Chapter 2
Before it happened, my parents gave me a report of uremia. It was my sister Evelyn’s. My father looked troubled and said, “I know it’s difficult to ask you to donate a kidney to your sister, but without your kidney, your sister will die.” My mother’s tears had already fallen. “Your sister is still so young. You’re sisters, you can’t not help her. If your father and I had kidneys that matched your sister’s, we wouldn’t have to come to you.” I looked at the report and at my birth parents. I asked, “Did Jack also do a kidney matching test?” Jack is my brother. Like my sister, he’s the apple of my parents’ eyes. From childhood, whatever my sister had, my brother had, and whatever my brother had, my sister also had. Only I… had nothing. My parents fell silent, their eyes not daring to meet mine. I tugged at the corner of my mouth, my heart like still water. Their attitude had already made it clear that they hadn’t planned to ask Jack to donate a kidney. In this family of five, if someone had to be sacrificed, it would definitely be me. If someone could benefit, it definitely wouldn’t be me. I refused my parents’ request. They started scolding me. They scolded me for being inconsiderate, for being ungrateful, for disregarding the bond between sisters. I walked in front, and they followed behind, scolding me. They didn’t care how passersby looked at them. They were determined to make me agree to donate the kidney. I didn’t listen or speak, letting them make a scene. Until we got home. I opened the door. The three of us simultaneously saw Evelyn and Mark, both naked, in the throes of passion. Actually, before this, I had already seen Mark and Evelyn’s chat history. The explicit content had made me nauseous for many days. Now, seeing their naked bodies entangled, I thought I would scream and go crazy, then pull away the blanket they were using to cover themselves and call the neighbors to come and see. But in reality, I was incredibly calm. I even managed to pull out a smile and say to my parents, “Under these circumstances, do you still want me to donate a kidney to her?” My parents looked embarrassed, but only for a moment. They quickly regained their composure and asked Mark and Evelyn to get dressed. Under my dad’s organization, the five of us sat on the sofa. The four of them sat together, opposite me. Looking at their happy faces, I felt I should take out my phone and take a “family photo” for them. In this marriage, I was the extra one. In this family, I was also the extra one. My dad broke the silence. He said, “Since this is the case, you and Mark should get divorced soon, while you don’t have children. Neither of you has lost anything.” My mom hesitated for a moment, but still bravely said what was on her mind: “Mark doesn’t have a future with you, but he’s still our son-in-law. In the future, when we meet, we’ll still be family.” The meaning was very clear. They had already accepted Mark and Evelyn. I had anticipated this outcome. When I looked through Mark and Evelyn’s phone chat history, I also saw their family group chat. In the family group, there was my dad, my mom, my sister, my brother, my husband, but I didn’t exist. That group had been established last year. The five of them would often inform Mark and Evelyn about my schedule in the group. Several times, to let Mark and Evelyn date smoothly, my brother, who disliked me, would ask me to go shopping, and my parents, who didn’t like me, would ask me to come home for dinner. During that half year, I once thought that I had finally gained the love of my family. I didn’t expect it to be just a fleeting illusion in the end.