Fatal Sisters

Chapter 1

The earthquake hit, and I became disabled protecting my little sister.

Fresh out of the hospital, my parents dumped me in the countryside.

Ten years later, they suddenly brought me back, forcing me to marry a gambling addict to pay off my sister’s debts.

The gambler beat me to death.

With my last breath, I heard my parents tell my sister, “What bad luck. Ugh, she looks like she still has a pulse? Cremate her quickly before she comes back to life.”

I woke up with a jolt, the earthquake was happening all over again.

I heard my sister cry out, “Annie, save me!”

I immediately scrambled to the side, shouting as I ran, “Brittany, where are you? I can’t see you!”

1

When I came to, rain was pouring down from the sky. Around me was nothing but rubble.

Everywhere, people were wailing, some were shouting for help.

I pushed myself up from the ground. Looking around at the scene of devastation after the quake, my eyes went wide.

It all felt so familiar, like something out of a forgotten nightmare.

“Annie, Annie, save me!”

The frantic voice of my little sister, Brittany, rang out. I turned to see her pinned under a shattered wall.

The wall looked like it could collapse any second.

The events of my past life flashed before my eyes as her cries echoed.

Back then, I rushed in without hesitation to save her. Once she was out from under the bed, she suddenly shoved me.

I was crushed by the heavy wall that came crashing down, leaving my spine shattered and me a paraplegic.

After I was rushed to the hospital, Brittany huddled in Mom’s arms, sobbing, “It’s all my fault. I couldn’t pull Annie out of the way in time, that’s why she’s like this.”

Mom hugged her tight, tears streaming down her face as she comforted her. “Silly girl, you’re so small. If you had tried to pull her, you would have been hurt too. Luckily, you’re okay.”

At that moment, I thought my mom was just thankful she still had one daughter unharmed.

If I were the one uninjured, I would have thought that Mom would have comforted me first, told me not to blame myself.

I still believed that my parents would never give up on me, until the doctor told them how expensive the surgery would be. I saw the color drain from my parents’ faces.

In the end, they didn’t let me have the surgery, telling the doctor that they preferred conservative treatment.

Then, they sent me to my grandpa’s place in the countryside, ignoring me completely.

Grandpa was busy every day, and he didn’t have time to take care of me. He locked me in the dark attic, letting the rats gnaw on my paralyzed toes.

I begged him to call my parents, but he complained impatiently that they hadn’t given him a single dime for living expenses. He couldn’t even afford the phone bill.

I spent ten long, agonizing years in that dark, hopeless attic.

Finally, just when I was about to give up, my parents showed up.

They brought tons of gifts and made up for all the money they owed Grandpa over the years. They said they were going to take me home so I could live the good life.

I was in tears, thinking I’d finally made it through the worst.

Until they put me in the gambler’s bed.

Mom whispered in my ear that I owed it to Brittany. If it hadn’t been for me, Brittany wouldn’t have had such a severe reaction to the earthquake, losing all interest in studying. She also had nightmares every night and eventually met a violent, gambling addict.

They watched me get beaten to death by the gambler, watching me beg them to save me again and again, but they never lifted a finger.

Before I closed my eyes, all I could see was the cold look on Mom’s face and the impatient frown on Dad’s. It was as if they were just waiting for my death to end everything, so they could go back to their peaceful lives.

And my darling sister, Brittany? She hid in Mom’s arms, watching me get beaten to death. A look of triumph flickered across her face.

2

“Annie, Annie, I’m here! Annie, please save me. I’m so scared, waaaah…”

Brittany’s cries pulled me back to the present. I stared at her, expressionless, remembering that all the suffering in my past life was because of her.

I was abandoned and betrayed, no doubt because she’d twisted the truth and urged my parents to hurt me.

I had always thought of her as my closest family, always taking care of her and protecting her, afraid that she would get hurt in any way. And how did she repay me?

“Brittany, where are you?” I walked right past her, ignoring her completely.

“Brittany, don’t be afraid. Annie is coming to save you. Tell me, where are you?”

I left the most dangerous place and ran towards safer ground, collapsing on the ground in tears.

The next time I woke up, I was already in the hospital.

Mom and Dad were by my bedside, their eyes red from crying.

“Mom…”

Looking at Mom’s heartbroken face and the white walls of the hospital, panic seized me. The despair of being abandoned in my past life rushed over me, making it hard to breathe.

Mom hugged me, weeping, “Annie, your sister…”

I threw back the covers and saw that my legs were perfectly fine. The huge weight on my chest lifted.

“Mom, what about Brittany? Did you get her out?” I grabbed Mom’s hand, pretending to be anxious.

Mom shook her head. “Brittany… she was hit by the collapsing wall. The doctor said she needs surgery, and it will cost millions.”

I widened my eyes in shock, and the next moment, tears were streaming down my face.

“How could this happen? I heard her calling me, but I just couldn’t find her. It’s all my fault. I didn’t protect my sister…”

Mom stroked my face, shaking her head. “It’s not your fault. It was so difficult to find Brittany where she was trapped. The firefighters only found her with a locator. Besides, you were badly injured too. The police found you passed out.”

I had gotten a lot of injuries, but what did they even compare to what happened to me in the last life.

“What are we going to do about Brittany, Mom? Where are we going to find a million dollars for her surgery? We don’t have that kind of money, what are we going to do?”

I cried uncontrollably, tears falling like rain.

Dad seemed to have made up his mind. “Even if we have to sell everything we own, your mother and I will get the surgery money for your sister!”

I stared at him in disbelief. That wasn’t what he said in my past life. Were Brittany and I really that different?

Mom didn’t say anything. It was then I realized that the coldness they showed me in my past life, they weren’t showing it this time.

I nodded and buried myself in Mom’s arms.

“Brittany can be cured. She’ll be okay.”

My kindness and understanding seemed to comfort my parents, but their different attitude towards me and Brittany chilled me to the bone.

3

Brittany was awake when she was wheeled out of the operating room.

She stared at me with furious eyes, howling hysterically, “Annie, you did it on purpose, didn’t you! You left me to die, didn’t you!”

I pretended to be scared by her bloodied appearance and cried, burrowing into Mom’s arms, apologizing repeatedly, “I’m sorry, Brittany. I was too stupid and couldn’t find you in time. That’s why you’re like this…”

“Don’t pretend! You saw me…”

“Brittany, your sister did her best. It was so dangerous at the time, and the area where you were trapped was so hidden. If it wasn’t for the firefighters’ locator, we wouldn’t have found you. How can you blame your sister?”

Mom finally said something reasonable.

“Mom, she’s lying. She saw me! She deliberately left me to die!”

Brittany didn’t expect Mom to speak up for me, and she shrieked in anger.

Mom just thought that she was injured and unbalanced, acting unreasonably.

“Brittany, your sister passed out so far away from you. How could she have seen you? I know you’re upset about being injured, but don’t worry. Your mom and dad will do everything we can to get you the surgery you need so you can recover.”

Mom’s words didn’t calm Brittany down. She screamed even louder.

“Mom, why don’t you believe me? Aren’t I your favorite? Dad, say something! Annie tried to hurt me! She saw me trapped and deliberately didn’t save me!”

The doctor came over and told my parents that Brittany was having a trauma response after the earthquake and might be hallucinating and saying extreme things to get more attention and comfort from her family.

Mom nodded, wanting to comfort Brittany as the doctor suggested, but Brittany angrily slapped her hand away.

“Get away from me! You’re a bad woman. You’re not my mom at all! My mom would never disbelieve me!”

Brittany glared at Mom, and I could feel Mom’s heartbreak.

This had never happened in my past life.

They really did treat Brittany differently.

I wasn’t sad about it anymore. My heart had already been broken by them in my past life.

In this life, I just wanted Brittany to feel the same despair I did in my past life.

And of course, my biased parents should also get a taste of heart-wrenching pain.

4

The family’s relatives and friends were sympathetic after the disaster, and my dad quickly received over a hundred thousand from them to pay for Brittany’s first surgery.

A week after the surgery, although Brittany still couldn’t walk, she was able to return home to recuperate.

The first thing she said when she got home and saw me was a venomous curse.

“Annie, you wait and see. If anything happens to me, Mom and Dad will help me. If anything happens to you, see who will help you.”

Her words had already been confirmed in my past life, and I firmly believed them.

“Brittany, what are you saying? I’m sad that you’re hurt. If I could, I would rather be in a wheelchair than suffer the pain. But why would you curse something bad to happen to me? We’re family. Aren’t I your own sister?”

Mom just walked in, and hearing what I said, she frowned. “Brittany, even if you’re upset, you shouldn’t talk to your sister like that.”

“Your dad has been busy borrowing money everywhere these days, and your mom has been busy taking care of you at the hospital. Your sister has been doing everything around the house, even the meals and porridge you eat were cooked by your sister. How can you say such things? You’re breaking your sister’s heart.”

I shed two tears at the right time, as if I had suffered a great injustice.

Mom felt bad and held me in her arms, comforting me.

Brittany’s eyes could have eaten me alive.

“Annie, stop pretending. Who knows if you put poison in the porridge you gave me? You wicked bitch, you’re the one who put me in this state! Why didn’t the earthquake take you away? You should be the one sitting in this wheelchair!”

Brittany, who had been spoiled by her parents since she was a child, could still say such vicious things in front of Mom.

This time, even Mom’s patience was worn down.

“Brittany! She’s your sister. How can you say that to her? She’s sitting in the wheelchair, is it what she wants? You’re sixteen years old now. How can you be so insensible!”

This was the first time Mom had yelled at her.

Brittany’s face turned red, and she grabbed the glass on the table and threw it at Mom. “Then you can live with her from now on!”

“Mom, watch out!” I rushed in front of Mom, but I had already calculated that the glass wouldn’t hit me.

The glass smashed on the ground with a crisp sound, instantly breaking into pieces.

Mom looked at Brittany in disbelief for throwing the glass at her. “Your mother has been taking care of you day and night these days. Is this how you treat me?”

Mom’s eyes were red, she was really heartbroken.

“Who told you to believe that bitch Annie instead of me? It’s all Annie’s fault that I’m like this!”

If Brittany had said this earlier, Mom might have been suspicious.

But now, Mom was sure that she was just being unreasonable, making trouble for no reason.

“Brittany, why have you become like this?” Mom was heartbroken, with disappointment in her eyes.

“Mom, whose fault is it that I’ve become like this? As long as you kick Annie out, or break her legs and make her like me, I won’t cause any more trouble.”

“Sister…” I looked at Brittany with tears in my eyes, and Mom quickly held me.

“Annie, don’t be afraid. Mom won’t do anything to you.”

Mom took my hand and left, ignoring the vicious words coming from Brittany.

I comforted Mom thoughtfully, “Mom, my sister is just injured and upset, that’s why she’s saying things she doesn’t mean. When she gets better, everything will be fine.”

Mom sighed and nodded.

5

In the days that followed, Brittany got worse every day. Either she was cursing people, or throwing things, and even worse, constantly questioning and cursing me.

I pretended to be used to it and didn’t argue with her, still taking care of her in her daily life.

Not only was Brittany not grateful, but when she saw me going to school with a light step, her hatred for me reached its peak.

“Annie.” Brittany stopped me before I left for school.

“Brittany, what’s wrong?” I turned back and looked at her innocently.

The corners of Brittany’s mouth curled into an ambiguous smile, and she stared at me maliciously. “Be careful on your way to school!”

Brittany had been cursing me for a month, wanting me to die. How could she suddenly care about me?

Of course, I knew what that meant, but I still pretended to be touched and said, “Brittany, when you can stand up, we’ll go to school hand in hand!”

Brittany’s smile disappeared, replaced by cold resentment.

“Annie, are you doing this on purpose, right? You know I can’t stand up, so you’re deliberately provoking me?”

“How could I do that, Brittany? I just miss the days when we went to school together. I’ve been hoping that you can get better soon, and I believe you will.”

I gave her a sweet smile, turned and walked out of the house, my face turning cold.

Brittany’s sudden concern meant that my way to school would not be peaceful.

But I was a senior in high school this year, a critical period for the college entrance exam, so I couldn’t miss school.

I looked around to make sure there was no danger before heading to the bus stop.

There were not many people on the road in the morning, and I quickened my pace.