My last bit of hope was gone, so I got off at a random stop. I could not control my legs at all. In the end, I dropped to my knees with a thud.

The helplessness was choking me as I felt completely useless. All the emotions I had been holding back finally broke through. I cried as I slammed my fists against my legs repeatedly.

A young woman who was holding a camera hurried over and helped me to a bench by the road as she held my arm. She then handed me a tissue and asked carefully, "Did something happen? How can I help?"

My whole body went stiff.

I never thought that after all these years, what I had wanted most would come not from my family, but from a stranger who had nothing to do with me.

Six years ago, James felt sorry for Tina, the poor student he sponsored. So, he made a fake paternity test for my parents, Oscar and Florence. He then said, "Tina is your biological daughter. She's my real sister."

When I learned the truth, I was beyond shocked. I cried hysterically and begged him to tell Oscar and Florence the truth. All I got was a hard slap.

"Can you be a little more reasonable? Tina is an orphan, and she'll be bullied for that. Only when people at school know she has a family will no one bully her! You've already had so much love from us. What's wrong with letting Tina borrow your identity for a while?!"

On Tina's first day home, she started framing me over every little thing. She said I called her a country bumpkin and often used money to humiliate her. James would then hit me to teach me a lesson, while Oscar and Florence only held back their anger at me.

Until that day, when Tina came home from school with her clothes nearly torn off. She even had humiliating words marked onto her body. She fell to her knees in front of me and begged me as she sobbed, "Alicia, it's my fault! I'm just a country bumpkin! I shouldn't have stolen our parents from you. I deserve to die! I'll go and kill myself right now!"

Then, she turned and jumped into the pool, throwing the whole family into a rage.

James was the angriest. He immediately bribed a couple to pretend to be my biological parents and kicked me out. "Don't think you're untouchable. Go outside and work through that temper of yours. You can come home when you stop picking on Tina."

From then on, I lived in hell on earth.

That couple forced me to do the work of ten people by myself at their restaurant. The skin on my hands was always scarred with cuts.

Every time the man got drunk and violent, the woman pushed me in front of her as a shield. His slaps, fists, and bottles always landed on me. I almost died during the worst of it.

But slowly, they noticed something was wrong with the way I moved. I could not speak clearly and could not hold my fork steady when I ate. I did not have the strength to work. Even the way I walked became strange.

After I was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), they threw me out like trash without hesitation.

I could no longer work, so I could only sell my blood to cover the most basic food and shelter. The medicine I had wanted for so long was finally within reach, but James stopped me from getting it.

After hearing about the past six years of my life, the girl covered her mouth and started crying, her eyes full of pity.

She wiped her tears and said, "I'm a new blogger, and I'm helping strangers make their wishes come true. Do you have a wish?"

A wish?

I looked up at the stars and thought about it seriously.

"I want a coffin."

Living was hurting me too much. After I died, I wanted a peaceful place to rest.

The young woman agreed at once. Then, she carefully asked for my permission and posted my story online.

On the screen, my face was sallow and gaunt, and my clothes were in rags. For a second, I almost did not recognize myself. I used to care so much about looking pretty.

Then, a thought came to me. I wanted to look beautiful when I died.

I counted the money in my hand. I was still tens of dollars short of buying some proper clothes for when I died. I could make that much by collecting bottles, however. Still, my muscles had almost completely wasted away. I really could not walk anymore.

I could only make my way to the mall entrance and ask someone to help me write a few large words on a piece of cardboard: [Can you give me your empty plastic bottles? Thank you!]

However, there were still plenty of kind people. By the end of the day, the bag in front of me was full, and I sold the bottles for more than ten dollars.

But I had not expected the young woman's video to go viral, drawing sympathy and attention from countless strangers.

The next day, my bag was full as soon as I reached the mall. Just as I struggled to pick it up, James kicked it away. "Alicia! Why did you put that video online? Were you trying to make people pity you so they would attack Tina and torment her emotionally instead? Delete it right now and tell everyone the truth!"

I let out a mocking laugh. "The truth? Isn't that... The truth?"

Even speaking was getting hard for me, and I could no longer control my facial expression.

James rubbed his brow in disgust, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. Then, he sneered, "What's the point of doing all this? You made such a huge scene because you wanted me to bring you home early, didn't you? Fine. You can't even wait for another two weeks, and you insist on going against me? Let's see how far you get."

He nodded as if he had seen through everything, his eyes dark and emotions unreadable.

After James left, I tried not to think about it. I kept collecting bottles and selling them for money. I calculated that after a few more bags, I would have enough for the clothes.

But that afternoon, the blogger called me. She was sobbing, her voice full of guilt. "I'm so sorry. I probably can't help you make your wish come true anymore. My account was shut down, and my home was smashed. My grandma got so upset that she ended up in the ICU. I even have to borrow money for her treatment."

The young woman sounded like she was emotionally falling apart. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I don't know why everything was clearly getting better, but in just one hour, it all changed..."

My head buzzed.

I had never thought… I truly never thought that James would go this far for Tina. It was one thing to hurt me, but why did he have to hurt another innocent person?

I called a cab and had the driver take me to the Jennings villa.

I grabbed a bottle and threw it at James. "What right do you have to treat that young woman like that?!"

James turned around and looked at me sternly. "Do you know how much trouble you two caused this time? Tina saw the comments attacking her, and that triggered her depression! She almost killed herself! I'll explain everything to Mom and Dad in two more weeks! I'll use everything I have to make it up to you, and everything will end then. Your partner in crime will naturally improve, too."

I suddenly laughed until my vision blurred.

When everything ended, I would already be dead. What use was compensation that came too late?

Just then, the door opened. "Tina, we're back. Look what we brought you..."

It was Oscar and Florence. The moment they saw the laughter on my face, their expressions froze.

They stared at me for a long time before they finally realized the beggar standing in front of them was me, carrying a huge bag of recyclable bottles and looking completely out of place in the luxurious villa.

Florence's eyes reddened at once, and she broke down again. "What are you doing in our home?! My Tina almost died because of you! Get out! Get out of here!"

Oscar comforted Florence, his gaze cutting into me as he ordered me to leave. But I simply stared at James. As long as he agreed to let that blogger go, I would not stay even one second longer.

After a few tense seconds, Tina suddenly came out of her room. She still looked fragile and tearful. "Dad! Mom! I don't blame Alicia! Instead, I've always felt guilty toward her. If I hadn't suddenly appeared, Alicia would still be your precious daughter."

She bowed to me and said, "I'm sorry, Alicia. I deserve to get depressed. I know you'll only be satisfied if I die. I just hope you can take care of Mom and Dad for me after that."

As she spoke, she turned around and rushed into traffic.

Her acting was as clumsy as ever. And yet, James, Oscar, and Florence were terrified. The two older Jennings broke down, screaming Tina's name until their voices went hoarse. James did not hesitate. He chased after Tina despite the honking and cursing from the drivers.

At the last second, he threw himself forward and pushed Tina to safety.

Once they saw their precious daughter was unharmed, Oscar and Florence held Tina and cried with relief.

James looked at Tina, still panting in fear. Then, he turned around and slapped me in fury. "Alicia! You knew Tina was emotionally unstable! Did you come to the villa today on purpose just to provoke her?! You're so vicious, you're beyond saving!"

James's eyes were full of disappointment.

Oscar, who had been silent the whole time, roared with a low and furious voice. "We Jennings have never treated you badly. I never thought we would raise you into someone who hurts others without a second thought!"

My face burned in pain, as the slap left my head buzzing. I raised my hand and waved, even when I was groggy. "I didn't. I never hurt her..."

But their eyes were the same as they had been six years ago, when they drove me out. All of them looked as if they wished I would die. I could no longer voice any of my explanations or grievances.

Then, I stared at James and asked, "If I die, will you let that blogger go?"

He sneered. "If you die, I'll give her resources and make her a famous influencer."

His indifference suddenly made my whole body feel light, as if I was not so afraid of death anymore. I lowered my eyes and said softly, "You'd better keep your word, then."

When I turned around, I saw Florence pointing at me uneasily. "James, look at her. Something about her looks wrong. She isn't really going to die, is she?"

James glanced at me and immediately dismissed the thought. "How's that even possible? She loves her life more than anyone else. It's all an act to soften us."

After that, all three of them surrounded Tina.

Oscar and Florence took out the presents they had brought back from their trip and kept consoling Tina to cheer her up. James was distracted the whole time, turning his head every so often to look at my strange figure from behind.

But in the end, Tina's sweet call of his name buried that unease.

The four of them talked and laughed.

That happiness had stopped belonging to me a long time ago.

In the end, I sold the two bags of bottles in my hands and saved enough money for the clothes that I would wear for my burial.

But I could not even make it to the store...

-

Two weeks later, James successfully sent Tina abroad.

He was about to confess the truth he had prepared for so long to Oscar and Florence.

Then, he suddenly saw a trending topic: [The young woman diagnosed with ALS who went viral in that video did not make it in the end. When citizens found her in the bushes, her body was already starting to decompose...]