Chapter 1: Loving Her is Fake, Wanting Her Bone Marrow is Real
Serenity Villas
The Johnson Family
Emily Johnson returned with a stack of property transfer documents, looking for her sister and mother.
Just as she reached her older sister's bedroom door and was about to knock, she noticed it was slightly ajar.
She was about to push it open.
Inside, she heard her sister, Bianca Johnson, speaking.
"Mom, my illness is back. I'm so scared I'll go to sleep one day and never wake up. I can't stand the thought of leaving my kids, my husband, and especially not you and the rest of the family..."
Bianca's face was pale as she leaned against the bed, clutching her mother Cleo's hand, trembling.
Cleo's elegant and regal face was full of distress.
She gently patted Bianca's hand. "Don't worry, we still have Emily."
"But, will she agree?" Bianca hesitated. "What if others find out..."
"She has no choice but to agree. If it weren't for the umbilical cord blood, she wouldn't even have the right to be born. Besides, bringing her back was all for your health," Cleo reassured, her eyes unwavering. "Look at the messages, everyone agrees with this plan. She has heart disease; she won't live much longer anyway. It's better to make good use of her."
Make good use of her!
Emily felt her blood freeze.
So, it wasn't love that made them search for her when she was kidnapped and went missing. It was her bone marrow they were after.
Before she was twelve, she was a wandering beggar, found rummaging through trash bins before they brought her back.
Her tattered, filthy clothes clashed with the Johnson family's opulent mansion. She was insecure and sensitive, but their words, "We never gave up looking for you," filled her heart with longing to be part of this family.
So, she worked hard for this family, for every member, almost losing herself in the process.
When the Johnson family business faced issues, she stayed up all night devising plans to resolve the crisis, which led to her developing heart disease.
When her older brother Aiden Johnson was set up and nearly killed, she risked her life and even agreed to the enemy's conditions to save him.
She hacked and took down the site that was defaming her second brother Chase Johnson, saving his reputation in the entertainment industry.
She tested the medicine herself to save her poisoned father Eli Johnson.
She climbed cliffs to pick rare herbs to improve Cleo's health.
For all her other family members, she exhausted herself and was covered in wounds.
As for Bianca, in the years since she returned, her poor health meant that any grievances Bianca had were always Emily's fault. Anything Bianca wanted, even Emily's most treasured possessions, would be handed over to her.
Her umbilical cord blood saved Bianca, and even her boyfriend was deceived by Bianca's frail demeanor. Emily bore the pain and didn't hold it against her.
But what did it all lead to?
Her lifelong desire for love, her humble pursuit, all in vain.
Her heart felt like it was being sliced open.
Her entire body trembled with pain.
The inheritance transfer agreements scattered on the floor as she squatted down to pick them up, despite the pain.
"Who's there?"
Cleo got up to check after hearing the noise.
Emily didn't want Cleo to see the agreements.
Her inheritance, even if donated, would never go to them.
Because none of them deserved it!
Emily hastily gathered the documents into her arms, with one last sheet flying to the door.
As she reached to pick it up, Cleo stepped out and accidentally stepped on her hand.
The pain!
But not as painful as her heart.
"Emily, how dare you eavesdrop? What is this?" Cleo released her foot, saw the documents on the floor, and frowned. "What is this?"
The moment Cleo recognized her, she immediately accused her, questioned her.
No concern, no worry.
Emily had come to terms with the fact that Cleo didn't love her.
Yet the pain was still overwhelming.
Cleo probably wished she would die sooner.
Otherwise, why would she hide her illness from her?
She had felt unwell before and went to the hospital for tests. Cleo had taken the results and told her there was nothing wrong, just to rest.
But the truth was, she had been diagnosed with heart disease then. Today, seeing the new test results, the doctor shook his head, "If you had started treatment earlier, you could have had surgery and lived several more years."
She thought it hadn't been detected before and blamed her fate.
But no, Cleo hid it on purpose for the bone marrow transplant.
As Cleo released her foot, Emily, despite the pain in her hand, instinctively gathered the documents into her arms.
This action aroused Cleo's suspicion.
"Tell me, what is it? Did you steal important documents from Eli's study?" Cleo's fierce gaze looked at her not like a daughter, but like an enemy.
She didn't notice Emily's pale face at all.
Emily bit her lip, enduring the pain, and coldly replied, "No, you can check the cameras!"
Without waiting for Cleo's response, she turned and quickly ran downstairs.
"If it's not, why are you running? Did you hear my conversation with Bianca? Then you should know, your life exists because of Bianca. You don't have much time left anyway, isn't it right to donate your bone marrow to Bianca?"
Cleo shouted as she chased her.
If she had a choice.
She would rather not be born into such a family.
Emily laughed bitterly.
Hearing such heartless and shameless words, her mind became hazy.
In her daze, she stumbled.
She missed a step and tumbled down the stairs.
Cleo, shocked, hurried after her, muttering, "Emily, are you okay? You have to be okay, otherwise, how will we do the bone marrow transplant..."
This was her "good" mother. No, she was Bianca's good mother, not hers.
Her birth was never blessed.
Maybe, she really shouldn't exist in this world.
Emily spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the scattered documents red.
Her heart felt suffocated with pain, her bones seemed broken, every joint in her body ached.
Her consciousness began to blur.
She knew she wouldn't survive.
And that was okay!
Death meant she wouldn't have to face these hypocritical and heartless relatives.
But even in death, she didn't want to die in this heartless place.
So, despite her broken and twisted limbs, she dragged herself, step by step, leaving a trail of blood, out of the mansion.
"Why are you so stubborn? Even if you're dying, why not think about saving Bianca first, as a way to earn some blessings..."
Emily closed her eyes in despair.
Heavy rain poured down, washing away the blood and dirt on her body.
It seemed to be cleansing her, offering a path to rebirth.
"Emily, hurry up and apologize to Bianca. If it weren't for you conspiring with outsiders to bully Bianca, would her illness relapse? How can you sleep at night?"
Emily was jolted awake by a loud shout.
Her arm was yanked painfully.
Emily frowned and opened her eyes, meeting Eli's angry gaze, Aiden and Chase's disapproving looks, and Cleo's disappointed eyes.
Instinctively, she covered her heart.
It didn't hurt!
So, no heart disease!
She scanned her surroundings.
The cluttered room filled with Bianca's drawing boards, the room she lived in before she turned eighteen.
Had she been reborn?