I Bet My Soul on My Mother’s Love Chapter 03

I Bet My Soul on My Mother’s Love Chapter 03

I had long since grown numb to people screaming insults at me.

But why did it still hurt so badly when the words came from my own mother?

So, she had hated me since that very day.

On the day Lily was born, Mom had suffered severe complications. She and the baby were on the verge of dying right there on the delivery table.

I was the one who saw the dark shadows encroaching to claim their lives.

I had cried and begged, throwing a massive tantrum until the Grim Reaper finally softened his heart.

He agreed to take my soul as collateral in exchange for letting Mom and Lily live.

I had been smiling back then because Death hadn’t cheated me—Mom and Lily were actually safe and sound.

And I only asked Mom that question because of the wager.

Mom, without your love, I will literally die.

Even though trading my life to give Mom and Lily a second chance was worth it, it still stung.

Mom’s face was twisted in deep sorrow. “The doctors told us Lily wouldn’t live a long life from the second she was born.”

“You have a perfectly healthy body. Would it have killed you to yield to her just a little bit?”

“You have a whole lifetime ahead of you, but your sister only has us. Why do you constantly have to fight her for our affection? Why do you have to steal from her? Does it really matter that much who I love more?”

I stood there, completely paralyzed.

Did it matter?

Maybe it didn’t. Not even if my soul shattered and I faded into absolute nothingness.

Because the constant stress had triggered her condition again, Lily was resting in a hospital bed.

I stood in the corner of the private room, wearing that ill-fitting, extravagant princess gown, looking like a completely out-of-place clown.

Dad was carefully straining strawberry seeds out of a snack for Lily, while Mom read a fairy tale aloud to keep her happy.

Suddenly, the blaring shriek of a fire alarm echoed through the building. The hallway outside instantly erupted into chaos.

As desperate shouts of “Fire!” cut through the air, Mom and Dad’s faces twisted into immediate panic.

Lily shrieked, cowering back into the pillows.

Dad moved instantly, scooping Lily into his arms and shielding her against his chest.

Mom grabbed the plush stuffed rabbit sitting on the edge of the mattress.

They bolted toward the emergency exit.

Not a single soul remembered I was standing right there.

“Don’t cry, Lily baby. Mommy and Daddy will protect you and Miss Bunny.”

Dad would protect Lily. Mom would guard Lily’s favorite toy.

And I, just like those six long years, was left completely abandoned in a burning building.

“Mom! Wait for me!”

Don’t leave me behind. I’m scared too.

I ran into the stampeding crowd, but Mom and Dad’s figures had already vanished into the sea of people.

I was pushed and jostled in the crowd, my shoulders and arms hitting the stairwell railings along the way.

But the sharp, aching bruises on my skin couldn’t compare to the agonizing stab in my chest.

The fire turned out to be a minor electrical flare-up, and the commotion was brought under control within minutes.

That was when they finally noticed me in the middle of the crowd.

My hair was a tangled mess, and my skin was already covered in bruises from being knocked around in the crowd.

The hem of the princess gown had been stepped on so many times it was practically a tattered, muddy rag.

Lily, on the other hand, had been perfectly shielded. Even her stuffed rabbit remained pristine and spotless.

Mom marched over and yanked my arm, her face twisting in pure irritation.

“You’re a legal adult now! Can’t you even manage to run away from danger by yourself?!”

She paused, staring at my ruined dress, her expression flickering with a complex wave of emotion.

Then, her eyes traveled downward, taking in the fresh purple bruises on my arms before locking onto the web of old scars across my body.

Those were old, deep scars left behind by strict disciplinary system at school.

She froze, her hand trembling as she reached out to touch the raised skin.

“Chloe… what are these scars from?”

“Did something happen to you at that school? Why didn’t you ever tell us?!”