They Thought I Was Faking My Illness

Chapter 2

The bathroom door of the guest room flew open.

I gasped and instinctively covered my chest.

Cecilia held up a pair of swimming goggles. "The gift Wyatt bought for you? It's mine now."

The silver-blue mirrored lenses swung back and forth in her hand. A tiny pine cone was engraved on the frame.

So the goggles were the gift Wyatt had prepared for me.

Cecilia walked away with a triumphant smile.

A housekeeper brought me a small stack of clothes.

"Miss..." She looked uncomfortable. "This is all I was allowed to bring."

A few plain T-shirts, a couple pairs of pants, and my underwear.

The jewelry, designer purses, shoes, and everything else all belonged to Cecilia now.

Laughter drifted in from the backyard. They sounded so happy.

I'd been the one standing in the middle of that happiness for 20 years.

A knock came at the guest room door.

Wyatt stepped inside with a glass of milk. His eyes lingered on the bump on my head.

"Dad went too far."

After speaking, he unconsciously bit the inside of his cheek, a habit he'd had since he was little.

The milk was still warm. I took a sip.

Our shadows stretched across the floor, overlapping in silence.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, "I'll take you to the swim center tomorrow."

"Thanks, Wyatt." I smiled as brightly as I could.

The next morning, Wyatt even cleared his schedule to drive me to practice.

When he opened the passenger door, Cecilia was already sitting there.

I froze for a second.

Wyatt looked away. "Cecilia can't swim. She wants to learn."

Oh. That was why he'd drive me.

I quietly got into the back seat.

A message from my doctor popped up.

Doctor: Ms. Scott, you still need an EMG. Upper and lower limbs. Insurance won't cover it, so it'll be 2,000 out of pocket."

I switched to my banking app.

I'd always used Wyatt's unlimited black card. He paid every bill.

I'd never even thought about saving money.

"Wyatt." Cecilia smiled sweetly. "Mom said brothers in the Scott family always give their little sisters spending money."

Wyatt glanced at me through the rearview mirror.

Seeing that I was looking down at my phone, he replied, "I'll have my assistant get you a card."

She puffed out her cheeks. "That's so unfair. You gave Doris an unlimited black card. But for me... I'm your real little sister!"

Without saying a word, I placed the black card on the center console. "I don't need it anymore."

I still had enough money. Enough to pay for my treatment.

When I was 4 years old, Wyatt taught me how to swim.

Back then, I couldn't even hold my breath underwater. I cried so hard. He held me for what felt like forever until I finally stopped.

Later, I became a swimming champion.

All because he'd once smiled at me and said, "My little sister's the best."

At the swim center, Wyatt changed out of his tailored suit and into swim trunks and a swim cap.

"Aren't you going to the office?" I asked.

"It's Cecilia's first time in the water. I want to stay."

Cecilia followed behind him timidly.

Even their swimsuits matched. Standing side by side, they looked like twins.

My eyes burned. I hurriedly pulled my goggles over them before the tears could spill out.

I guided Cecilia into the pool first. "Relax. Feel the water supporting your body."

She whispered, "Wyatt..."

He smiled. "Doris is a swimming champion. You're in the best hands."

After a while, I finally helped her float.

"That wasn't hard at all." She grinned. "Wyatt, take a picture of me!"

A few lanes away, Wyatt was answering a work call.

Cecilia suddenly turned back. She smiled at me, then she dove underwater.

My mind exploded.

She did it on purpose. She already knew how to swim.

Before I could react, Cecilia grabbed me and dragged me toward the bottom of the pool.

I fought back instinctively. But my arms wouldn't move.

It was impossible to describe. In the water I knew better than anywhere else, where I had always been unbeatable, my body suddenly felt like a block of concrete sinking straight to the bottom.

Wyatt dove into the pool. He swam straight past me and pulled Cecilia into his arms.

"Cecilia! What happened?"

She sobbed. "Doris didn't want to teach me... Then she pushed me..."

I struggled to hold onto the pool rail.

His angry voice crashed over me. "Doris! Are you still upset about the black card? Cecilia can't even swim! How could you push her? Dad was right last night. I shouldn't have felt sorry for you!"

He scooped Cecilia into his arms. "Come on. I'm taking you to the hospital."

The strength left my hands again. Slowly, I slipped beneath the water.

I wanted Wyatt to save me, too.

I thought, 'Wyatt... Please, just reach out your hand. Just once. I can't hold on...'

A sharp whistle ripped through the natatorium.

Someone was drowning.

Wyatt's heart pounded violently, as if warning him that something terrible was about to happen.

But in the end, he never looked back.