Chapter 2

Gigi was always left feeling drained for days after giving blood to Catherine. This time, it hit just as hard. The rest of the Hart family had been keeping watch over Catherine at the hospital for the past few days, so Gigi was the only one at home. She stepped out of the room with a cup in hand. Before she could see who was outside, a box came flying at her and nailed her right between the eyes. The familiar pain left no doubt. It had to be her "beloved" mother. "What's going on with you, Gigi? Why haven't you read the message we sent? "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? Did you ignore the message to upset Catherine? I raised you for nothing, you ungrateful brat!" As the yelling went on, Gigi wiped the blood from her forehead, pulled out her phone, and opened WhatsApp. Gigi finally saw the message her family had sent this morning. Catherine was being discharged that day, and they expected her to have Catherine's favorite chocolate cake ready to welcome her home. She barely had the energy to stand after giving blood, let alone bake a whole cake from scratch. Besides, she had been groggy all morning and completely missed the message. She was ready to explain herself, but then she looked up and spotted Rylan and Kenny carefully helping Catherine into the living room. They attended to Catherine's every need with meticulous care, even propping her up with pillows so she could sit more comfortably. They even handed her water at just the right temperature, treating her like royalty. Kenny glanced at Gigi with a hostile look, the warmth in his gaze replaced by biting sarcasm and indifference. "Do you really expect her to make a cake for Catherine? Keep dreaming. "All she does is sit at home doing nothing. She barely knows how to take care of herself, and she's got no hobbies—unless you count those pathetic doodles. She's nothing compared to Catherine." Her whole life revolved around giving blood to Catherine. Whatever time was left, she spent resting at home. How could she have time for hobbies? It wasn't like she had ever had the chance to explore anything the way Catherine had. What Kenny had dismissed as worthless drawings had been the only dream Gigi ever clung to in her bleak life. She had heard those words more times than she could count, but they still cut deep every single time. Rylan glanced sideways at Gigi, stepping in to defuse the situation like he always had. "Was the blood donation yesterday too much for you, Gigi? Did it wear you out?" Back in the day, hearing him defend her like that would have melted her heart. At least somebody cared about her health and noticed how she felt. But after being reborn and learning the truth, she found it ironic. He had only stood up for her to keep up the act that he loved her. He had barely needed to try. Her love had made it easy for him to wrap her around his fingers until she couldn't let go. But this time, she wasn't falling for it. Upon hearing Rylan's words, Catherine pretended to be considerate and softened her tone. "It's fine. I don't need cake. Gigi's rest is more important." Kenny glared at Gigi with contempt, making it obvious how fed up he was. "Why bother worrying about her, Catherine? She owes you everything. "After all, you're the only reason she entered this world. You were always too soft on her. Her existence only has meaning if you're happy. Got it?" The unfiltered words hit Gigi like a punch to the gut. For a moment, it felt like her heart was being ripped apart. They were her family too. She was still a person with thoughts and emotions and could feel pain just like anyone else. But none of that had ever mattered to anyone. No one had ever cared. … At the dining table, everyone doted on Catherine like she was made of glass. Donovan and Meredith made sure her plate was never empty, while Kenny carefully picked out every single fish bone before serving her. All the food on the table was something Catherine loved. Gigi kept her head lowered, preoccupied with shoving the food into her mouth, when someone put a piece of shrimp on her plate. She looked up at Rylan, then glanced at the shrimp before sporting a wry smile. It was funny how he still remembered to pretend to love her. But if he had loved her, he should have realized that shrimp was Catherine's favorite. Worst of all, Gigi was allergic to seafood. All the signs that he didn't love her were right there, but she was so desperate for a scrap of affection that she couldn't see it until it was too late. Just as they were finishing up, Donovan and Meredith brought up Rylan and Gigi's wedding. At some point, tears had gathered in Catherine's eyes, and she gently set her fork aside. "I'm not doing so great lately, Mom, Dad. I don't think I'll be able to make it to Gigi and Rylan's wedding, but it means a lot to me to be there. Why don't we delay the wedding until I'm feeling better?" Everyone in the family bent over backward for Catherine, so why was she pretending to be all shy and considerate? Donovan, Meredith, and Kenny immediately agreed. However, Rylan paused for a moment, looked Gigi's way, and gently asked, "Are you okay with it, Gigi?"