Chapter 4

I took Lily straight to the hospital to get her head bandaged.

As we were about to leave, the doctor stopped me. He said Lily looked extremely pale and weak, and recommended a full check-up.

Biting my lip, I spent almost all the money I had left on the tests.

The results came back quickly.

"It's leukemia."

"What?" The burger I had just bought for Lily slipped from my hand and hit the floor.

I couldn't believe it.

The doctor told me to stay strong. With aggressive treatment, she might have six months to a year.

My tears flowed uncontrollably.

"Mommy, what's wrong?"

Looking into Lily's innocent eyes, I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth.

Her tiny face was completely pale. Because of the constant abuse, her body was covered in layers of scars.

Every time I looked at her, my heart broke.

"Don't cry, Mommy. I don't hurt." Lily held my hand, trying to comfort me.

"Okay, Mommy won't cry."

I took a deep breath, stuffing a piece of food into my mouth to choke back my sobs.

Leaving the hospital, I took Lily back to Julian's house.

"Sophia, I can explain what happened back then."

"Hailey was pregnant with my child, and I had no other choice, so..."

"Julian, Lily has leukemia." I threw the diagnosis sheet onto the table.

He frowned immediately. "Sophia, I know I wronged you in the past."

"But you don't have to make up a terminal illness just to get back at me."

"I'm not..."

"Hailey takes her and Henry for a check-up every three months. How could she suddenly be sick?"

Every three months?

I let out a bitter laugh.

I pulled Lily forward. "Look at her! She's skin and bones! Do you honestly think this is what a healthy child looks like?"

"I don't care about the past anymore. I need money to treat Lily. You..."

Before I could finish, his face darkened.

"So all of this—using our daughter's health as an excuse—was just to beg for money?"

"Sophia, we haven't seen each other in three years. How did you become so shameless?"

Anger and frustration suffocated me.

I couldn't believe he actually thought of me this way.

Before I could speak, Hailey chimed in.

"Sophia, I know you hate me, but you shouldn't use a child's health to play mind games."

"All these years, I've treated Lily like my own daughter."

"I've even been nicer to her than to Henry. If you don't believe me, ask her yourself."

Hailey pulled Lily over.

"Lily, tell the truth. Your mommy is lying, right? Haven't I been good to you all these years?"

Lily looked at me, then at Hailey's threatening eyes, and finally nodded. "Yes..."

"Sophia, you're using our child to extort money. What else do you have to say?"

"I..." I stared at Lily, completely shocked.

Suddenly, a shrill scream echoed from the doorway.

"You just got out of prison, and you're already here extorting Hailey and Julian?! I'll teach you a lesson!"

Betty rushed in and slapped me hard across the face.

The force of the blow knocked me to the floor.

Betty grabbed my ear and dragged me toward the door. "Get back home and reflect on what you've done!"

I looked back at Lily. She was shrinking behind Hailey, too terrified to speak.

She didn't move an inch until I was thrown into the car.

Betty pinched my ear hard.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Leave Hailey and Julian alone!"

"Your marriage ended the moment you went to prison three years ago! Can't you get that through your thick skull?!"

I tried to tell Betty that Lily was abused and had leukemia.

But Betty wouldn't listen to a single word.

"Sophia, you're just jealous of Hailey."

"She has always been smarter and prettier than you. She did better in school, and now she's married to Julian."

"Are you trying to ruin her life on purpose?"

"Let me warn you, you better behave. Don't forget, Julian still has legal custody of Lily."

Tears blurred my vision.

Memories of my childhood flashed before my eyes.

Hailey and I were only a year apart. Ever since we were kids, Betty always told me I had to let Hailey have whatever she wanted.

I didn't understand it back then.

Until the first grade, when I got a perfect score on an exam, leaving Hailey far behind.

Hailey cried, and Betty slapped me for the first time.

She said, "Sophia, you have to let Hailey win. Let her have first place."

After that, I never dared to do too well on exams.

Even when a boy I liked didn't like Hailey, Hailey would go home and cry, and I would get punished.

Eventually, I lost not just the right to excel, but even the right to dress up nicely.

And in Betty's eyes, all of this meant I had always been inferior to Hailey.