No Longer Loving Them

After my billionaire parents went bankrupt, they whisked me off overnight to a remote, unmapped African village to shield me from creditors. Then a rare malaria outbreak devastated the village, scattering the survivors. Desperate, I called my parents, begging to come home, but they coldly replied: "You're not the spoiled rich girl anymore. We did this to protect you. Figure it out yourselfwe cant pay for a ticket."

I tried my fianc next, only to be scolded: "Eleanor, why are you still so fragile? Lisa is suffering here from debt collectors. Call me again, and Ill break off our engagement!" He blocked me and crushed any hope of my return.

Starving, sick, and beaten down, I clung to life until an international rescue team finally arrived with medicine and supplies.

When I eventually made it back, I found my fianc and adopted sister flaunting lavish wedding photos online. Thats when I understoodthe bankruptcy and my "ordeal" were all a lie, staged to push me aside for their relationship.

I didnt make a scene. I just commented "Hope you last." under their wedding announcement.

After leaving the wedding venue, I went straight to the hospital.

Malaria is somewhat contagious, and even though the virus had been completely cleared, I still needed to report to the hospital daily for a while to monitor my condition.

Dr. Ben Carter, my treating physician who returned with me, saw my prolonged silence and assumed I was homesick.

He reassured me that once my blood was drawn, I could go home.

But he couldn't possibly know that, starting today, I no longer had a home.

As I exited the phlebotomy room, my phone suddenly started ringing frantically.

It was my father, whom I hadn't heard from in a long time.

The moment I answered, his furious roar filled my ears:

"Eleanor Price, what exactly did you mean by that comment on the video? Were you doing it on purpose!"

"Don't you know, because of your comment, Lisa's eyes are all swollen from crying! She's your sister, can't you just let her have something good?"

I looked at my emaciated reflection in the mirror, then recalled the radiant Lisa at the wedding, and let out a bitter laugh:

"What's wrong with a comment? Didn't I just congratulate them? What? Do you expect me to give them a fat envelope filled with cash too?"

"Dad, just tell me the truth. Lisa is actually your biological daughter, and I'm the adopted one, aren't I?"

Seemingly caught off guard by my words, the person on the other end of the line held their breath.

Immediately after, the phone was snatched, and my mother's voice came through:

"Ellie, you've misunderstood your sister. That wedding was just for your sister to be happy, they haven't actually registered their marriage, so it doesn't count."

"After all, your sister stayed behind to help you hold off those creditors, which is why she couldn't go abroad with you. You should be thanking her!"

At this very moment, my biological parents were still lying to themselves.

Thinking of the truth I had witnessed with my own eyes at the hotel entrance, my heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly, making it hard to breathe.

After a long pause, I finally spoke, a touch of self-mockery in my voice:

"Thank her for stealing my family and my love?"

Hearing my sarcasm, my father's angry growl erupted again:

"You ungrateful little wretch, your mother and I do everything for you, and you dare speak to us with such disrespect!"

"I'm telling you, if you don't apologize to Lisa properly, you can stay in Africa forever and never come back! I'll pretend I never had a daughter like you!"

With that, the phone was slammed down.

Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.

Before, I had always believed my parents didn't know my true situation in Africa, which was why they were so cold and heartless towards me.

But when I landed today, I learned that news of the malaria epidemic in Africa had long since reached home.

From eighty-year-old grandfathers to five or six-year-old children, everyone knew how terrifying malaria was.

They simply didn't care if I lived or died.

As long as their most cherished daughter was well, that was all that mattered to them.

Because ever since Lisa arrived, my father's company crisis not only resolved itself but also began to flourish.

From then on, my father became convinced she was the Price family's "lucky charm," and his affection for her far surpassed what he showed to me, his biological daughter.

Anything Lisa set her eyes on, I had to unconditionally give up.

When we were little, it was rooms, dolls, and princess dresses; as we grew up, it became my fianc.

They would rather trick me with an absurd lie about bankruptcy and send me far away, all to prevent me from interfering with Lisa's love life.

Africa was a harsh environment, with scarcity of food and drinking water.

But more terrifying than that were the omnipresent viruses.

It wasn't until I contracted malaria and had several near-death experiences that I truly understood what fear meant.

Recalling the moments when I desperately fought for survival, only to be repeatedly rejected by my closest relatives, a surge of intense anger welled up inside me.

Even if it meant death, there was no way I would apologize to Lisa!

Due to an elevated blood marker, I needed to be temporarily isolated, so I couldn't leave the hospital.

To reassure me, Ben offered to visit my parents on my behalf and tell them I was safe.

I wanted to tell him not to bother, that no one cared if I lived or died.

But facing his earnest gaze, I couldn't bring myself to refuse.

After all, if it weren't for Ben, I would likely have perished in a foreign land.

With a soft sigh, I sent him the address.

Because the call remained connected, I could clearly hear my parents' voices.

Upon learning of Ben's purpose, my father's furious voice immediately erupted:

"What new stunt is Eleanor Price pulling now! Can't she behave herself even after going to Africa? No wonder even her own fianc doesn't like her!"

"And she got malaria? Wouldn't it be better if you just told us she died?"

"I don't care how much Eleanor Price paid you to put on this act. Please relay this message to that ungrateful wretch: if she refuses to apologize to Lisa, she can forget about ever leaving Africa!"

Listening to my father's enraged shouting, a pang of heartache was quickly followed by a bitter chuckle.

He probably forgot how long it had been since he gave me any allowance.

Pay an actor?

If I had that kind of spare cash, I wouldn't have had to fight someone tooth and nail for half a dry pancake, ending up with a chunk of my hair torn out.

Ben had not at all anticipated such a response.

He stood stunned for a long moment before speaking again:

"I... I am genuinely a doctor from Central Hospital, and a member of this medical aid team to Africa. Your daughter..."

"Enough! Haven't you had enough of this act?"

"Forget about malaria, even if she really died out there, her mother and I wouldn't shed a single tear for her!"

With that, without waiting for Ben's reply, the door was slammed shut.

Ben instinctively covered the phone's microphone.

It was then he belatedly remembered the ongoing call and quickly hung up.

But everything that was meant to be heard, and everything that wasn't, I had heard crystal clear.

Even though I had told myself a thousand times to completely give up on that couple.

Yet at that moment, my eyes still felt incredibly sore, and my hands beneath the covers were clenched tightly on the bedsheet.

The parental love that was so easily obtained by others was, for me, an unattainable luxury.

Perhaps, I should have given up on this false pretense of family long ago.

[Ellie, are you... okay?]

Despite being just a text message, I could still feel Ben's concern and worry.

See? A stranger I'd known for less than a month cared for me so much, while my parents, with whom I'd spent over two decades, treated me like dirt.

Eleanor Price, how utterly pathetic you are!

My trembling hand typed out a line:

[It's fine, I already knew this would be the outcome. I'm used to it...]

There were three other people isolated with me.

Each of them had family concern and companionship, while I was all alone.

I often saw pity and sympathy in their eyes.

But more chilling than their pity was the balance in my bank account.

My illness wasn't difficult to cure, but it required an imported medication.

However, the price of this imported medication was beyond what I could afford.

Just because Lisa said, "I'm worried sister will go bad if she has money," my father only gave me fifty dollars a month for living expenses.

Meanwhile, Lisa's monthly allowance was a staggering hundred thousand dollars.

So, while Lisa indulged in lavish shopping, I could barely make ends meet by working part-time handing out flyers.

Fresh out of university, I didn't even have time to send out my resume before my parents tricked me into going to Africa.

Now, my bank account balance was in the triple digits.

How could that amount possibly afford imported medicine?

Ben noticed my financial difficulty and proactively covered all my medical expenses.

After being discharged, I still chose to go home.

I simply didn't want to trouble Ben anymore; I already owed him too much.

Upon arriving home, I wasn't greeted by my parents' warm inquiries, but by my father's teacup.

It happened so suddenly that I couldn't dodge, and the scalding tea drenched my exposed arm, instantly turning my skin red.

But my father was still not satisfied; he pointed his finger at my nose and roared:

"Who allowed you to come back home without permission? And who bought your plane ticket!"

"Was it that actor you hired earlier? He even lied that you had malaria, but you seem perfectly fine to me!"

"You're full of lies, Eleanor Price, how could I have given birth to such a morally corrupt daughter!"

"If only Lisa were my biological daughter, how wonderful that would be!"

That last sentence made me snap my head up, staring directly at my father:

"Dad, aren't you the one full of lies? You used bankruptcy as an excuse to send me to Africa, leaving me to fend for myself."

"If I could, I'd rather not be your biological daughter..."

Before I could finish speaking, a clear slap mark appeared on my left cheek.

My father's eyes were bloodshot, looking at me as if I were his sworn enemy:

"You rebellious child, you're nothing but a curse! Get out, get out now!"

If it weren't for needing to gather money to repay Ben, I wouldn't have stepped foot in this house.

Just as the atmosphere remained tense, Lisa hypocritically approached me, took my hand, and said:

"Sister, Dad lied about being bankrupt and sent you to Africa for your own good. He just wants to train you to be a competent successor."

Her tone was sincere, but her fingernails dug deep into my palm.

Without thinking, I immediately pulled my hand away from hers.

I hadn't used much force, yet Lisa stumbled and fell.

She sat on the floor, her eyes wide, her face displaying a hurt expression:

"Sister, you've misunderstood me! I really never intended to steal Jack from you."

"Even though you've always looked down on me, thinking I'm not worthy of being your sister, in my heart, you'll always be my sister."

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face like broken pearls.

My father gave me two more slaps.

The sharp slapping sounds echoed in the spacious living room.

I distinctly saw the triumphant smile hidden beneath Lisa's tearful eyes.

"You wretch! If I had known you were so malicious, I should have strangled you the day you were born!"