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.