When my family finally paid the ransom to bring me home, I was nothing but a bag of bones. Months of forced starvation had shrunk my stomach to the size of a fist, leaving me with a severe, crippling aversion to food. At my welcome dinner, when I couldn’t bring myself to pick up my fork, my sister, Bella, immediately welled up with tears. “Sophie, you won’t even touch your food. Are you still blaming me? I didn’t mean to leak your location to those kidnappers…” My older brother, Tayler, protectively wrapped an arm around her shoulders, shooting me a cold, disgusted look. “Stop being so dramatic, Sophie. You were gone for a few months, and you came back in one piece. No broken bones. Who are you putting on this victim act for?” He nudged the plate closer. “Bella spent all afternoon making this for you. Even if you have to choke it down, you’re going to eat it.” My parents joined in, their faces hardening. “You just get back and you’re already throwing a tantrum!” my father barked. “Eat the meat, Sophie. Now.” Looking at the three of them, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in their united defense of Bella, a profound numbness washed over me. I slowly picked up a slice of the greasy pork and forced it past my lips. The reaction was instantaneous. A violent spasm seized my abdomen. I collapsed from my chair, hitting the hardwood floor, dry-heaving desperately. There was nothing in my stomach to bring up, but the dry-heaves tore at my throat until I coughed up a pool of dark, brilliant red blood. Tayler immediately pulled Bella back a step, shielding her from the splatter. “Are you seriously biting your tongue to fake spitting blood now? You’re unbelievable, Sophie. Unforgivable.” Looking up at them from the floor, a hollow laugh died in my throat. “It’s fine,” I thought. “Go ahead. Keep coddling her. Keep hating me. It doesn’t matter anymore. After all, I don’t have many days left anyway.” … I lay there in my own blood, gasping for air that wouldn’t come. Tayler stepped forward, his brow furrowed in irritation. He nudged my shoulder with the toe of his shoe, then scraped his sole against the floor as if he’d stepped in something foul. “Go clean yourself up in the bathroom. Don’t ruin the rug.” This was my brother. The same brother who once fought three older boys until his knuckles broke just to protect me. I tried to smile at the irony, but the movement sent a fresh wave of agony through my stomach, silencing me. My mother walked over, carrying a bowl of warm broth. Her eyes were rimmed with red; she looked like she had just been crying. “Sophie, you starved out there. I made this broth myself to help settle your stomach.” She knelt beside me, pushing the spoon directly against my lips. The heavy smell of grease hit my nostrils, triggering another violent spasm. Shaking with pain, cold sweat drenching my collar, I instinctively pushed her hand away. The bowl shattered against the floor. “Fine! Don’t eat then!” she cried, wiping a tear as she stood up. “I’ve been sick with worry, thinking you were starving, and this is how you treat me? If you’re going to be like this, don’t eat anything at all! Starve yourself for all I care!” Tayler’s gaze grew colder. “Mom spent hours on that. What is wrong with you?” As they comforted each other, cocooned in their warm family dynamic, the fire in my gut flared. Trembling, I reached into my pocket for my bottle of painkillers. “Oh my god, Sophie!” Bella shrieked. She lunged forward and kicked the bottle right out of my hand. The white pills scattered across the floor. “Those pills… you didn’t get hooked on “something” while you were gone, did you?” Her eyes went wide, a perfect picture of horror and concern. “Don’t worry, we’re going to get you clean. We’re a family. We won’t give up on you.” “They’re just… painkillers…” I croaked, dragging my body across the floor. But just as my fingers brushed the plastic bottle, Tayler stepped down hard, crushing it beneath his heel. “If you need medicine, we have doctors,” he said coldly. “We aren’t keeping street drugs in this house.” I stared at the white powder ground into the floorboards. My heart felt like it had been crushed right along with those pills. The medication was cheap, probably toxic, but it was the only thing strong enough to dull the screaming agony in my stomach. Now, I had nothing. Bella tucked herself behind Tayler, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. She let out a small, breathless laugh. “Sophie, can we please stop the drama? I only accidentally mentioned where you were. Mom and Dad paid the ransom, and you don’t even have any scars. Why are you still so mad at me?” She sighed. “I’m your sister. Playing the martyr to get attention is so childish.” My father, sitting on the leather sofa, spoke up in a flat, indifferent tone. “Exactly. Bella shouldn’t have said anything, but if you hadn’t been running around looking for trouble, those men wouldn’t have targeted you in the first place. You’ve always been spoiled. Go have some chilled melon in the kitchen to cool your temper, and let’s put this behind us.” “Put this behind us?” A dry chuckle escaped my lips. For three agonizing months, I was locked in a damp cellar. The only things my captors threw at me were moldy scraps, rotting bread, and putrid water. If I refused to eat, they pinched my nose shut and shoved the filth down my throat. Any resistance was met with a spiked leather whip and endless, dark torment. And now, a slice of chilled melon was supposed to make everything okay? I closed my eyes, letting my tears fall silently onto the blood-smeared floor. “She’s still acting!” my mother snapped, her face twisted in disgust. “Getting her to eat is like asking for her life. Your father had the kitchen prepare this fresh for you. It used to be your favorite.” My father slammed his hand on the dining table. “If she won’t eat, force it down her throat!” Two maids stepped forward. They pinned my arms, and one of them pinched my jaw, forcing my mouth open. Two cold, dripping slices of melon were shoved brutally past my teeth. The icy juice hit my raw stomach, triggering a spasm so violent I began to shake. I couldn’t hold it back. I threw up right there—a mixture of melon, stomach acid, and dark, thick blood. “Sophie, how could you…” Bella gasped, taking a dramatic step back. “Just to keep up this act, you’d waste Dad’s kindness…” I collapsed next to the mess, panting heavily, too exhausted to defend myself. “Slap!” A sharp, stinging blow caught me across the cheek, throwing my head back. My father stood over me, his hand still raised, eyes blazing with fury. “You ungrateful brat! Your sister didn’t even eat breakfast this morning because she was so anxious about your return!” he roared. “She has a weak stomach, yet she was still thinking of you. And you put on this deathbed performance to spite us?” I looked up at him, finding the sheer absurdity of it almost funny. Bella skipping breakfast meant she had a “delicate stomach.” Me, starved for three months and unable to keep food down, was “putting on a deathbed performance.” “Since you clearly need to cool down,” my father sneered, “get out. Go run ten laps around the estate. Don’t come back inside until you’ve cleared that attitude.” Run? In my condition, even standing was a monument of effort. Forcing me to run laps in the sweltering heat was a death sentence. “Didn’t you hear Dad? Get out!” Tayler grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and shoved me out the front door. My knees and palms scraped against the gravel driveway, drawing fresh blood. “Bella didn’t eat because she was genuinely sick. You’re doing this out of pure malice. Don’t even think about coming back inside until those ten laps are done!” The heavy oak doors slammed shut. From inside, the faint, warm murmur of my family comforting Bella drifted through the glass. Outside, I was left alone under the blazing sun, fighting to breathe. I curled into a ball on the scorching pavement, clutching my abdomen. The heat radiated from the concrete, yet cold sweat poured off my body in waves. My vision blurred. Then, the familiar sound of a car engine broke the silence. The family doctor’s sedan pulled into the driveway, stopping a few feet away. Dr. Evans stepped out, carrying his black medical bag, his pace hurried. With the last of my strength, I dragged myself toward him. “Help me…” I gasped, clawing at the hem of his trousers. “My stomach… please…” Dr. Evans frowned, looking down at me. “Sophie? What happened?” He started to kneel, but Tayler marched out of the house, his face contorted in anger. He kicked my hand away from the doctor’s leg. “Sophie! What the hell is wrong with you?” I let out a weak whimper, my hand falling limp. “You’re so desperate for attention that you’re trying to steal Bella’s doctor now? She’s inside with a severe stomach ache!” “Tayler… please… it hurts so much…” “Save the tears. Dad said ten laps, or you stay outside.” Dr. Evans hesitated, looking at my ghostly pale face. “Tayler, she looks extremely ill. Maybe I should just take a quick—” “Dr. Evans, don’t waste your time!” my mother’s voice called out from the doorway. “She’s just trying to ruin Bella’s day. Come inside, please. Bella’s been complaining of cramps all morning, and my heart is just breaking for her.” Tayler guided the doctor toward the entrance. Dr. Evans cast one final, doubtful look over his shoulder, but ultimately shook his head and followed them inside. The afternoon faded into twilight, and the temperature plummeted. A sudden downpour began, soaking my thin clothes in seconds. I dragged myself to the edge of the porch, curling up under the small overhang, shivering violently. Inside, the house was alive with warmth and laughter. I could hear my mother gently coaxing Bella to drink some warm soup. And there I lay, listening to their joy, waiting to die in the freezing rain. Through the sheet of water, a black umbrella appeared. Tayler stood before me, holding a plate. “Tayler…” I croaked, trying to push myself up. He had come to bring me inside. He had to. But his face remained cold as stone. He tilted his wrist. “Splat.” The cold leftovers slid off the plate, landing in a muddy puddle by my feet. The white rice scattered instantly, melting into the dirty water. “Bella was worried you’d starve,” Tayler said, his voice flat. “She told me to bring you this. Eat.” I stared at the sodden heap of food. When I was trapped in that dark cellar, choking down rotten scraps, I had kept myself alive by dreaming of the day my family would rescue me. I never imagined that my own brother would be the one dumping scraps into the mud for me. As I stared at the puddle, the sharp pain in my stomach suddenly vanished. Instead, an overwhelming, primal hunger took its place. My stomach began to growl, loud and desperate. Hearing the sound, Tayler let out a cynical laugh. “See? I knew you were faking. A little tough love and suddenly you’re cured.” My hand moved on its own, reaching toward the muddy puddle. “I’ll eat…” I whispered, my fingers trembling as I scooped up a handful of wet, gritty rice and shoved it into my mouth. “Tayler… I’m eating…” The gravel cut into my throat as I swallowed, but I felt nothing. I just gulped it down, desperate and hollow. I had lost all dignity, all pride. In that moment, the mud-soaked rice tasted sweeter than anything my captors had ever thrown at me. I stayed on my knees, scooping up the dirty water and rice with both hands. A flash of discomfort crossed Tayler’s face. He tightened his grip on the umbrella handle, taking a step back in disgust. “Have you no shame? Eating like an animal.” He turned on his heel. “We are hosting a welcome-back gala for you tomorrow. There will be important guests. If you embarrass us, you’ll regret it.” The next day, I sat in front of the vanity for a long time. My lips were completely bloodless. I grabbed the brightest red lipstick I owned and applied layer after layer, trying to paint over the deathly pallor on my face. I barely had the strength to stand. Clinging to the banister, I crept down the stairs step by agonizing step, my legs shaking so hard they felt like jelly. The grand foyer was filled with music and laughter. My father, beaming with pride, was chatting with his business associates. My mother was showing Bella off to a group of high-society women. No one noticed me. Not until my foot slipped on the final step, and I crashed against the railing. “Sophie! You’re finally down!” Bella squealed, walking over with a glass of dark, heavy liquor. The sharp, alcoholic sting reached my nose, and my stomach clutched in protest. “I had the bartender make this just for you. Your favorite!” “I can’t drink that,” I whispered, backing away. “It will kill me.” “Kill you?” Bella’s eyes welled with tears, her lower lip trembling. “Sophie, why do you have to say such horrible things? I already apologized to you! What more do you want?” She sniffled, looking around at the gathering crowd. “It’s not my fault you were out late that night. If you hadn’t been wandering around alone, those men wouldn’t have targeted you…” My father’s face darkened as he marched over. He snatched the glass from Bella and shoved it into my hand. “The city’s elite are watching us,” he hissed. “Do you intend to make a laughingstock of this family? Whatever grudge you’re holding, swallow it. Drink.” I clutched the glass, looking desperately at Tayler, who had just joined them. I wanted him to step in, just once, the way he did when we were kids. Instead, Tayler placed a heavy, warning hand on my shoulder. “Bella brought this to welcome you back. Don’t be ungrateful. Even if you don’t like it, you are going to drink it.” I looked up at the three people who shared my blood. Suddenly, the fight drained out of me. It was all so utterly pointless. “Fine,” I whispered, a ghostly smile touching my lips. “If this is what you want.” I threw my head back and swallowed the liquor in one long gulp. It burned down my throat like liquid fire, hitting my raw, empty stomach like a red-hot coal. My insides violently seized. I clutched my abdomen, trying to suppress the wave of agony, but it was impossible. Right there, in front of the entire high-society crowd, a massive torrent of thick, dark blood erupted from my mouth. Within the dark pool, there were distinct, shredded pieces of tissue. A collective gasp echoed through the room as panic erupted. But to me, the world simply grew quiet. The heavy burden of my body felt lighter. I smiled softly as the floor rose to meet me, and everything faded to black.
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