Chapter 1

The day I won five million in the lottery, I went to the bank to pay off my car loan early.

After checking my documents, the teller looked up at me.

"I'm sorry, this vehicle is registered in Sandra Henson's name. You're not authorized to handle this."

I froze for a moment.

Sandra, our family's adopted daughter.

This car was a birthday gift from my boyfriend, Ronnie. Why would it be in her name?

I wanted to go home and get to the bottom of it.

The moment I walked in, I saw Ronnie with his arm around Sandra, a marriage certificate in his hand.

My brother, Morgan, saw me first, and he stiffened.

"Meg, you know about Sandy's health. The doctor said any more shocks and her body might not hold up."

"I gave my quiet approval for her and Ronnie to register their marriage, so don't blame Ronnie."

"Back when I had that car accident, if Sandy hadn't given me a blood transfusion, I might already be dead."

My mom chimed in, backing him up.

"You know as well as anyone, Sandy was abandoned at the foot of a bridge as a baby and it left her with all kinds of illnesses."

"It's not that your parents don't love you, it's that Sandy has nothing."

"She's finally fallen in love with someone. Just take pity on her, can't you?"

I looked at Ronnie.

He kept his head down, gripping Sandra's hand tightly, saying nothing.

Years ago, when my brother had his accident, I passed out from giving too much blood.

The nurse said I was Rh-negative and needed to rest more after a draw.

Sandra had simply taken credit for something that was already done.

I had never mentioned this to anyone.

Before, I hadn't wanted to.

Now there was no point.

I didn't argue. I set the car keys on the table and turned to leave.

My parents' shouts came from behind me.

This time, I didn't look back.

...

My mother's chest heaved several times as she stared at me, her eyes red.

She was begging me to let Sandra off.

I glanced at my dad. He was smoking in silence, not even lifting his head.

My brother's eyes flickered, and his face too said he expected me to back down.

Ever since my mother adopted Sandra, I, as the older sister, had to put her first in everything.

She took a liking to my room, so I had to give it to her.

She didn't want to share a room with me, so I had to move into the guest room that didn't get any sun.

She was allergic to milk, so I had to drink smoothies with her every day.

They memorized every one of her likes and things she couldn't have, yet somehow forgot mine.

They didn't know I was allergic to soy. A smoothie broke me out in a rash, bad enough that my breathing turned short.

I thought that one day I'd be able to say all these grievances I'd bottled up.

But watching them, one after another, desperately shielding Sandra...

I suddenly laughed.

And as I laughed, the tears came, and I couldn't stop them.

Seeing me like that, Sandra climbed off Ronnie and knelt down in front of me.

Right on cue, her eyes reddened and her voice went hoarse.

"Sis, it's all my fault. If you have to blame someone, blame me."

"Please don't blame Mom and Dad, don't blame Ronnie. It's all my fault."

"I'll go divorce Ronnie right now. Please, please don't blame them. I'll kowtow to you and beg your forgiveness!"

As she spoke, she slammed her forehead against the floor, thud after thud.

I looked down at her, my voice very soft.

"Are you done? If you're done, wipe the floor clean. You've dirtied it."

Sandra's crying stopped short. She looked up at me blankly, at a loss for how to respond.

My parents and brother rushed to her side, glaring at me fiercely.

Ronnie walked up to me and slapped me across the face.

"Your parents have explained everything to you, and Sandy has already apologized."

"Why are you still pushing so hard?"

"Are you only going to be satisfied once you've driven Sandy to her death?"

The moment he finished, Sandra suddenly clutched her stomach, her face twisted in pain.

"Ronnie, don't hit my sister. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have taken you from her."

"It's just..." she paused, "my stomach hurts so much."

Then her eyes shut and she fainted.

Ronnie immediately took Sandra from my parents and shouted at my brother.

"Go get the car, quick, take Sandy to the hospital!"

My brother bolted out the door.

My mother's face was streaked with tears, her eyes full of disappointment in me.

"Meg, you'd better pray Sandy is all right."

"Otherwise, I'll act as if I never had a daughter like you."

The door slammed shut.

The room went silent in an instant.

Watching them leave, I suddenly remembered that when I was seven, I drank a smoothie for the first time and broke out in a rash all over, unable to breathe.

My mom said I was being dramatic. In the end it was my brother who realized something was wrong and took me to the hospital.

In all these years, had they ever treated me as their own daughter?

In the middle of my grief, I unexpectedly spotted the blood donation certificate under the coffee table.

I took it out and wiped off the dust. It read Meg Henson, my name.

I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes and put the certificate in my bag.

At the worst possible moment, my phone rang.

It was my brother.

"Meg, Sandy's kidneys are failing, she urgently needs a transplant. Get to the hospital right away and get tested for a match."

I thought I'd misheard, and couldn't help but ask.

"What did you say?"

"I said get to the hospital and be a match for Sandy. My type doesn't fit, and Mom and Dad are too old to risk it!"

I stood frozen in place, my mind completely blank.

My brother's voice was still ringing through the phone.

My lips moved a few times, and in the end I only managed to force out one word: "Fine!"

I know the debt of being given life is greater than the heavens.

I opened my bag, took out that blood donation certificate, and looked at it. Then I found paper and a pen and wrote out a disownment agreement, stroke by stroke.

As long as they signed it, I would give Sandra my kidney.

From this day forward, the Henson family would have no more Meg Henson!