Chapter 4

I gave in.

"Mom... if you need it, I'll give Stella my kidney."

Miss Anderson always told me that an older sister should protect her younger sister.

Mom went through so much pain to bring me into this world; I wanted to grant her final wish.

I had never once thought about what I wanted. So many people called me a stray, telling me I should never have been born, so whether I lived or died didn't seem to matter anymore.

I secretly made one last call to Miss Anderson.

"Miss Anderson, you don't need to come pick me up."

"I think I might die soon. Thank you so much for everything, Miss Anderson. Meeting you was the happiest part of my life."

Her voice turned frantic on the other end. "Riley?! What happened? Are your parents hurting you?!"

I told her softly about Stella's illness.

"Miss Anderson, if I give my kidney to my baby sister, she gets to live."

Miss Anderson told me she'd already called child protective services after our first conversation. "Where are they taking you, Riley? Can you tell me the name of the hospital?" I didn't know. I heard Dad coming down the hall and ended the call.

Miss Anderson was so good to me, but giving my kidney to Stella was my own choice.

Back then, I thought it was a choice because I was the one who said yes.

If, by some miracle, I survived the surgery, I just wanted to find a quiet place far away and live on my own.

I wanted to learn how to cook, to eat warm meals every single day, and finally understand what it felt like to have a full, satisfied stomach.

Dad drove us to a private clinic outside town. By the time they wheeled me into the operating room, I'd stopped asking where we were.

Mom gently stroked my cheek, offering me a rare, fleeting smile for the very first time.

"Riley, when your sister wakes up safely, you can keep living in the basement."

"If you save Stella, I won't hold the broken Saint Christopher medal against you anymore."

Tears slipped from the corners of my eyes, rolling into my mouth—salty, bitter, and cold.

I was terrified.

Trembling, I pulled a folded piece of paper from my hospital gown and handed it to Mom. "Mom... this is my report card. Miss Anderson said I was very smart."

"And this is a card I made for you. I wanted to wish you a happy Mother's Day."

The card was crumpled and creased. I had stayed up writing it the very night I was brought back to the city.

It was my final wish: I just wanted my mother to know that I could have made her proud.

Mom's fingers tightened around the card, a ripple of unease flashing across her face.

Dad gently placed a hand on her shoulder, soothing her.

"Chloe, don't worry. Stella will be completely fine with me here."

"Go get some rest. When you wake up, Stella will be safe in your arms."

Mom said nothing. Dad wheeled her back to the waiting room.

The operating light was the last thing I saw before I went under.

When I came around, my kidney was already gone. I found out later that they'd put it into Stella while I was still asleep.

It felt as though the very bones inside my body had dissolved into water.

Dad was standing by the door of the recovery room. "Riley, you saved Stella."

"Once this is over, tell me whatever you want, and I'll buy it for you."

An alarm went off. A doctor called for an ambulance, saying my blood pressure was dropping and they couldn't manage it there.

Tears soaked my collar. I parted my lips, trying to lift an arm, but my body refused to obey.

"Dad... I don't think I can move anymore."