The Golden Child's Secret

Ever since I was born, Mom had loved making promises she never intended to keep.

When my elementary school teacher said I had potential for advanced math competitions, she beamed with pride. "Caroline Fisher, you're amazing! Whatever tutoring you need, just say the word. I work hard so you can spend however you like!"

However, she could not even cough up the 50-dollar class fee. Instead, she turned around and enrolled my two-year-old sister, Hailey Fisher, in premium preschool enrichment classes. I ended up eating plain meals every day, scraping together the class fee from my lunch money.

When I got accepted to Vanford College, the best school in the country, Mom grabbed my hands excitedly and promised, "I knew you'd make it big! Tomorrow, we're throwing a big party to celebrate!"

But the next day, she locked me in the house.

Meanwhile, she rented the city's most luxurious banquet hall for Hailey, who had dropped out of middle school.

She stole my acceptance letter and bragged to everyone at the party, "Hailey is so gifted, she got into Vanford College's gifted program at 13!"

After her endless bragging, everyone believed that I was slow and useless, while Hailey was a prodigy.

I gritted my teeth and pushed through until graduation, finally landing a job I actually wanted. Yet, after my pre-employment medical exam, Mom suddenly grabbed my hand tightly, her gaze determined.

"Caroline, don't be scared! Cervical cancer has a really high survival rate! Even if it costs every penny I have, I'll be right here fighting this cancer with you!"

Then, she turned the corner into the stairwell and burst out laughing with Hailey. "Finally, we can dump Caroline, that burden! She actually thinks I'd help her with treatment? I wish she'd hurry up and die!"

When the doctor approached to discuss surgery details, I waved him off with a cold smile. "Cancel the surgery. Hailey's the one who's sick, and I have no obligation to worry about her!"

When the test results came back, I frowned as I stared at the report in my hands. "Cervical cancer? Doctor, is this curable?"

The doctor, Oliver Blythe, looked serious as he replied gravely, "Generally speaking, this is one of the more treatable cancers. However, for someone as young as Hailey to develop cervical cancer is quite rare, so treatment might be more complicated than usual."

My sister, Hailey Fisher, was five years younger than me and had just turned 20 that year. Ever since she dropped out of middle school, she had not touched another textbook.

Mom did not seem to mind at all. Instead, she devoted herself entirely to taking care of Hailey's every need, giving her whatever she wanted.

It would not be a stretch to say Mom would love her unconditionally forever, so long as she lived.

"Hailey is so sweet and well-behaved. Of course I'm going to dote on her!"

I knew the truth, though. Hailey's 'good girl' act in front of Mom was fake.

Behind closed doors, she smoked and drank, constantly being around sketchy guys from the neighborhood. I had warned her countless times to be careful and protect herself, but all I ever got in return was mockery from her.

"Casual dating is totally normal now. What would a boring bookworm like you know about it? Mom said she supports everything I do, so mind your own business! I bet you're just jealous because you've never had a boyfriend!"

Hailey's scornful laughter still echoed in my mind as I looked down at the medical report in front of me.

The words [Stage 2 Cervical Cancer] glared up at me from the page. Without immediate intervention and treatment, the cancer cells would only spread and get worse. Once it reached the later stages, there would be very little hope of recovery.

Even though Hailey and I had never gotten along and she never listened to anything I said, this involved her life. With that, I set aside my personal feelings for the moment.

I was about to discuss surgery options with Oliver when Mom burst into the room. She grabbed my hand with tears streaming down her face, her voice firm and determined.

"Caroline, don't be scared! Cervical cancer has a really high survival rate! Even if it costs every penny I have, I'll be right here fighting this cancer with you!"

Both Oliver and I froze at her words.

I was about to tell her she had the wrong person, but she was not listening. She was lost in her own world.

She wiped away the tears from her eyes and said with a trembling voice, "You're still so young. As long as we can get through this, you'll have your whole bright future ahead of you! Caroline, don't you worry. I'm going home right now to pack my things so I can stay at the hospital with you!"

The moment she finished speaking, she turned, took Hailey's arm, and walked out of the office sobbing.