Chapter 6
Dad looked confused for a second, clearly not expecting me to bring this up out of nowhere.
He frowned and said: “Yeah, I remember. Didn’t the hospital manage to get some from a neighboring city’s blood bank at the last minute?”
At the time, he’d been totally panicked about the whole crisis, and once he got the good news, he was just relieved and didn’t think to ask more questions.
“The hospital managed it?”
My smile got even deeper, then I said: “You contacted how many people that day? Called in how many favors? Even offered to pay crazy money, and still couldn’t find any right away.”
‘So how come right when I was in the most danger, suddenly there was some available?”
Dad’s frown got deeper.
Now that I put it that way, all those details he’d ignored started becoming clear again.
ne minute, the doctors were saying there was absolutely no way, they couldn’t find a blood source anywhere.
he next second, the attending physician was telling him they’d found some through “special emergency channels.”
le’d been so happy at the time that he never questioned it.
his totally crazy but crystal–clear thought hit him like a lightning bolt.
hose “special channels” – who else besides her could have pulled that off?
eeing Dad’s reaction, I knew he’d figured it out.
Besides Mom, who else could have saved me in that situation?”
Ly eyes got watery and my voice cracked a little, then I said: “She’s the only one with that kind of ability and clearance to get blood that fast.”
stopped looking at Dad’s shocked expression, pushed down the hurt that was bubbling up, and kept talking.
And there was that time freshman year when some older girls cornered me behind the science building. They stole my notes and shoved me around – I almost
ell down the stairs.”
The next day, those same girls didn’t just give me my notes back, they apologized to me in front of the whole class, looking white as ghosts like they’d seen omething terrifying.”
Then sophomore year, someone messed with my bike brakes. Going down that hill, I went flying straight toward traffic and almost got hit by a car.”
Suddenly this scooter came out of nowhere and knocked me into the bushes instead. By the time I got up, whoever was riding it had disappeared.”
There have been tons of incidents like that.”
Every time I got into trouble or was in danger, these weird coincidences would happen to get me out of it.”
Kids who bullied me would suddenly back off or even transfer schools. Broken stuff would mysteriously get fixed.”
Like there was this invisible guardian angel watching over me.”
“Why… why didn’t you tell me?”
Dad’s voice was shaking with fear, then he said: “All these things that happened to you how come you never said anything?”
I looked up at him, trying hard not to let the tears fall
“I did tell you, Dad.”
“That time I got cornered behind the science building, I told you when I got home.”
“You were sitting with Mrs. Hayes looking at hotels on the tablet, planning some vacation with Kaya.”
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From ‘Beloved Daughter‘ to Dead Burdon‘?2 Now Watch Your Perfect Family‘ BURNI
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Chapter 6
“You didn’t even look up. You just said ‘You’re fine, aren’t you? Try to be more easygoing with your classmates and don’t make such a big deal out of everything.”
“Later, when my bike brakes failed and I came home with my knee scraped up and bleeding, you asked what happened.”
“After I told you, you just said to clean up the wound myself, then added ‘Be more careful when you ride and make sure you maintain your bike properly.”
I paused for a moment, turned my head slightly, and my voice got quieter.
‘After that, I stopped telling you.”
Because… there was no point.”
Besides, I knew Mom was protecting me. That was enough.”
Dad’s face went completely pale and he couldn’t say anything.
smiled with this kind of calm acceptance.
So I never believed Mom was dead.”
Not because I couldn’t accept it, but because the evidence was always there. You just chose to ignore it, and I chose to believe it.”
If Mom isn’t showing herself, she must have a really good reason.”
Since she doesn’t want me to know she’s alive, I’ll just pretend I don’t know.”
When I talked about the kidnapping, my eyes lit up.
The person who saved me had their face covered and was disguising their voice, and even seemed different physically, but I just knew it was her. Because…”
grabbed the dog tags on my chest – the cold metal had warmed up from my body heat.
Mom told me a long time ago that these dog tags have a special chip inside, so no matter where I go wearing them, she can always find me.”
So this isn’t just a keepsake – it’s the safety net she left me.”
She must have sensed I was in trouble, so she came to find me and saved me right when those guys were about to shoot.”
I dropped my phone when I was escaping from that abandoned warehouse.”
So when the kidnappers called you later, Mom had already rescued me.”
ad looked like he’d been struck by lightning, and his hand gripping the couch was shaking badly.
all suddenly made sense to him.
he kidnappers‘ threats were just them being pissed off after I’d been rescued.
ind he’d been yelling at me and had given up on me completely.
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