I hid on the hill for three days and nights before my dad finally found me, weak and barely alive, on the fourth morning, leading a group of villagers.

I hadn’t eaten or drunk anything and had caught a fever from the rain. I was delirious, but I’d never forget the warmth of my father’s arms as he held me.

“Anna, it’s okay. I’m taking you home,” he kept saying.

I forced my eyes open just a little, and the bright sunlight fell across his familiar face. He was like a warm ray of light breaking through all my darkness.

At that moment, I felt that even if I died, it would be worth it.

“Dad...” I whispered before everything went black.

When I woke up again, I was back in my bed.

Dad was sitting beside me, and I clung to his hand like it was my lifeline.

My mother pretended to care, bringing me some ginger tea to warm me up, her face painted with concern.

“Anna, you’ve really been acting up lately, disappearing without a word. You know how worried I was,” she lied through her teeth.

In truth, she hadn’t even bothered to tell Dad that I was missing, nor had she called the police. She hadn’t searched for me at all. She’d probably hoped I’d never come back.

It was our kind neighbor, Julia, who noticed I was gone and called my father.

Mom shot me a warning look, afraid I’d spill the truth. Then she put on her sweetest smile and urged Dad to hurry back to work.

He had taken time off to come home and check on me, and now that I seemed to be okay, he stood up to leave.

But I couldn’t let go of his hand.

I knew that if I did, I’d lose him forever.

I made up my mind to expose my mother’s lies.

It wasn’t about the chance to go to college – after all, I was dying. I just wanted to remain the pride of my father’s heart.

“Dad, I didn’t score in the low range. I actually did really well. I could’ve made it into a top university.”

My mother’s face twisted in rage. She slammed the ginger tea down, and it splashed across my face.

It didn’t hurt. Instead, it felt oddly satisfying.

For once, her mask slipped in front of Dad.

My sister, afraid of losing her chance at college, started crying and throwing a fit.

The house descended into chaos, and everyone waited for Dad to be the voice of reason.

I believed in him. I was sure my loving father would be angry and demand justice for me.

But reality hit me like a punch to the gut. He gently pried my fingers from his hand, avoiding my gaze.

“Anna,” he said quietly, “It’s too late to change things now. I’m sorry.”

My mind went blank.

The father I’d always seen as fair and just had chosen my sister over me.

I felt the ground collapse beneath me.

A metallic taste rose in my throat, and I coughed up blood. I turned away, wiping my mouth with a tissue as the door closed behind him.

The room was silent, and I looked at the bloodstained tissue in my hand.

“Is this finally the end?” I laughed, but tears blurred my vision. “Why, Dad? Why are you just like her?”

Dad no longer loved me. No one cared about me in this world.

Maybe I really was just an extra person all along.

I drifted in and out of consciousness for a long time, only waking up when a parched throat forced me to.

Desperate for water, I struggled out of bed, stumbling along the walls as I left my room.

In the kitchen, I overheard my dad, speaking in hushed tones over the phone.

“Hey, honey, I’ll be back soon. Could you pick up our son for me?”

My heart froze. In that instant, everything clicked into place.

My dad, the one I thought loved me the most, had another family – a wife, a child.

So that’s why he always took my sister’s side. He was afraid the truth would get out, and it would ruin things for him.

I was nothing but a convenient sacrifice, a means to keep his two worlds in balance.

The realization hit me like a slap.

The man I believed cared about me never truly did.

Ha! What a perfect calculation.

I had always believed that my dad loved me the most, but the truth was, he never really loved me at all.

All along, I was nothing but a pathetic fool, abandoned by love.

He turned and spotted me, his face going pale. “How much did you hear?” he demanded, trying to sound authoritative but failing.

“Dad... I’m dying,” I cried out, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he’d wake up to the reality and care for me in my last moments.

But he merely frowned, frustrated. “Anna, stop making a scene. Can’t you just be reasonable for once?”

My last shred of hope shattered into a thousand pieces.

At that moment, my mom walked in, her mask finally slipping as she snapped, “All these years, and you’re still around? Always pretending to be at death’s door just to get attention.”

My sister clapped mockingly, sneering, “Finally, good riddance! Maybe now I won’t be embarrassed every time someone asks about you.”

The three people I called family turned on me, united in their disdain.

Fury surged through me, nearly making me cough up blood again.

Stumbling, I turned on my heel and staggered out of the house.

I left that hellhole behind without a shred of regret.

I wasn’t looking back.

Thunder roared in the distance as lightning cracked through the sky.

The rain poured even harder.

Dragging my exhausted body up the muddy path to the hill behind our house, I found myself standing at the edge of the cliff once more.

The wind whipped around me, threatening to pull me into the abyss.

The rain mixed with my tears, and I couldn’t tell which was which.

Maybe I did something wrong in a past life to deserve this suffering.

Dad had a new family now, people he wanted to protect.

But why did my mom hate me so much?

I’d always been more obedient, more considerate, more caring than my sister, yet she never saw any of it.

When she spoke of my sister, her eyes lit up as if she’d caught a star from the sky.

And me? I was nothing but dirt beneath her feet – a stain she couldn’t wait to wash off.

I remembered once when my sister stole Julia’s money, and Mom forced me to take the blame.

“You have to keep your sister’s reputation spotless,” she told me. “If you admit to it, I’ll love you more.”

I took the blame, hoping for her love, but instead, she tied me to a tree and beat me until the branches broke.

She told everyone I was a thief.

And my sister watched, grinning in her pretty dress, looking every bit the princess while I became the villain.

Julia was the only one who saw through it all, claiming the money was never stolen to stop the beating.

I was covered in welts and bruises, and even then, I couldn’t understand why my mother hated me so.

I’d always thought maybe I wasn’t really her child.

I even asked her once, kneeling in front of her, tugging at her sleeve with trembling fingers.

“Mom... am I really your daughter?”

Her eyes burned with rage, and she hissed, “I wish I’d never given birth to a bastard like you.”

The thunder boomed, and the wind howled, cutting through my bones.

I guess it would be better if I had never been born at all.

After all, there was nothing left to tie me to this world.

Pain shot through my body, spreading from my stomach like wildfire.

The doctor said I’d live longer if I stayed positive, but how could I feel any joy when I was trapped in this hell?

Maybe it was time to go.

I was so tired.

As the rain lashed against my face, I let my eyes close.

If I died, maybe everyone would finally be happy.