Chapter 5

At the crack of dawn, Mom and Dad, looking exhausted, got up early to head to the construction site.

But as soon as they stepped out of their bedroom, they saw Daisy still leaning against my door, curled up asleep.

Mom's heart twisted. She hurried over and knelt down.

She reached out and felt Daisy's forehead—the burning heat made her eyes instantly water.

She stood up suddenly, pounding angrily on the bedroom door, her voice furious:

"Lily! Open this door! Daisy stayed up all night for you and now she has a fever! How can you be so heartless—you won't even open the door?"

"Look at her! What have you done to her?"

Daisy was jolted awake by the pounding. She groggily pulled Mom's hand, her voice hoarse and weak.

"Mom, I'm fine… don't yell at Lily…"

She tried to push herself up, but her body felt weak and she collapsed back down.

In that moment, the guilt Mom and Dad had bottled up for so long came rushing to the surface.

For two years, they'd poured all their energy into my illness and neglected Daisy.

Daisy had always sacrificed for me, given everything for me, carried the family's burdens alongside us.

Looking at Daisy's flushed face, then at the tightly shut bedroom door,Dad's exhaustion and pent-up frustration erupted.

He suddenly raised his foot, kicking the bedroom door frantically, howling in despair:

"What do you want from us? How far do you have to push us until you're satisfied? Do you want to drive us all to the edge?"

"What did we ever do to you? What did Daisy ever do to deserve this?"

His shouts echoed through the house, but behind the door there was still only silence.

I floated nearby, regret and despair nearly consuming me.

I wanted to say "I'm sorry," but the words couldn't reach their ears.

Then Daisy suddenly frowned, sniffed sharply, and her face went pale.

"Mom,Dad—I think I smell blood…"

Those words hit Mom and Dad like a thunderbolt to the chest.

The silence in the house instantly filled them with a terrible premonition that chilled them to the bone.

It was something they'd never even let themselves imagine.

Mark reacted first, staggering into the study and yanking a spare key from the back of a drawer.

This can't be happening. She has to be okay…

All three of them prayed silently.

Mark's knuckles whitened as he clutched the key, his hand shaking violently.

The key slid into the lock with a soft click, and everyone's heart jumped into their throats.

When they pushed open the bedroom door, all three froze instantly. The air seemed to stand still.

The next second, the expensive nutritional drink shattered on the floor.