Chapter 3
Last night, Eleanor found herself trapped in a fog of confusion and excruciating pain. Whether she had drifted off to sleep or simply passed out from the agony, she couldn’t quite remember.
When she opened her eyes again, daylight was streaming through the window.-
Eleanor calculated in her mind that today was the day Lillian was being discharged from the hospital. She hoped that perhaps her family would take the opportunity to arrange for her discharge as well, so they could both return home together.
However, as she waited in the hospital room, two hours slipped by without a single soul
appearing.
Unable to sit still any longer, Eleanor rose and made her way to Lillian’s room.
But when she pushed open the door, she found it empty, and her heart sank.
She hastily stopped a passing nurse to inquire, and the nurse, with an indifferent expression, said, “Her boyfriend and mother came early this morning to take her home.”
“Her boyfriend?” Eleanor echoed, bewildered.
“Yes,” the nurse patiently explained. “He’s the one who often visits her, helps her wash up, dresses her, and takes such good care of her. He’s quite handsome too. If he weren’t her boyfriend, would he be so attentive?”
A chill breeze swept through the corridor, seeping into Eleanor’s bones.
In a daze, she walked out of the hospital. She didn’t know how long she’d been walking, but when she finally looked up, she found herself standing at her front door.
Inside, laughter and lively chatter filled the air.
Everyone was dressed in new clothes, their faces beaming with joy.
Selene noticed Eleanor entering, still in her hospital gown, and paused, startled.
“Ellie, you weren’t home? I thought you had your surgery and came back on your own.”
Eleanor’s lips curled into a bitter smile, a whisper of self–mockery in her voice.
“Would you even notice if I died out there?”
Kane furrowed his brow, taking a step forward to offer comfort. “Ellie, don’t say that. It’s hurtful. They do care about you.”
“Do they?” Eleanor’s eyes were filled with doubt, but she no longer had the energy to argue. She simply looked Kane in the eye and questioned:
“My mom may not have known I was still in the hospital, but what about you, Kane? As my fiancé, didn’t you know I was still lying there?”
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“When you were so caught up taking care of someone else and being mistaken for Lillian’s fiancé, did you spare a moment to consider my feelings?”
Kane met her gaze, which was filled with sorrow, and a flicker of guilt passed through his eyes, a wave of panic rising within him.
Just as he was about to defend himself, Lillian burst into tears.
“Ellie, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.”
“I let everyone misunderstand my relationship with Kay. I’m so sorry. If I weren’t here, I wouldn’t cause trouble for you and Kay…”
“I
“And how do you plan to do that? By banging your head against the wall again?” Eleanor said, her expression calm but her gaze piercing, seeing through the brief flash of surprise and resentment in Lillian’s eyes.
Once upon a time, Eleanor had believed with all her heart that they were sisters by blood, meant to be inseparable and share everything without question.
So, she had been compelled to donate her bone marrow to Lillian from birth, enduring the pain without complaint or hesitation.
She had even been grateful for the chance to save her sister’s life.
But now, as Lillian slowly took everything from her–her crafts from childhood, cherished gifts, a mentorship with a renowned artist, her family’s love, and now even her fiancé Kane–her faith had crumbled to dust.
Lillian sobbed uncontrollably, repeatedly threatening to end her life.
Seeing this, Kane’s gaze shifted to Eleanor, filled with a hint of disdain.
“Eleanor, Lillian is your sister, your family. Isn’t it right for me to care for her?”
“She’s been sickly since childhood. If you don’t sympathize with her, fine, but how can you be so cruel?”
“If you really drive her to her death, could you live with yourself?”
Selene suddenly grabbed a dress and threw it at Eleanor’s face, the rough fabric scraping her cheek painfully.
“Look, today we were supposed to happily take a family photo. Your sister even picked out a new dress for you.”
Selene’s voice was full of reproach. “But what did you do? You came back and caused a scene, turning the house upside down, and now you’re pushing your sister like this!”
“If you dislike Lillian so much, then go upstairs and stay out of sight!”
The dress fell to the floor, and Eleanor immediately recognized it.
It was one the servants wore while doing chores, and it had already been worn.
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Not that Eleanor minded this, but she knew it was Lillian’s way of taunting her.
Selene’s words chilled her to the bone. She turned stiffly and climbed the stairs.
As she neared her room, she saw that Kane and Selene had already comforted Lillian downstairs.
They seemed unaffected by the earlier confrontation, happily continuing with their family photo session.
Even the family dog nestled among them, yet in the family portrait, there was no place for Eleanor.
As their smiles were captured in the photograph, Eleanor quietly closed her bedroom door, tears silently streaming down her face.
She looked up at the ceiling, where the number “9” stood out starkly.
At that moment, she found she was no longer so afraid of the arrival of day “0.”
