Synopsis
After I was diagnosed with a rare coagulation disorder, I became the “fragile princess” of the family. The doctors warned that I might not live past five years old. From that moment on, my parents revolved their entire world around me, pouring every last cent into treatments and medicine, putting my needs above everything else.
For years, I believed I was loved.
But on the day my younger sister Lucille started kindergarten, I quietly told Mom that my chest hurt a little.
Without warning, she broke down. Tears streamed down her face as she slapped me across the cheek.
“Why are you so selfish?” she cried. “Is it not enough that everything in this family revolves around you? Do you have to steal this from your sister too?”
Her voice turned sharp, almost hysterical.
“We spend every single day worrying about you. Can’t we even take Lucy to school without you making it about yourself? If you want to die, then go die! Stop torturing us!”
Before I could react, she swept the medicine bottles off the table and hurled them at me. Glass shattered against my skin. Then she grabbed Lucille’s hand and stormed out, slamming the door behind them.
I didn’t argue. I didn’t cry.
I just looked down at the blood seeping from my wound, feeling the cold spread slowly through my body, as if something inside me had finally given up.
