I returned to the ward with a glass of water in my hand. Sean was standing in front of the bed with a frown as he looked at Winona lying in bed.

Yvonne was sobbing quietly, acting like she was extremely upset.

"This is all my fault. I should've taken better care of Winona. If you have to blame someone, Sean, blame me."

She stood in front of Sean with a broken-hearted look on her face.

Sean turned away from Winona to look at Yvonne. "What did the doctor say?"

"He said she was poisoned and is still in critical condition." Yvonne threw herself into Sean's arms. "Blame me if you must, Sean! This is all my fault."

Sean was taken aback but did not push her away immediately. He said, "This was out of your control. Don't cry. You don't have to worry. I'll get the best doctors to save Winona."

Yvonne smiled victoriously when Sean did not push her away.

She wiped away her tears. "I won't bother both of you any longer. I'll be leaving first. Just call me if you need anything."

Yvonne left the ward with me after that. The moment we walked out of the ward, she immediately smiled victoriously.

"Did you see that? He didn't push me away when I jumped into his arms. He's always very reluctant when it comes to being in physical contact with women. This means that I stand a chance."

I pretended to be hesitant as I looked at her. "What if Winona wakes up, Yvonne?"

Yvonne grunted coldly. "I just need to make sure she never wakes up. You don't need to poke your nose into this. I have my ways. Let's go home first."

With that, she hailed a cab for us at the hospital's entrance.

When we got home, we heard yelling the moment we opened the door.

"Where did you go, Greta? Don't you know your father and I haven't eaten yet?"

I cowered right away.

When I walked into the living room, it was covered with beer bottles. My parents were glaring at me while lying on the couch. Their eyes were bloodshot, and they looked like they wanted to tear me apart.

"Where did you go? Are you trying to stay away from home right after entering high school?"

"You're a shameless little girl, aren't you?"

Mom's attitude changed the moment Yvonne entered the room.

"Where have you been, baby girl?"

Yvonne looked impatient. She kicked away the beer bottles next to the couch and sat down. "Stop bothering me with so many questions. It's annoying."

Mom was not angry and instead smiled apologetically. "Alright, baby girl. Are you hungry?"

Yvonne nodded. "How can I not be hungry? I haven't eaten since this morning."

Mom immediately glared at me. "What are you waiting for, you lazy, stupid thing? Do you know you're starving us?"

I nodded right away and went into the kitchen to cook. It felt ironic to listen to Mom shower concern over Yvonne. No matter how many times I repeated this life, they would still act so horribly.

My parents would always side with Yvonne in hopes that she would marry a rich man. That was their way of getting our family out of a rut.

As for me, I was expected to stay at their side forever as a maid who would ensure that they were well taken care of in their old age. What a great plan.

This time, I wanted their plans destroyed. I would make sure that they could never find me.

Meanwhile, I heard them nagging me, "Where's our food? What have you been doing?"

I quickly served all the dishes and sat at the farthest corner of the table.

While eating, Mom smiled sweetly at Yvonne. "How are things between you and Sean, baby girl?"

Yvonne nodded. "It's going well. Once Winona dies, I'll be able to marry him without a hitch."

She smiled delightedly as she continued, "Winona isn't my match."

Mom immediately smiled and nodded. "You did a great job, baby girl. I'll be able to enjoy a good life with you by my side."

I ate silently. When I reached out to get some meat, Mom hit my fork away. She glared at me. "What are you doing? Good-for-nothings don't deserve meat. I wouldn't be so annoyed if you were even a little like your sister. You've never had any accomplishments, yet you never stop eating.

"Finish your food quickly and get lost! It's frustrating to even just look at you."

Comments like this were commonplace, and I was already used to them. I went to my room silently after I was done eating.

Yvonne and I shared a room. The five-feet-long bed in the room belonged to her while the thin mattress in the corner was my bed.

It was apparent that Yvonne was in a good mood. She was humming when she entered to sit in front of the mirror.

"Go to the hospital to see Winona on my behalf from tomorrow onward and report to me if anything happens, understand?"

I was taken aback while staring at my textbook. "I have class tomorrow, Yvonne."

She frowned impatiently and looked at me to say, "Why do you need to go to school? You won't be able to earn much even if you graduate with good results. Do what I say and visit Winona tomorrow. Say that I asked you to go take care of her.

"That way, I'll be able to leave Sean with a good impression and keep an eye on Winona at the same time. Do you understand?"

I could only nod. "Alright."

Yvonne nodded with satisfaction. She got up and turned the lights off even though I was still reading. However, I was used to her behavior and put my book back into my bag before lying down.

…

Everyone was still sleeping when I woke up in the morning.

After I was done preparing breakfast in the kitchen, I picked up my school bag and went to the hospital.

Sean was still by Winona's side in the hospital. He sat in front of her bed while holding her hand. His sharp eyes shot at me when he heard me entering the ward.

"Who are you?"

I explained, "I'm Yvonne's sister, Greta. She's busy today, but she's worried about Winona, so she asked for my help to take care of Winona."

Sean looked satisfied with the answer. "That's nice of her. Please thank her for me."

Yvonne would have been delighted to see this.

I had to admit that her plan was successful. Sean was beginning to take notice of Yvonne.

There was no hurry, though. I would slowly reveal her true colors.

Once that happened, the real drama would begin.

I sat at the corner of the ward to read while Sean picked up a few calls.

It was not easy for someone born into an influential family to free up his time to stay in the hospital like this. He had to be extremely busy.

I watched while he frowned. "Mr. Graham, why not let me stay here and take care of Winona? I'll get the doctor if there are any issues. Don't worry about it."

He looked me up and down while trying to come to a decision. He finally nodded in the end.

"Thanks for the help. Please call me the moment Winona wakes up."

He passed his name card to me after that. I took his name card and nodded while I watched him leave.

The ward was finally silent, and there was no one else in the corridor.

I looked at Winona lying motionless in bed and said softly, "There's no one here anymore, Ms. Evans. You can get up now."