All Chapters of The Ugly Truth: Chapter 11 - Chapter 17

Kevin patted the wig on my head. "Then tell me, what's something that you've always wanted to do but haven't? I'll help you make it happen."I said, "I hope that in my next life, I can live with Mom and Dad in a small town in the South, where it's spring all year round. There won't be any snow or winter, and the Sainsbury family and pain would not exist."Kevin swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded fervently. "Okay, that's a deal. I'll go find you in the South when the time comes. We'll open a cat cafe so that you can play with cats every day."The vision was so beautiful, it moved both Kevin and myself.Caught up in the excitement, I started coughing.Kevin immediately grew anxious. A patient like me should never catch a cold. "Let's go back to the room."I stopped him when he was about to turn the wheelchair around. "No, I'm not tired yet. I want to enjoy the scenery for a bit more.""Alright, I'll go get you a down jacket then—wait here for me." Kevin turned around and

"It's been 16 years. I'm the one and only daughter of the Sainsbury family, and I will not give up my place to you, even if you drive me mad," Eden said to me.I sank into a prolonged silence. Then, I shook my head. Eden did not lose her sanity. It was all an act to protect her standing in the Sainsbury family.Too bad I couldn't care less for the love and attention she fought so hard to gain.Turning around, I was ready to leave when I bumped into my birth parents. They seemed to have aged a lot, hunching as they approached me.They were here to visit Eden. Panic set in upon the realization. I quickly put on the sunglasses because I did not want them to see me in my current state.Similarly, Eden scrambled to mess up her hair and act crazy. I couldn't help but marvel at her determination to win back her parents' love. For that, she was willing to be warded in a mental asylum and lived a miserable life.Her obsession made her more terrifying than a mad woman.With my head hung l

I started to worry that Mom would never pay me any attention again. When Dad asked if I wanted to go with him to adopt a sister from the orphanage, I agreed without hesitation. I silently vowed never to abandon my new sister; that I'd protect her.My previous plan had failed spectacularly. Without Amy, our family was no longer the same. I wallowed and nearly drowned in regret. Often, I'd wake up in the middle of the night from nightmares, but I refused to reveal anything when my parents asked about it, as I was afraid I'd lose everything.I prayed hard that Amy would come home. I had surrendered to fate. I promised to be her bodyguard, protecting her at all times.My anxiety did not stop until a year later, on the 24th of April—the one-year mark of Amy's disappearance—a lovely young girl entered my life. She took Amy's place.After she joined our family, Mom's mood improved significantly. We named her Eden and decided that her birthday would fall on the 24th of April. Every year,

I arrived at my new home looking bashful. It was the first time I had seen such opulence in my life. My palms grew clammy from the nervousness, and I kept my head low.Craig grabbed my hand. His grasp felt warm. He promised, "Don't worry. I'll protect you. You will be my little sister from now on."I was granted a new name—Eden. The Sainsbury family loved me, and I loved them too. I especially liked being around Craig because he gave me a sense of security I had never experienced before.Craig offered me a cartoon plushie as a gift, but I threw it out because I thought it was ugly. The reason it looked ugly to me was that I spotted another young girl in the family's photos holding the exact same plushie.I had only seen that photo once, but it burned into my memories. A sensitive and timid soul, I held onto these memories tightly.The Sainsbury family must have selected me for a good reason. Every time I threw out the plushie, Craig would buy me an identical one, claiming it was