Borrowed Blood

Three years earlier, my adoptive parents were arrested for human trafficking, and the police finally tracked down my biological family.

However, tragedy struck before they could bring me home. They were involved in a car accident on their way to pick me up. My parents and younger sister were killed instantly.

Only my older brother, Derrick, survived because he had been working overtime that night. Not long after the accident, he was diagnosed with ALS.

When we finally met, hatred filled his eyes.

“If it were not for you, our family would still be together.”

From that moment, I carried the weight of three deaths on my shoulders. I also took responsibility for the debt left behind by the accident, along with the rest of Derrick’s life.

I dropped out of school and worked four jobs at the same time.

When I felt hungry, I survived on cheap bread. When I became sick, I endured it and kept going.

Every dollar I earned went toward Derrick’s medication.

For three years, that was my life.

Until one day, while delivering food to a private club, I saw the person who was supposed to be bedridden at home, waiting for me to turn him over in bed.

Derrick.

He stood beside a billiards table with a cue in his hand. His movements were smooth, precise, and completely free.

No trace of illness could be seen.

He struck the cue ball cleanly.

One of his friends laughed and said, “Derrick, you have been faking ALS for three years. Even if this was a test, do you not think it has gone on long enough?”

Derrick lined up another shot without looking up.

“Harriet was raised by traffickers for ten years. No one knows what she learned from them. How could we bring her back into the Lawson family without testing her first?

“Besides, Sheila was terrified that we would abandon her once we found our real family. She cried about it more than once. We needed to give her time to adjust.”

A flicker of discomfort crossed his friend’s face.

“However, Harriet has worked herself to the bone to pay for your treatment.”

Another ball dropped into a pocket.

Derrick smiled, pleased with himself.

“Sheila and my parents are flying back tomorrow. Once they arrive, I will arrange for Harriet to return to the Lawson family. After that, I will make it up to her.”

I lowered my head as a burning sensation rose inside my nose.

A mechanical voice suddenly echoed in my mind.

[Congratulations, Host. The Obsession Commission has been completed. Would you like to claim your reward?]

I wiped away the blood that trickled from my nose.

“Yes,” I replied quietly. “Claim it.”

In three days, I would finally be going home.

The Lawson family had never been the home I wanted.

By the time I finished my work for the day and returned to the apartment I rented, it was already past midnight.

“So, you finally decided to come home? Where have you been this late?”

As usual, Derrick Lawson greeted me with a scowl the moment he saw me.

He sat in his wheelchair with limp arms and weak legs.

He looked nothing like the man who had been clearing the pool table with ease earlier that day.

In the past, the moment I stepped inside, I would revolve around Derrick. No matter when he called for me or what he needed, I would respond right away. This time, I ignored his question.

I sat down, pulled out a loaf of bread, and started eating. Derrick froze for a second before his face darkened. “Are you deaf? I am talking to you!”

After swallowing my mouthful, I finally spoke.

“Derrick, I am starving. I do not even have the energy to talk. This is my dinner. Can you let me finish eating first?”

His expression stiffened.

For a moment, he seemed unsure how to respond.

After I finished the bread and regained a little strength, I opened my bag and took out several boxes of medicine. I popped out the pills and placed them in Derrick’s hand.

“I bought this month’s medication. Go ahead and take it.”

His throat bobbed.

He avoided my eyes and said, “Just leave it there. I will take it later. Go wash up first, you are covered in dust. It is disgusting.”

I nodded and walked toward the bathroom.

However, instead of washing up right away, I left the door slightly open. Through the crack, I watched Derrick wrap the pills in a tissue and toss them into the trash can.

Listening to the sound of running water from the sink, I quietly closed the door. I stared at my pale reflection in the mirror and stood there in silence.

Earlier that day, after I collapsed, a stranger had called an ambulance and sent me to the hospital.

The first thing I heard after waking up was the doctor letting out a regretful sigh.

“If you had started treatment earlier, there might have been a chance, but…”

He never finished the sentence. He did not need to. The truth had already settled in. I did not have much time left because I had given my chance at survival to Derrick, only to learn that the sacrifice had been for nothing. He had never needed it at all.

When I finally stepped out of the bathroom, Derrick already sounded impatient.

“What is taking so long? I am going to bed.”

After saying that, he waited for me to help him onto the bed.

I could not understand it.

The person who had supposedly died was coming back tomorrow.

The test I had been put through was finally ending, so I did not know why he continued to pretend.

I felt exhausted and only wanted to collapse into bed and sleep.

However, the face in front of me looked far too much like the one burned into my memory. I could not bring myself to be heartless.

I helped Derrick to his feet and eased him onto the bed.

Just as I turned to leave, he suddenly grabbed my wrist.

For once, his voice softened.

“Harriet, since you have taken care of me for three years, I decided not to blame you anymore for the car accident.”

My movements paused. I turned slightly to look at him.

There was no trace of guilt in his eyes. Instead, there was a kind of satisfaction, as if he were inspecting a finished assignment and approving the results.

A sharp pain pierced my chest. I knew at once that it did not belong to me. It belonged to the original Harriet, a lingering emotion she had left behind.

I pushed the feeling down and looked straight at Derrick.

“Derrick, if I were the one who got sick, would you fight for my life the way I fought for yours?”

He froze.

For the first time, he did not have an answer.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

I turned and walked out of the room.

At four in the morning, I got up quietly and prepared to leave for work. As I passed by, I heard my brother talking on the phone. His voice sounded softer than I had ever heard before.

“Do not worry, you are the one I love most. No one could ever replace you.

“Mom and Dad love you the most too. They would not have spent the last three years traveling overseas with you if they cared about meeting her.

“Even if she walks through the doors of the Lawson family tomorrow, she will still come after you. Happy now?”

There was a brief pause.

When Derrick spoke again, there was a hint of pleading in his voice.

“It is only eight at night where you are, but it is four in the morning here. I am getting old. I cannot stay up like this anymore. I really need to sleep.”

The stabbing pain returned to my chest.

I rubbed the spot and looked toward Derrick’s bedroom door. No matter how much he looked like him, Derrick was not him.