Chapter 4

The blood in my veins completely froze.

Test? What did she mean by that?

The footsteps outside faded, but I couldn't sleep for the rest of the night.

The next morning, my mother was busy in the kitchen again.

"Chloe, I made your favorite pasta."

She blew on it and brought it to my mouth.

"Here, eat it while it's hot."

I looked at her and didn't move.

Her eyes welled with tears. "I know you've been stressed lately, but you have to eat."

I took the bowl. "I'll do it myself."

I pretended to take a bite, but deliberately flipped my wrist, spilling the hot pasta all over my clothes.

"Oh my god!" my mother shrieked, jumping up.

A flash of intense disappointment crossed her eyes.

It wasn't concern. It was... anger because her plan had failed.

She quickly switched back to a worried mother. "Did you get burned? Oh, sweetie, how could you be so careless!"

She rushed over, frantically wiping me down, but her nails dug painfully into my arm.

Half an hour later, my stomach began to cramp violently.

I rushed to the bathroom and threw up everything.

My mother stood at the door. There was no panic in her voice, only a chilling, expected calmness.

"See? That's what happens when you don't eat breakfast. Your stomach is ruined."

My vision blurred, and cold sweat soaked my clothes.

Dad came out of his room, hearing the noise.

"What's going on?"

My mother immediately began her performance, pointing at me dramatically.

"Your daughter is such a picky eater! She refuses to eat anything I make! She claims my cooking is trash and now she's given herself food poisoning!"

The next second, she patted my head gently, pretending to be understanding.

"Forget it, I shouldn't argue with a child."

"Quick, Mark, drive her to the hospital!"

In the emergency room, the doctor took one look at my symptoms and diagnosed me.

"Food poisoning. We need to pump her stomach."

The nurse brought over a consent form. "She needs to fast completely before the procedure."

I nodded weakly.

My mother suddenly grabbed the nurse's hand. "No way! She hasn't eaten anything. How can she survive on an empty stomach!"

"Ma'am, this is hospital policy..."

"What policy! My daughter is about to collapse!" She turned around, holding a bowl of noodles from God knows where. "Chloe, listen to Mom. Just take one bite!"

The fork was shoved forcefully against my lips.

I clamped my mouth shut and turned my head away.

"Mom... the doctor said... I can't eat..."

"What do doctors know! I'm doing this for your own good!" her voice cracked with fake tears. "Are you trying to starve yourself to death?"

She grabbed my shoulders roughly.

I kept my lips sealed. The hot sauce smeared on my face, burning my skin.

"The patient must fast!" the nurse tried to stop her.

My mother shoved her away. "She's my daughter! I decide!"

The room fell into utter chaos.

The doctor rushed in, his face grim. "What is going on with this family?"

My mother immediately let go of me.

She took a step back, her tears falling instantly. She pointed at me and cried to the doctor:

"Doctor, please talk to her! She was crying because she was so hungry and insisted on eating. I... I had no choice but to feed her..."

Lying on the bed, watching her performance, I felt completely cold.

The doctor frowned. "She clearly refused to eat just now."

My mother's crying stopped abruptly.

She widened her eyes, looking at the doctor and then at me in disbelief, as if she was the one who had been deeply wronged.

"Chloe... how... how could you lie? You were the one who begged me for pasta!"

She turned to the other patients in the room, seeking validation.

"This child is just so stubborn... even when she's sick, she has to torture me..."

The doctor didn't have time for her drama. He pushed my bed straight into the procedure room and started the stomach pump.

The moment the tube was inserted down my throat, I stared blankly at my mother's silhouette outside the glass door.

Standing in the shadows of the hallway, the corner of her mouth seemed to... curve upward.