The Sister Who Replaced Me

I was found three years after I disappeared.

I was only nineteen, but I'd gone blind and was pregnant.

My parents held me, sobbing. My dear daughter, you've suffered so much...

But I asked softly, Where's Ruth?

Vivian quickly explained.

She didn't mean to lose you that year. I already punished herno snacks for a month.

"Don't blame her, okay?"

But I remember when I was little.

I just tripped once, and Mom grabbed a knife and stormed over to the neighbor's kid's house to raise hell.

Even when people spat at her and called her a shrew.

When I had a high fever that wouldn't break, Dad desperately went to church to pray. He prayed for ten days straight.

They protected me fiercely, standing firm behind me, time after time.

And then Ruth appeared.

They sent me to the countryside.

I could only see them once a year...

The wind carried my parents' anguished screams. I stood on the hospital rooftop.

Smiling, I said, "I'm going to become a little star and fly up to the sky."

That way I won't be abandoned again, right?

When someone grabbed me, I thought it was the bastard who tortured me every night.

I screamed in terror: "I'm being good! I'm not crying!"

The person quickly let go, his voice trembling with remorse.

"Daughter, we've been searching for you for three years. We finally found you!"

"Don't you recognize me? I'm your dad!"

Dad?

Those two words pierced my mind like a thorn, like thunder.

Countless images flashed through my mind.

The clearest one was of me being taken by a man and woman from a broken wooden shack to a beautiful big house. They said that would be my home from now on.

A girl who looked like an angel came out of the house.

She called out sweetly, "Daddy! Mommy! You're back?"

When the girl saw me, she gave me a candy.

"Fran, we meet again. Don't be scared. My parents are your parents now."

I remembered!

Even though my body hurt badlythe bastard had hit me with a hammer so many times.

But I still couldn't help feeling excited: "Is Dad here to take me home?"

In the darkness.

I reached out my hand hopefully, wanting to be held by Dad like Ruth was.

But I grasped at empty air.

"Your eyes..."

Dad's voice cut off abruptly.

I panicked a little: "I've gone blind. Will Dad hate me now?"

"How could I? Dad loves Fran the most."

He sounded like he was crying.

When he picked me up, he barely dared to use any strength.

But he was lying!

I clearly saw in those flashes of memory that he was only good to that angel girl.

Dad held her and spun her around, making her giggle with delight.

"Fran, your mom and I have been working hard in the city these years. We had no choice but to send you back to our hometown. Only Ruth stayed by our side."

"Even though she's just my coworker's daughter, her parents died in an accident. She's very pitiful. You need to treat her like a real sister and not bully her, understand?"

I nodded obediently.

Secretly, I wrote in my diary:

[As long as I can stay with Mom and Dad, those people won't be able to call me a bastard with no parents anymore.]

Strange...

I didn't cry when the bastard beat and kicked me.

But when I saw that thick diary.

My muddled brain felt like it had been shot through with an arrow and exploded!

My ears filled with chaotic noise.

"Fran! Why are you always jealous of Ruth? She's smarter and more likable than youisn't that how it should be?"

"Fran, can't you learn from Ruth? Is it so hard to smile at your parents and act cute? We raised you for nothing!"

Dad gently touched my forehead, asking what was wrong.

I came back to my senses in a panic.

I asked uncertainly: "...Do I still have a home?"

The last page of the diary read:

Dad and Mom are Ruth's dad and mom.

That beautiful big house is also Ruth's home.

None of it is mine.

My whole body curled up. My damaged eyes and torn lower body throbbed with unbearable pain.

Covering my face, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I broke down crying.

"Bad people hurt me. I hurt everywhere!"

"I waited so long. No one came to save me."

"You think I'm stupid. You don't want me anymore!"

Dad carried me away from the place where I'd lived for three years.

The rotten, foul smell disappeared.

But I felt very uncomfortable.

I didn't dare breathe deeply. My face turned red from holding my breath.

Dad painfully stroked the area around my eyes.

"Your mom and I didn't abandon you. Bad people locked you up, and we couldn't find you."

"Don't worry, Fran. The bastard who trafficked and abused you has been caught by the police. He'll get what he deserves."

His voice shook as he promised he would cure me.

I stared blankly at the pitch-black air.

I wanted to tell him I was used to it now.

"I'm not scared of the dark anymore."

I comforted Dad, gently probing: "Mom won't want to send me away again, will she?"

The air froze. Dad didn't respond to my words.

Just then, a call came rushing over.

"Fran!"

A familiar fragrance hit my nose. I greedily took a few more breaths.

The woman's hand touching my face trembled with excitement, her voice thick with tears.

"My sweet daughter, I missed you so much."

"Making you suffer so much out thereMom is so sorry..."

I wanted to speak.

But suddenly I dry-heaved, scaring them.

"Is Fran blaming me?"

Vivian's voice became anxious.

The doctor happened to come over with the examination report.

His tone was complicated:

"The patient was imprisoned and beaten for a long time. She'll have post-traumatic stress reactions. Try not to upset her."

"As for her physical conditionmultiple fractures, internal bleeding, detached retinas in both eyes. We need to schedule surgery soon to restore her sight."

"...Also, she's pregnant. Four months along."

The hospital room fell silent as death.

"Bang!"

Something crashed to the floor. Dad roared like a lion.

"I'm going to kill that animal!"

Vivian sobbed uncontrollably too.

She kept apologizing to me.

"You were only sixteen before you went missing. What did you go through these three years..."

I touched my slightly protruding belly.

So I was pregnant. There was a child here whose father I didn't even know.

Even more unlucky than me.

While waiting for surgery, my parents stayed by my side the whole time.

They tactfully didn't mention Ruth.

I greedily enjoyed this special care, but couldn't help comparing.

"Why didn't Ruth come?"

The hospital room fell silent for a few seconds.

Dad asked, "Fran, do you hate Ruth?"

Mom hesitated for a moment, then held my hand earnestly.

"After you disappeared, Ruth blamed herself terribly. She fell into a slump for a long time. Fortunately, she came to her senses in time, got into the best university in the province, and even got a police officer boyfriend who could help look for information about you."

"So Fran, Ruth didn't mean to lose you three years ago."

"I already punished her at the timeno snacks for a month. She had to reflect properly."

My whole body trembled. I clutched the blanket tightly.

I heard her say quietly:

"I read that diary of yours. Every page blamed your dad and me for favoring Ruth."

"That's all our fault. But don't resent Ruth, okay? She's innocent."

Dad also came over to pat my head.

"You were silly enough to follow bad people. In the end, you bear more responsibility for this than Ruth does."

He sighed.

"Never mind, let's not talk about it. It's good that Fran is safely home."

My hands hidden in the bedding clenched into fists.

I wanted to tell them.

That day at the alley entrance, it was Ruth who stuffed Mom's bank card into the bad person's hand.

She also said: "Fran, Daddy and Mommy will only ever belong to me!"

But my heart felt like it was being torn apart. I couldn't breathe, couldn't speak.

I didn't understand why it hurt so much.

Amidst the ringing in my ears, I could no longer hear what they said after that...

The surgery was scheduled quickly.

Before entering the operating room, my parents encouraged me.

"Fran, you're stronger than most people. You'll definitely get better."

Yes, I'm very strong.

When so many people rode on top of me, I didn't die.

The smell of disinfectant was strong. The anesthesia took effect.

In my daze, I thought about many things.

When I was little, I had a high fever. Everyone said my brain got fried and I became stupid.

That's why my parents sent me to the countryside.

But I know I'm not stupid at all!

I have a really, really good memory!

Later, when I was brought back from the countryside to the city, I tried hard to make my parents not send me away again.

I studied hard, sleeping only four hours a day.

I finally ranked first in my grade.

Excitedly, I brought my report card home. My parents were indeed happy.

They even made a huge table full of dishes.

But the whole time, no one noticed.

I didn't eat a single bite.

Because every dish had chili peppersRuth's favorite.

And I would break out in red rashes if I ate them.

I watched Mom smile and kiss Ruth's forehead, praising her delicate skin.

Like a peeled egg.

I secretly touched my own face. Bumpy and uneven, covered in acne.

So I desperately applied things to my face.

Sometimes my cheeks would ulcerate, itching unbearably.

After struggling for a while, I finally got a bit prettier. Boys even started pursuing me.

But Mom still never noticed the change.

Until one day I was cornered in an alley by some thugs and came home crying with my clothes disheveled.

Before I could say anything, Mom scolded me harshly:

"Fran! Didn't your teacher teach you about decency and shame?"

She looked at me with exhausted eyes.

"This is the city, not some rural village."

"At such a young age, if you don't respect yourself, are you trying to corrupt Ruth?"

But Mom.

I just wanted you to kiss my forehead too.

Like when I was little.

Back then, even if I just had a nightmare, it would scare Mom so much she couldn't sleep all night.

Dad would stay by my side too, telling me stories all night long.

I racked my brain but couldn't figure out why things had changed.

Maybe I really am that stupid, unlikable.

After accepting this fact, I got sick.

Every night I wanted to kill myself.

My hair fell out in clumps. The smell of meat made me want to vomit.

The high school entrance exam scores came out.

My first-in-grade performance had plummeted to barely qualifying for vocational school.

My parents looked at me with both helplessness and complexity.

They comforted me: "You were never that smart anyway. We don't expect you to do well in school."

Then they turned around and treated Ruth even better.

At every meal, Ruth would complain: "Dad and Mom favor Fran! They only put food on my plate. They want to fatten me up like a pig!"

When I went to vocational school, people gossiped behind my back.

So my parents paid to get Ruth into the city's best high school and hired a premium tutor for her at thirty thousand a month.

"The Faulkner family's daughter is no worse than anyone else. Our family will definitely produce a college graduate!"

On my birthday.

They said they had to work overtime and couldn't send me a gift.

But on Ruth's birthday, they flew back overnight from thousands of miles away just to give her an expensive, beautiful princess dress.

"Happy fourteenth birthday to our princess Ruth! Baby wants to go to the beach for vacation, right? We'll take you during winter break in a few days."

The moment she blew out the birthday candles, I suddenly couldn't breathe.

I rushed back to my bedroom in a panic.

The door blocked sound, but it couldn't block out the happy laughter of Dad, Mom, and Ruth outside.

Curled up under the blanket, I dug my nails into the mottled scars on my wrist.

The old ones hadn't healed yet, and new ones were bleeding.

Just like my illness, it would never get better.

...

I came back to consciousness from the suffocating feeling of drowning. The surgery was over.

I don't know how much time had passed.

Suddenly a crisp female voice rang out:

"Dad, Mom, I heard you found Fran! I rushed back overnight to see her!"

"Is Fran okay?"

That voice came to my ear, full of self-reproach.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault. Fran, wake up quickly. Hit me, yell at meI'll accept it!"

All the blood in my body flowed backward.

Finally, the day came to remove the bandages.

After a slight sting, my eyelids slowly lifted. The long-lost light made me uncomfortable, so I quickly blocked it with my hand.

Seeing my reaction, my parents breathed a sigh of relief.

"You can see now, right! That's wonderful."

The first thing I saw.

Was Ruth.

She stood behind my parents, smiling at me from across the room, revealing two cute dimples. Like an angel.

But my heart filled with panic.

Three years had passed. She'd grown much taller.

Her hair had a slight curl. She'd become even more beautiful, radiating the vitality of a teenage girl.

Confident and bold.

Making me feel like a rat in the gutter, utterly ashamed.

I quickly lowered my head.

But she wouldn't let it go. She forcibly lifted my chin to examine me carefully.

"Fran used to care so much about her appearance. Too bad her face has scars now."

"Mom, one of my classmates' families runs a beauty salon. Why don't we let Fran try it?"

Mom stepped forward and slapped away her hand holding my chin.

She chided, "Watch your manners! Is that how you talk to your sister? Do you think you're at home?"

Realizing she'd said the wrong thing, Mom looked at me nervously.

She changed the subject.

"Now that your eyes are better, should we consider the matter of the child?"

All eyes focused on my belly.

Dad spoke first: "This bastard child must be aborted!"

He patted my shoulder comfortingly.

"Don't be afraid. You're my daughter. Even if you were violated, it's okay. Your mom and I will take care of you for life."

Mom chimed in agreement.

She looked proudly at Ruth: "Ruth is so outstanding. She'll definitely be successful in the future. By then there'll be no shortage of excellent men around her. She can just pick one for you."

The smile on Ruth's face grew bigger and bigger.

She affectionately rested her head on Mom's shoulder.

"Mom, you only care about Fran. You've even figured out her whole life. Am I still your daughter or not?"

"Yes, yes, yes. You're the one who knows how to act cute..."

I quietly watched them laugh together.

For some reason, my throat filled with the taste of blood.

The day of the abortion.

My parents had to go out for something. Only Ruth stayed by my side.

She gently stroked my swollen belly and suddenly asked.

"Fran, why did you come back?"

There were only the two of us in the hospital room. Her beautiful face twisted.

She looked down at me from above.

"Do you know? Dad and Mom are really wonderful. They treat me even better than my real parents did."

"So when my parents died in that car accident, I wasn't sad at all."

"That year I was five. My only birthday wish was to be a family with Dad and Mom forever."

"But then you appeared. You stole the love that should have belonged only to me!"

Ruth's eyes turned red as she glared at me with hatred.

"Ever since you were brought back, everything had to be bought in pairs. You even had to sleep in my room. That was clearly my home!"

I was like a child being scolded, not daring to make a sound.

Thinking, so this was why Ruth gave me to those bad people.

I was the extra one in this family.

Dad and Mom must think so too. They just pitied me for being stupid and didn't want to hurt me.

But I'm really not stupid!

The hospital room door was pushed open. Ruth immediately put on a smile.

"Fran, once you've recovered, I'll take you out to play again."

Was she going to give me to bad people again?

My whole body trembled, my heart panicking.

As the doctor wheeled me away for the abortion, touching my round belly, all I could think about was how to escape.

No one in the family welcomed me. So I'd just leave on my own.

I didn't want to be hit with a hammer by that bastard again!

Before the surgery started, I made an excuse to use the bathroom and secretly slipped away.

I walked for a long time and found myself on the hospital rooftop.

The sunlight was harsh, hurting my eyes.

But I couldn't walk anymore, so I just sat there in the sun.

Suddenly, shouts came from below:

"Look! Someone's going to jump!"

I was surprised to see the crowd gathering below growing larger and larger. Alarm sounds echoed throughout the hospital.

Ruth came too.

And so did my parents, rushing over in a hurry.

They were far away. I couldn't see their expressions clearly, but I heard their frantic shouting.

"Fran! Are you crazy? Get down right now!"

"Fran! We finally found you, and now you're doing this? Are you trying to drive your dad and me to death?"

So many people held up their phones.

I saw my parents getting angry. I anxiously wanted to go down, but my body wouldn't listen.

The dense scars on my wrist suddenly started itching. I scratched them until they were bloody.

I was having an episode again.

But I didn't dare tell my parents. I was afraid they'd hate me even more.

Suddenly a voice in my heart spoke up:

Jump!

Books say that when people die, they become stars and fly to the sky to protect their family.

Dad and Mom don't want to hurt me or abandon me.

But I should be sensible. I need to protect them.

After figuring this out, I grinned and smiled in my parents' direction.

Amidst their horrified screams, I walked forward without hesitation.

Slowly, I fell...

I'm going to become a little star!

Fly up to the sky and protect you.

"No!!!"

Someone was shouting. Someone was screaming.

Time seemed to stop.