Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The first thing Mom did after bringing Chantel home was throw all my belongings into the trash.

I didn't even have a real bedroom; I lived in a dark, windowless basement room.

Mom stopped Chantel from stepping inside and frantically sprayed disinfectant everywhere.

"Who knows what kind of filth your sister carried? You have a weak immune system, sweetheart. We can't let her contaminate you."

Her hands paused when her eyes landed on a small vintage robot toy on the desk.

Mom had bought it for me at a theme park when I was three.

Even though it was ridiculously expensive back then, she bought it without hesitation because I loved it so much.

It had stayed by my side for over a decade.

That robot was the first gift Mom had ever given me, and the only one.

Back then, I thought I was the luckiest child in the world, completely unaware that Mom was already pregnant with Chantel.

During countless dark nights when I was starved as punishment, that cold little toy was my only comfort.

The memory seemed to soften Mom's gaze as she wondered why I hadn't come home yet.

"Mom, isn't this my iPad? Why is it in Camille's room?" Chantel suddenly gasped.

Chantel held up a brand-new tablet with an innocent, confused expression.

She had claimed to have lost it days after buying it, and now she made it look like I had stolen it.

The tiny spark of maternal affection in Mom vanished instantly.

She grabbed my robot toy and smashed it violently against the concrete floor.

"That little thief!" Mom roared. "I wasted years sending her to school just for her to steal from her own sister! What sin did I commit to give birth to such a monster?"

Watching the shattered pieces on the floor, my spirit instinctively lunged to pick them up.

My hands passed right through the plastic shards, leaving me kneeling there like a fool.

I couldn't hold onto anything.

I couldn't keep my parents' love when I was alive, and now I couldn't even save my childhood toy.

I glared at Chantel with burning fury.

I didn't even know where she kept her tablet; this was just another one of her setup games.

"Mom, don't be mad," Chantel sighed softly. "Camille hasn't come home because she thinks we don't care about her. Let me call her and apologize so we can clear the air."

Of course, nobody answered the call.

Mom trembled with rage and blocked my phone number on every platform.

"Forget about her! She thinks she's so tough ignoring my calls! I broke my back raising her, and she treats me like this! Ungrateful wretch!"

"Good riddance! The house is cleaner without her anyway! We'll be just fine on our own!"

Chantel smiled internally and pretended to sigh.

"Camille is usually nice to me... except when she hits me."

She casually lifted her hem, revealing faint bruises on her ribs.

Mom burst into tears of pity and wrapped her in a hug.

"You're far too kind, Chantel. That's why that bitch walks all over you. You treat her like family, but she has never cared about you!"

Mom continued to curse me endlessly, but my heart remained completely numb.

I really wanted to ask her: Mom, did you ever love me?

If you didn't, why did you bring me into this world?