Abandoned for the Adoptive Daughter

Everyone at school knew the class president, Lucille Levins, had grown up surrounded by love. When the weather turned cold, her fairy godmother brought her homemade pear tea. Whenever someone wronged her, her older brother was always there to stand up for her. Meanwhile, when I had a 104-degree fever and called my mom over a dozen times, all she cared about was how I was interfering with her work. When I begged my brother, Aldon Rowntree, to take me to the hospital, he snapped impatiently, "You're old enough to take care of yourself. Why can't you even do that?" No one in class wanted anything to do with me. Lucille was the only person who would eat lunch with me. She even slipped candy into my desk when no one was looking. For her eighteenth birthday, I spent half a month knitting her a scarf by hand, determined to give her something special. However, the moment I pushed open the doors to the banquet hall where she was celebrating, I froze. My mom, who had never once attended a parent-teacher conference for me, was kneeling on the floor, straightening the hem of Lucille's dress. My brother, who had refused to take me to the hospital just days ago, was carefully placing a birthday tiara on her head. With tears in her eyes, she threw her arms around them. "Thank you, Godmother! Thank you, Aldon! You treat me better than my own family ever did." Mom caressed her cheek with a look of pure adoration. "Oh, sweetheart. You're just as precious to us as our own daughter." The scarf slipped from my hands and fell to the floor. I finally learned the truth. My mom was Lucille's fairy godmother, and Aldon was her older brother who always had her back. It was not that they did not know how to show love. They simply did not want to love me. Chapter 1 I never went into the banquet hall. Instead, I took out my phone and messaged the class president and my only friend at school, Lucille Levins. Winry: [Lucille, something came up at home, so I can't make it tonight. I left your gift outside. Happy birthday!] She replied almost immediately. Lucille: [Winry, are you feeling okay? You've been looking pretty pale lately. Don't push yourself too hard, okay? Go home and get some rest.] I stared at the screen, my eyes stinging as the text blurred before me. Lucille was the only person in class who ever waited for me at lunch. Whenever I returned to school after being sick, she would slip sweet notes into my backpack. When my classmates locked me inside a bathroom stall, she stayed outside and kept me company, talking to me until a teacher came to let me out. However, the godmother and big brother she had always talked about were the very same people I had called my mom and brother for over a decade. I had no idea how I could face her. In the end, I left the paper gift bag at the reception desk and walked away. The night air was bitterly cold. As the bus rolled past one stop after another, I leaned against the window, memories surfacing one by one. In middle school, I won first place in a public speaking competition. My teacher asked me to invite my parents up for a photograph, so I called my mother. The background noise on the other end of the call was loud. All Mom said was, "Winry, I'm working overtime. Don't waste my time over something so small. I'm trying to make money here." That day, I stood outside the school gates with my certificate until nightfall. When I finally got home, she glanced at it and told me to put it on the bookshelf. When I was sixteen, my classmates locked me inside the school's equipment room. The door was bolted from the outside. I pounded on it until my palms went numb, and my phone was almost dead. With tears streaming down my face, I called my brother. "Can you come to school? I can't get out of here." He was silent for a few seconds. "Your school is too far from where I am. Why don't you find a teacher?" "My phone's about to die," I replied. His voice turned cold. "You're old enough to know how to call for help, aren't you?" In the end, a teacher making the rounds found me and let me out. When my brother, Aldon Rowntree, came home the next day, the first thing he asked was not whether I had been hurt. Instead, he said, "You're too antisocial. There are hundreds of people at your school, and you couldn't find a single person to ask for help? Aren't you embarrassed of yourself?" Back then, I did not argue. I thought Mom was simply too busy, and Aldon had never been the type to speak gently. I learned to stop bothering them. When I got sick, I went to the school nurse alone. I signed my own permission slips for parent-teacher conferences. On my birthday, I bought myself a little cake, then blew out the candles in my room as quickly as possible. Tonight, I finally learned the truth. Mom knew how to kneel down and straighten someone's dress. Aldon knew how to lower his head and gently place a crown on someone's hair. It was not that they did not know how to love. They had simply saved all that tenderness for someone else. When I got home, the living room was dark. A note was pinned beneath the vase on the dining table. 'Your brother and I have to leave for a last-minute business trip. Don't wait up.' The handwriting belonged to Mom. I sat on the couch without even taking off my shoes. It was not until one in the morning that I finally heard the front door open. Mom and Aldon walked in one after the other, their clothes carrying the sweet scent of cake. A tiny piece of glitter from a birthday party popper was still stuck to Aldon's collar. When Mom saw me, she frowned and asked, "Why aren't you asleep yet?" I looked up at her and pressed my lips together. "How was work?" She paused for a moment, then set down her bag. "Busy enough that I didn't even have time for dinner." Aldon glanced at me as he changed his shoes. "Just focus on your studies. Kids shouldn't ask so many questions." I nodded and got ready to return to my room. As Aldon bent down to pick up his coat, half of a Polaroid slipped from his pocket. In the picture, Lucille stood between Mom and Aldon, wearing her birthday crown. They were pressed close together, one on either side of her, looking every bit like a family. Aldon quickly picked up the photo and stuffed it back into his pocket. I said nothing. I simply looked away, pretending I had not seen a thing. Chapter 2 Not long after, the school sent out a notice about our high school graduation. Our homeroom teacher, Ms. Payne, asked everyone to submit a video of their parents offering their well-wishes. Ideally, parents were also expected to attend the ceremony in person. I took a screenshot of the notice and sent it to my mother. Winry: [My high school graduation is coming up. They need a video message from a parent, and we're supposed to wear commemorative medals at the event.] Two hours later, she replied. Mom: [I have a performance review at work. I can't make it. It's just a formality anyway. Don't take it too seriously.] I sent my brother another message. Winry: [Hey, can you come? It'll only be for half a day.] His reply came almost immediately. Aldon: [If only you put this much effort into your studies. Stop making the whole family go out of our way for these things.] I stared at both messages, then replied simply. Winry: [Okay.] When Ms. Payne collected the attendance list, she looked up at me and asked, "Winry, your parents can't make it either?" I nodded and replied, "They're both busy." She fell silent for a moment, then spoke in a softer tone. "Then I'll pin the medal on you myself." I lowered my head. "Thank you, Ms. Payne." … On the day of the graduation ceremony, the auditorium was packed with parents. Students walked arm in arm with their mothers and fathers. The whole place was filled with laughter and warmth. Everywhere I looked, families were beaming at one another. I stood at the very end of the line, a bare patch of uniform over my chest. Lucille's parents did not come either, yet she wore a brand-new dress, its hem adorned with tiny pearls. She took my hand and whispered, "Winry, do you like it? My godmother sent it to me." I glanced at her dress and gave a small nod. "It's beautiful." Her eyes lit up. "My brother recorded a video for me, too, but he said he didn't want to show his face in case my classmates spread it around." She held out her phone, but I did not take it. The auditorium lights dimmed, and the giant screen flickered to life as the congratulatory videos began to play. When it was Lucille's turn, the entire room fell silent for a moment. Onscreen, a woman sat by a window, her face shown only in profile. Only part of her face and her wrist were visible. I recognized the jade bangle immediately. Mom had worn it for years. "Happy eighteenth birthday, Lucille. You've always been such a sweet girl. Whether you decide to study communications or design, I'll always support you." The screen switched to another video. A man sat with his back to the camera, his left hand resting on the back of a chair. A faint scar crossed the webbing between his thumb and index finger. Aldon had gotten it playing basketball in his senior year of high school. "Lucille, you're all grown up now, but you don't have to face everything alone. If anyone gives you a hard time, just come to me. I've always got your back." Whispers of envy rippled through the auditorium. "Lucille has the best life ever." "Her brother's voice is so nice." "Oh my, a real-life fairy godmother!" With tears in her eyes, Lucille rose to her feet. The applause that greeted her was thunderous. I lowered my gaze to my chest. All I could see was the plain fabric of my school uniform. The emptiness there ached. At last, Ms. Payne came over to me. She held a commemorative medal in one hand and offered me a bouquet with the other. "Welcome to adulthood, Winry!" I fought back tears, my voice catching in my throat. "Thank you, Ms. Payne." As she pinned the medal to my uniform, her eyes grew red, too. "Make sure you take better care of yourself, okay?" I said nothing. I was afraid that my voice would crack if I said a single word. After the ceremony ended, a torrential downpour began. I had only just recovered from my fever, and my jacket was far too thin for the weather. By the time I reached the school gates, my fingers had already gone numb from the cold. The bus stop was still a fair distance away. I sent my brother a message. Winry: [Hey, the rain's really bad. Can you pick me up if you're passing by?] A long time later, he finally replied. Aldon: [I'm out of town. Take the bus yourself.] I slipped my phone into my pocket and headed for the bus stop. Just as I reached the side gate, a black sedan pulled out of the school grounds. Its window was slightly open. Lucille sat in the passenger seat, cradling a thermos. She said with a smile, "Aldon, the pear tea your mother made me is so sweet." Aldon got out to hold an umbrella over her. The rain soaked his shoulder, but he tilted the umbrella toward her to keep her dry. "Watch your step. Don't walk through the puddles." Lucille looked up at him. "Didn't you say you were out of town today?" He smiled and replied, "I wanted to surprise you." I stood motionless in the rain, staring down at my chat with him, unable to find a single word to say. I got home and flopped onto the sofa, exhausted. I left a small wet patch on it where I sat. Mom had just walked through the door. The moment she saw it, her expression darkened. "Winry, what's wrong with you? You just recovered from a fever, and now you've gone and soaked yourself in the rain. Do you have any idea how much trouble it'll be to wash the sofa cushions?" I replied, "It was raining really hard." She tossed a tissue box at me. "Clean it up. You're always making people worry about you." That night, my fever returned. My head felt unbearably heavy, and my throat hurt so much I could barely speak. I woke in the middle of the night to the sound of Mom taking a phone call in the kitchen. She kept her voice low, but I could still hear every word. "Lucille, did you get caught in the rain? Was the pear tea sweet enough? I'll bring you another batch tomorrow." I lay there with my eyes open, staring at the sliver of light beneath my bedroom door. When morning came, only a lukewarm glass of water sat beside my bed. I drank it, then reached for my phone. Under my emergency contacts, Mom was listed first and Aldon second. I deleted them one by one. When the confirmation prompt appeared on the screen, I tapped 'confirm'. Chapter 3 Ms. Payne called me to her office during lunch. She slid a folder across the desk toward me and said, "The school has a spot in an overseas exchange program. It isn't open to the public. Students can only be nominated based on their grades and conduct. "You were the first person who came to mind." I lowered my eyes to the documents. The program lasted a year, and the foundation would cover tuition, housing, and living expenses. A note at the bottom of the page stated that outstanding participants could apply for full scholarships at universities abroad. Ms. Payne assured, "I've checked all the costs. You won't have to pay anything out of pocket. Winry, I want you to give this some serious thought." I pinched the corner of the paper, hesitating for a long time before finally asking, "If I go, does that mean I'll have to leave home?" She met my gaze. "Yes, and the application deadline is coming up fast." I tucked the folder into my backpack. That afternoon, I walked home more slowly than usual. It was not that I could not bear to leave that house. I just wanted to know if my leaving would mean anything to Mom and my brother. If I really walked away, would they feel even the slightest reluctance to let me go? Would they try to stop me, or would they let me walk away without a second thought? During dinner, I placed the application form on the table. "My school has an exchange program. I might have a chance to go. I'll need some identification and household registration documents." Mom stopped in the middle of picking up her food. She did not even look at the paperwork. She only asked, "Abroad?" I nodded. She put down her cutlery and said, "No." "Can't you at least read the details first?" Mom pushed the application back toward me. "You can barely take care of yourself. What are you going to do if you get sick out there on your own?" Aldon leaned back in his chair and said in an indifferent tone, "You can't even handle a fever on your own. Going abroad will just cause trouble for the family." I looked at them. "I'm an adult now." Mom frowned. "And that means you can do whatever you want? Don't let a few nice words from your school go to your head. You need to learn your place." Aldon chimed in, "Focus on your university entrance exams. Stop making trouble." I did not argue any further. I took the application and carried it back to my room. … The next day, Lucille dragged me to the school's minimart. As she browsed the yogurt section, she said, "Winry, I've decided to stay in the country for college. My godmother has already helped me look into some programs. "My brother says communications doesn't have great job prospects, so he thinks I should pick something more practical. He even promised to let me intern at his company during the summer break." She spoke so casually, as though her future had already been laid out for her. I asked, "What do you actually want to study?" Lucille paused for a moment. "I don't know, but my godmother and brother wouldn't steer me wrong." I gave her a faint smile and replied, "That's nice." She leaned closer. "What about you? Which college do you want to go to?" I stared at the bottles of water on the shelf. "I haven't decided yet." At that moment, I finally let go of the last of my hesitation. When Ms. Payne learned that I could not get the documents I needed, she contacted the school's academic affairs office on my behalf. "You're already eighteen. You can apply independently. The school can provide proof of enrollment and your academic records. You can get replacement household registration documents at the local police station." She handed me a folder and added, "Leave everything in my office from now on. Don't take it home." I began preparing for the assessment in secret. I practiced speaking in the mornings and worked on my application materials at night. My application and university entrance exam documents stayed locked in Ms. Payne's desk drawer. The night before the exam, Mom suddenly clutched her stomach and sank onto the couch. "Winry, my stomach hurts." I put down my pen and asked, "Do you need to go to the hospital?" She looked at me. "Don't you have nothing important to do tomorrow? Come with me tonight." "I have an exam tomorrow," I replied. Her expression darkened. "I'm sitting here in pain, and all you can think about is an exam?" Aldon came out of his room. "Mom's health comes first. Just ask for an excuse and skip it." I let out a quiet sigh and picked up my jacket. The tests dragged on until late that night. In the end, the doctor said it was nothing more than an ordinary stomach complaint and prescribed some medication. On the way home, Mom leaned against the back seat and said, "Don't go tomorrow. Stay home and keep an eye on me." I lowered my voice. "I have to go." She said nothing more. … The next morning, I woke up to see my alarm had been turned off. My backpack lay open, and the spare set of exam documents I had kept inside was gone. Mom was in the kitchen, making soup. I asked, "Where are the papers from my backpack?" Without even looking up, she replied, "I don't know." Aldon came out of the bathroom and chimed in, "You can't even keep track of your own things, and you think you're ready to study abroad?" I searched every corner of my room. At last, I found the papers buried at the bottom of the kitchen trash can. They were soaked through, the ink smeared into an unreadable blur. When Ms. Payne saw what happened to my documents, her expression changed. She did not ask a single question and immediately turned on her computer and printed out a fresh set. "Get in the car. I'll drive you." When we pulled up outside the examination center, she turned to me and said, "Don't look back. Just focus on the exam." I nodded and ran into the building. The exam did not end until late afternoon. When I got home, Aldon was on the balcony, talking on the phone. "Lucille, I've put together a list of a few colleges here in the country for you. Don't pick something too impractical. If you want an easier time in college, that's fine, too. I'll help you find the right connections." He hung up when he saw me. "Where have you been? Why are you coming home so late?" I walked past him. "School." Back in my room, I turned on my old computer. A new email sat in my inbox. [Congratulations! You have passed all stages of the assessment. Please confirm your acceptance of the placement within three days.] I read the email three times. Then I clicked 'confirm'. Chapter 4 Once my placement was confirmed, Ms. Payne helped arrange a host family for me. I did not tell Mom or Aldon. Neither of them noticed. Mom stayed busy with work, while Aldon continued driving Lucille around, helping her choose colleges and revise her application essays. It was as though they were certain I had no idea what was going on. I passed behind him one day, carrying my visa documents in my hands. Fifteen days before my departure, the school organized an educational trip. On the way back, an out-of-control truck sideswiped our bus, sending it crashing into the guardrail. I was sitting by the window. My abdomen slammed into the seat in front of me, and shattered glass sliced open my arm. Lucille, seated farther forward, had only scraped her wrist. However, she was badly shaken. Her breathing grew ragged, and all the color drained from her face. Our teachers rushed us to the hospital and contacted our families. I lay on a gurney, cold sweat beading on my forehead as pain tore through my body. Then I heard hurried footsteps approaching from the end of the corridor. Mom and Aldon had arrived together. The moment I saw them, my eyes widened. I parted my lips. "Mom!" However, they walked straight past my bed and rushed to Lucille, who was sitting in a chair nearby. Mom pulled her into her arms. "Lucille, sweetheart, you must have been terrified." Aldon took off his jacket and wrapped it around her. "Where does it hurt? Let me see your hand." Lucille's voice trembled as she spoke through her tears. "I'm okay, but I was so scared." Mom gently rubbed her back. "It's all right. I'm here." A nurse began wheeling my gurney toward the examination room. Only then did Mom turn to look at me. "Winry, are you badly hurt?" The doctor answered before I could speak. "She's not in immediate danger, but we'll need to run some further tests." Mom let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness." Then she looked at me again. "Lucille doesn't have any family here. Try to be understanding." I watched the examination room doors close before me. I did not even have the strength to ask her why Lucille's fear mattered more than my pain. When the results came back, the doctor's expression was grave. "Her spleen is injured. She'll need to be hospitalized for observation. If the bleeding continues, she'll need emergency treatment immediately. Where's her family?" Ms. Payne went looking for them. When she returned, her face was lined with frustration. "Lucille said she was afraid to stay at this hospital. Her mother and brother have taken her to a private hospital for a full-body examination." The doctor frowned. "We can't leave this patient unattended, either." By the time Ms. Payne arrived, it was already evening. She had not even changed out of her coat. She simply stepped forward and signed one form after another. "I'm her homeroom teacher. If anything comes up, contact me first." In the middle of the night, my blood pressure suddenly plummeted. The nurses rushed me into the emergency room. Through the haze, I could faintly hear Ms. Payne speaking on the phone outside. "I'll handle everything with the school. If we can't reach her family, please follow the emergency procedures." By the time I woke up, daylight had begun spilling through the window. Ms. Payne sat beside my bed, dark circles beneath bloodshot eyes. She handed me a cup of water. "Don't move. Just take small sips." I managed two mouthfuls. Then she lowered her voice. "Winry, there's an early-entry placement available through the program. You can leave in three days. Your host family is willing to take you in immediately." My gaze drifted to the bedside table. There lay the hospital's medication instructions and the cup of warm tea Ms. Payne had bought for me. I had waited for someone at home to care whether I was hurting for such a long time. In the end, it was my teacher who had stayed by my side through the night. I looked at her and replied, "I'll go, Ms. Payne." … The day I was discharged was my nineteenth birthday. Mom sent me $200 as a gift. Mom: [Work's been too hectic. I'll make it up to you later.] Aldon did not contact me at all. That afternoon, he finally called. "You're out of the hospital, right? Come home and sort through your things. Lucille will need somewhere to put her college luggage. We'll make room in your bedroom." I held the phone to my ear and managed a quiet, "Okay." When I got home, I began packing. I took only the things I had bought with my own money. The old belongings Mom and Aldon had casually passed down to me stayed exactly where they were. Before I left, I wrote them a letter and left it on the living room table. I put everything in it. Every hurt, every disappointment, and every moment I spent hoping they might finally look my way. At last, I wrote: [I have never blamed Lucille. From this day forward, you may love whoever your hearts desire, without guilt, without hesitation, and without ever having to look back at me. This time, I'm leaving for good.]