgiveness.

"I'm so sorry. It should've been me, not you. I'm the one in the way, not you."

She was a mess, threatening to jump off a building, to end it all.

However, nobody seemed to care about her parents, who were still very much alive.

Will, eyes bloodshot, yanked me from the bed and shoved me in front of Jasmine.

"Apologize to Jasmine!" he demanded.

I looked into her eyes and saw not just tears, but a glint of victory, a sneer hiding behind the sadness.

"It's all on me. Don't be mad at her," Jasmine said, her voice barely above a whisper.

I stayed silent, and that was when Will's hand struck my face, hard.

"Helen, are you ignoring me? I told you to apologize to Jasmine!"

My parents glared at me, their brows knitted in disapproval.

"Come on. Is saying sorry really that hard?

"What's that look in your eyes? You don't think you're in the wrong, do you?"

I parted my lips, ready to question them about what I had done wrong.

However, Jasmine chimed in just in time to interrupt me.

"Let it go, Will. Helen didn't do anything. I forgive her."

My parents and brother were quick to sing Jasmine's praises for being so forgiving.

No one cared to ask what I thought before they hustled me back into the sleek, expensive car.

As I watched my family fuss over Jasmine, a sense of unreality washed over me.

When I snapped back to reality, I was already inside the lobby of the place I used to work part-time.

I finally realized it was our family's mansion.

"Your room isn't ready yet. Just pick any room to stay in for now.

"Mrs. Brown, show her to a room, and get someone to tidy it up," Will said nonchalantly before he took off.

The housekeeper gave me a once-over and led me to a room tucked away in the corner of the first floor.

The stark difference between my plain servant's quarters and Jasmine's opulent, fairy-tale princess room could not have been more apparent.

Love and indifference were always that blatant.

Sadly, it took me enduring a life of plain bread and abuse, almost to the brink of death, to grasp that truth.

Blurring into sleep once more, I was jolted awake by a knock at the door.

It was Jasmine, with the servants in tow.

"What's up?"

Jasmine grabbed my hand with unexpected warmth as the servants carried in an array of clothes.

"Helen, I noticed that you don't have any clothes with you. I picked some from my closet for you."

I stared at the clothes, familiar yet distant, and memories of past conversations with colleagues echoed in my mind.

"Jasmine's wardrobe is a parade of the season's hottest trends. So don't let the chic looks fool you. Those are yesterday's cast-offs. To Jasmine, they are as good as garbage."

It seemed as though she intended to dump those pieces of garbage on me.

"I don't want it. Take it back."

"No way. I picked these out just for you..."

Out of nowhere, Jasmine hit the deck.

Will caught the tail end of it and slapped me hard across the face.

"Why are you always picking on Jasmine?"

His slap left me reeling, stars dancing before my eyes.

The blood trickling from my nose was making me woozy.

Right before everything went black, I caught a glimpse of Will's face, twisted in a rare panic. "Helen, what happened to you?"