Chapter 2
I had only been home for three days, yet every morning my mother had me up at dawn to do farm work.
The only reason I didn’t cook was because the one time I did, they said my food was terrible and told me never to touch the stove again.
And as soon as I came home, I handed each of them an envelope with a thousand dollars in cash. How could they say I was freeloading?
But the memory of my previous life still haunted me.
I could still feel the tree bark digging into my back, my sister’s smug face as she and my nephew lit firecrackers and hurled them at me.
The flames caught my down jacket in an instant. I was so terrified I couldn’t even scream at first. My parents and sister just stood there watching with cold expressions, while my nephew jumped up and down, clapping and laughing.
“Great! Burn Auntie to death! Burn Auntie to death!”
The fire spread over my entire body, the pain so intense I thought my skull would split open.
“Mom! Dad! Please-save me! I’m burning alive!”
My mother’s face twisted with disgust. “You debt collector! If it weren’t for you, your sister would already be married into a rich family, and we’d all be living in peace!”
“Burn her!” my father snarled. “I’m cursed to have a daughter like you!”
By the time a neighbor rushed over with water and doused the flames, my body was already charred, my face unrecognizable. I lay there half-conscious, wishing for death.
But even then, my father grabbed my arm, twisted it hard, and shouted, “You little bitch, stop playing dead and give me the money you owe for living here!”
In this life, I couldn’t hold it in. I burst into tears.
“Mom, Dad, I have to tell you the truth-I’m sick. My medical bills cost a fortune. I’ve borrowed tens of thousands from friends just to stay alive. If you have any money, could you lend me
some?”
My father’s expression changed instantly. “We don’t have a penny to spare!”
My mother’s tone softened slightly. “What kind of illness needs so much money?”
“Uremia,” I said between sobs.
My mother’s face went white. She quickly pulled my father aside, whispering urgently.
“Old man, uremia needs regular dialysis. The cost is astronomical!”
“I know. And if it gets worse, she’ll need a kidney transplant. That’s even more expensive!”
“Even if Maris really does marry rich, we can’t waste money on this loser. Let’s cut her off completely. Whether she lives or dies won’t be our problem!”
When they returned, I put on my best pitiful expression. “Mom, Dad, you won’t abandon me, will you?”
My father snorted. “You got sick because you’ve been fooling around all year! I won’t have the
Wynn family disgraced. From this day forward, you are no longer my daughter!”
My breath caught. “Dad, are you saying you’re cutting ties with me?”
“That’s right. From now on, you have nothing to do with this family!”
I clutched my chest, pretending to be heartbroken, though inside I was thrilled.
“Mom, Dad, how could you just abandon me like this? I’m your own flesh and blood!”
“We don’t have an unfilial daughter like you!” my mother snapped.
I bit back a smile. “Then we’d better put it in writing.”
I drafted two copies of a severance agreement. My parents, my sister, and I all signed and pressed our fingerprints onto them.
Outside, the commotion was getting louder. My mother shifted uneasily.
“Maris, there isn’t a problem, is there?”
My sister waved her off. “Don’t worry, Mom. Everything’s fine.”
But when we stepped outside, we saw a wall of fire. The fields were burning out of control flames stretching as far as the eye could see.
