Sold by My Family, Cherished in Death

To scrape together cash for my brother, my mother helped him drug me. I had always known she favored him, so I spent my whole life being obedient, never daring to cross her. Yet when I couldn't produce eight hundred thousand dollars, her palm cracked savagely across my face. "Mr. Bailey is the richest man in all of New York! You should be on your knees thanking God he even looked your way. You dare turn this down? I'll break your legs!" I begged them through my tears, met only by cold indifference. In the end, I died completely alone in a hospital bed. Three months later, when news of my death finally reached them, their eyes turned red with regret. Fresh out of college, I rushed straight home. In my hands was a birthday cake I’d picked out for Mom, ready to give her a sweet surprise. The second I stepped inside, the living room was a trashed mess. Mom was slouched on the couch, spewing curses. "Leo got himself a fiancée and forgot he even has a mother! Where the hell am I supposed to find eight hundred thousand dollars to pay for his wedding?" Seeing me walk in, she shot up and grabbed my arm so violently that the cake went flying. It hit the floor, splattering into an unrecognizable heap of frosting. "Flora, do you have any savings? Help your brother out!" I had paid my way through college working multiple part-time jobs, paycheck to paycheck. Where would I get extra money for Leo? I shook my head, my fingers curling tightly into my sleeves. A medical report slipped from my jacket pocket onto the floor, but she didn't even spare it a glance. Hearing I had nothing, she grabbed a broom, planted her hands on her hips, and started screaming. "You worthless jinx! I told you not to waste your time on college! You should’ve started working years ago to pull your weight in this house, but no, you wouldn't listen. What good is an educated girl anyway?" Dad was smoking a cigar, chiming in to smooth things over. "What’s the point of blaming her now? The priority is figuring out how to get that cash to Leo. We can't let a great marriage fall apart over money." Leo was my younger brother. Around New Year’s, he started dating a girl from a wealthy background. Her family initially asked for a two-hundred-thousand-dollar bride price, but within six months, their demands skyrocketed to eight hundred thousand. Heavy sighs and bitter groans instantly filled the cramped house. I knelt down to pick up the ruined cake, tears dripping into the cream. A sharp, throbbing ache flared behind my temples again. The doctor had told me I only had three months left, advising me to spend them surrounded by family. Yet their eyes had room only for my brother. They had stopped caring about me a long time ago. That night, Leo returned home, trailed by men in sharp suits who carried an unsettling aura. One of them looked me over with cold detachment, then pulled Mom into the adjacent room. Whispers drifted through the door. When they finally emerged, Mom and Leo were bowing and scraping, holding a freshly signed check. On it was written the staggering amount: eight hundred thousand dollars. I stared at them in confusion. But they were grinning—grins like demons clawing their way out of hell, sending chills straight down my spine. "Flora," Leo said, his eyes glittering with greed as he clutched the check. "I found you a home rolling in cash. You won't have to worry about food or shelter for the rest of your life. You really ought to thank me." To get his eight hundred thousand... they sold me? I tried to suppress the absurd, terrifying thought. But Mom was already shoving me toward the men, plastering a fawning smile on her face. "We’re so sorry. Just give us a few days, and you can come back to pick Flora up." She smooth-talked the men until they finally left. The instant the front door clicked shut, Mom swung her arm and slapped me hard across the face. My cheek swelled instantly. I collapsed to my knees, dizzy, waiting for my vision to clear. "Mr. Bailey is the wealthiest man in New York! You should be thanking your lucky stars he picked you! You dare turn your nose up at this? I’ll break your damn legs!" She darted toward the kitchen, grabbing a wooden rolling pin to beat me with, but Dad grabbed her arm. "If you cripple her, who’s going to go be his granddaughter? You, you old hag?"Dad rubbed his hands together, offering me an oily, hypocritical smile. "Listen to me, Flora. You won't suffer there. A high-society family in the city gets the absolute finest food, clothes, and living conditions. What is there to complain about? Free luxury! The man explicitly said you had a comforting face. You go live in luxury, Leo gets his wedding funds, and everyone wins, right?" Whenever Dad wanted me to yield, he always spoke in that gentle, reasoning tone. Growing up, they played good cop, bad cop, training me to be obedient, to be the sensible one. And now, for Leo's sake, they were selling me to old Mr. Bailey. Was it really for my own good, or was it just for that check? I set my jaw, lowering my gaze, my voice flat and raspy. "I'm sick. The doctor said I only have three months to live. A dying girl... would they even want that?" The room plunged into dead silence, broken only by the ticking clock on the wall. They sneered, not believing a single syllable. "Look at your healthy, plump face! Sick? Dying? Who are you trying to fool? Even if you drop dead tomorrow, you make damn sure you die inside the Bailey mansion!" Mom's venomous words felt like a serrated blade tearing through my chest. Only I knew how deeply it cut. Just then, Leo brought over a mug of warm milk, suddenly dropping to his knees with a look of utter sincerity. "Flora, please, calm down. If you really don't want to go, I'll return the check tomorrow. If the wedding falls through, so be it. I can't let my sister suffer like this." I looked down at his face. Memories flooded back—how he used to trail behind me, calling my name, refusing to eat dinner until I walked home from school, pressing his nose against the window to watch me board the bus. That single, remorseful look melted my defenses. I took the mug, drank the warm milk in one breath, and set the glass on the table, reaching out to help him up. Suddenly, my head spun violently. My body gave out, crashing heavily onto the couch. My shin banged hard against the coffee table, but I couldn't feel the pain. "Flora, eight hundred thousand is all you're worth anyway. Mom and Dad raised you for decades—it’s time you paid them back! I went out of my way to find you a golden ticket, and instead of kissing my feet, you refuse? In your dreams!" Leo tossed the check onto my face in disgust, turned his back, and walked away. My eyes rolled desperately toward Dad. I parted my lips, squeezing a cracked whisper through my teeth. "Dad..." He averted his gaze, acting as if nothing was happening, and pulled Mom into their bedroom. Tears spilled helplessly down my cheeks, soaking into the worn fabric of the sofa. I never could have imagined that the parents and brother I had loved and respected for over twenty years would conspire together to throw me into the jaws of a beast.Before Leo was born, I was cherished like a little princess. They bought me pretty dresses and took me to amusement parks. They would wrap their arms around me, whispering that I was the sweetest, kindest little girl in the world. Everything changed the day the hospital confirmed Mom was carrying a boy. I remember running home with an academic award, eager for praise. Mom didn't even glance at it. Dad gave a distracted grunt and slid the certificate under a boiling pot of soup, letting grease splatter all over the paper. "Honey, you've done so well," Dad beamed, looking at Mom. "You're the savior of our family line." Mom rested her hand on her swollen belly, glowing with pride. I timidly stepped closer. "Mom, I..." She shoved my hand off her sleeve with a scowl, rolling her eyes. "Get out of my face! What good are high grades? Look at Mrs. Smith's kid—already bringing home paychecks! Meanwhile, we keep pouring money into you." "If you had any sense, you'd start bringing money home early so we'd have a reason to appreciate you." Her venom terrified me. I hid in my bedroom, sobbing quietly into my pillow. Through the thin wall, muffled whispers drifted in. "She’s getting older. If you talk to her like that, she’ll hold a grudge." "I put food in her belly and clothes on her back! What's wrong with saying a few words? She only exists to serve her brother anyway." "All right, all right, don't get worked up. Think of the baby." Their voices faded. Back then, I couldn't understand what she meant by "only exists to serve her brother." When Leo was born, I went to the hospital to see him. He was fair, chubby, and so precious. I scrubbed my hands repeatedly before daring to reach out and touch his cheek, only for Grandma to slap my arm away. "Flora! What do you think you're doing? Don't you know how filthy your hands are?" Her voice was shockingly loud. I jerked my hand back and stumbled backward, hugging my backpack. Leo started wailing from the noise, and Grandma pinned the blame entirely on me. "You little jinx! It's all your fault! If my grandson catches anything, I'll skin you alive!" Dad shoved me out into the hallway, while Mom muttered something inside that I couldn't hear. People bustled past in the crowded hospital corridor, leaving me entirely alone, clutching my backpack as I walked all the way home. When I finally woke up, I was in a grand bedroom inside the Bailey estate. Old Mr. Bailey sat in an armchair, watching me intently before instructing a maid to bring me warm soup. My eyes widened in terror, and I scrambled backward. A warm gush of blood suddenly poured from my nose, staining the crisp white sheets crimson. The Bailey family held immense power; if they wanted to do something to me, running was impossible. He seemed to sense my sheer panic. His heavily wrinkled face softened into an awkward, gentle smile, and he told the staff to bring medicine. "Flora, I know you are very, very sick," he said softly. "I only ask... when you pass, could you donate your heart to my granddaughter? She desperately needs one to live." "You can ask for anything you want. I will give it to you."A bitter laugh escaped my lips. So the eight hundred thousand wasn't to buy my future. It was to buy my life. I looked at him. Beneath the immense wealth, he just looked like an agonizingly desperate grandfather who adored his granddaughter. After a brief silence, I agreed—on the condition that he give me two hundred thousand dollars directly. Mr. Bailey was overjoyed and immediately wired five hundred thousand into my account. To him, saving his granddaughter was worth any sum, given without a second thought. With that money, I went straight to the nursing home to visit Grandma—my maternal grandmother. I deposited three hundred thousand dollars into the facility's account so they would give her the best care possible. The moment she saw me, the cloudiness in her eyes cleared, replaced by pure warmth. "Flora... my sweet Flora came to see me." Fighting back tears, I choked down a sob and walked over to her side. Her warm hands enveloped my icy fingers. "My girl has gotten so thin. Haven't you been eating properly?" She rambled on and on with gentle scoldings, and I sat beside her in silence, listening intently while dabbing the saliva from the corner of her mouth with a tissue. I rubbed her worn hands, desperate to commit the feeling to memory. Swallowing my trembling breaths, I whispered, "Grandma, I have to go on a long business trip soon. I might not be able to visit for a very long time. Be good and listen to the nurses, okay?" She suddenly grabbed me tightly, as if terrified I would vanish forever. "Flora, don't go!" she cried out anxiously. She had suffered from Alzheimer's for over two years. She forgot everyone and everything, but she still remembered she had a granddaughter named Flora. I didn't have the heart to tell her my time was up. Living in a world of gentle confusion wasn't the worst thing. As long as she lived comfortably, I was satisfied. Later, I quietly returned to my family's house. When I pushed the door open, the family was gathered around the table, eating amidst cheerful chatter. Seeing me, their faces froze in shock, quickly giving way to fury. Grandma was the first to snap. "You little jinx! If you dare ruin Leo's wedding, I swear I'll destroy you!" Dad slammed his fork onto the table, glaring. "Coming back unannounced—where are your manners?" Returning to my own home required an advance notice now. Ignoring them, I walked straight toward my old bedroom. It had already been turned into a walk-in storage room, piled with junk, leaving barely enough room to stand. I searched until I found Squeaky, the plush doll that had kept me company since childhood, and walked back out. I tossed a check for two hundred thousand dollars onto the dining table, instantly drawing all their eyes. Leo, his arm wrapped around his new fiancée, stared at me in disbelief. A flicker of guilt crossed Mom's face. "Flora... what is this? Where did you get this money?" Taking a deep breath to quell the dizziness inside me, I said, "Consider this payment to settle every penny you spent raising me." They all sat frozen, speechless. My body trembled uncontrollably. Clinging to one last shred of pathetic hope, I looked at Mom. "If I died... would your heart ache for me?"