In a daze, I felt myself carried on someone's back, heart-wrenching sobs choking beside me.
"Susan, you have to hang on. Dad and I can't lose you."
Aidan was so heartbroken that he was nearly suffocating. "Susan, you said you'd always be with me. You can't leave me behind."
I stopped struggling, letting myself sink into the darkness.
When I woke again, my entire body was swathed in bandages.
My brother was watching over me and as soon as he saw I was awake, his eyes turned red.
"Susan, you're finally awake! Are you still in pain? Are you hungry? Do you want some water?" As he spoke, he carefully brought a cup of water to my lips.
I said nothing, silently drinking it all.
Everything I endured was their doing. Why were they now putting on this false show?
My brother chattered on beside me, his eyes brimming with guilt.
When my father saw I was awake, he embraced me so tightly his tears soaked my hair. "Susan, my darling, you're finally awake. I knew you'd never abandon me and your brother."
Their grief in that moment was real, but even so, when danger came before, they had chosen Sally without hesitation.
With this thought in mind, I pulled the corners of my mouth into a slight smile and said in a raspy voice, "I want to be discharged."
Aidan's expression stiffened instantly when he heard me. "Susan, you're not well right now. How about you get discharged in a few days? I will find the best doctors in the world to help you recover."
He spoke carefully and leaned his head closer to my hand, just like he did when we were little. I didn't move and continued to say expressionlessly, "I want to be discharged."
My father's face also showed a look of reluctance.
For the next three days, they took great care of me. I spoke no words to them except to say I wanted to be discharged. Yet my family didn't seem to mind at all.
One was the chairman of the Sherman Corporation and the other was the CEO, yet now they served me like servants—bringing tea and water.
Whatever I craved, they'd procure it within seconds. Anything I desired, they'd provide. Still, I knew it was all an illusion.
They would never show up in front of me at the same time, because when my father was with me, my brother would be with Sally. Their kindness to me was all leftover, something Sally didn't want.
Thinking of this, I gave a wry smile.
My father stroked my head with a pained expression and sighed, "Susan, if you're so eager to leave the hospital, then go. I'll arrange for people to care for you at the villa."
After he finished speaking, he had someone send me back to the villa. Meanwhile, he himself hurried away.
Minutes later, my phone received another video call from Sally.
"Susan, our family's having dinner. Why aren't you joining us? Or is it that you're crippled now and can't come? How pitiful, being ruined like this by your own father and brother. You're both stubborn and worthless, sis. Even this couldn't kill you. Oh, and that villa you designed earlier? It's really nice. I'm living very comfortably there."
She sent the message with a mocking emoji attached. The video showed my father, brother, Sally and Connor enjoying a harmonious meal. I quickly recognized the location as the villa I had designed.
When it ended, I turned off my phone expressionlessly. Ever since that wedding incident, nothing my father or brother did could move me anymore.
I began cleaning out the villa. After living here for 20 years, it was filled with my family's traces: the toys my father gave me since I was just a year old, the birthday presents from him and Aidan, the thousand paper cranes Aidan once folded by hand and the lucky charms my father brought me year after year.
I took them all down. After I ran my fingers lightly over these items, I realized that at some point, they had become covered in dust. Just like the love between my father, my brother and me.
After carefully wiping them clean, I tossed them all into the fireplace without hesitation. The roaring flames instantly consumed everything.
I didn't watch as they burned. Instead, I turned and entered my father's study.
I logged into my father's computer using Sally's birthday, staring at the wallpaper showing the three of them smiling brightly. I opened their chat history and scrolled through the endless messages that stretched before me, reading them bit by bit.
When I reached the year 2023 and saw that contract, my eyes widened in disbelief.
Back in 2023, when the Sherman Corporation faced a major crisis, I had secretly sold thirty patents I held without telling my family. To ensure safety, I sought help from Jack, who ultimately secured this contract and saved the company.
Yet in their chat history, they credited Sally alone for it.
"Back when the Sherman Corporation faced a crisis, it was Sally who knelt and begged those people to step in at all costs, saving the company. Her health suffered because of it. I will take full responsibility for Sally and find her the best possible future."
Soon, messages began flashing across the computer screen. I mechanically clicked through them.
[Mr. Sherman, the contract you requested is ready. In three days, once you sign it, 15% of Sherman Corporation shares will transfer to Miss Sally. But weren't these shares originally intended for Miss Susan?]
The next second, my father's reply popped up.
[Forget about Susan. I'll take care of her for the rest of her life. She's crippled now; she doesn't need shares. Sally, on the other hand, requires some shares to protect herself while she's with the Ladners.]
I stared at the messages, snapping photos of each one.
Later, I went back to my room, lay on the bed and laughed until tears streamed down my face. So it had all been so simple—Sally had stolen my credit, while my family remained blind and heartless.
Tears drenched the pillow without my knowing. After a long moment, I finally calmed down and took out my phone to text Jack.
[About our plan, we need to change the location. In 3 days, my dad and brother will host Sally’s birthday party at the company and transfer shares. I'll send you more evidence. On her birthday, you must reclaim all the patents I gave the Shermans and cancel all their contracts. I want them to lose everything that day!]
