Though my sister’s name might have been on the invitation, I took it as a mere coincidence and didn’t give it much thought. My interest in this family had already faded.

“Why are you taking her side? I’ve been saying all along that she’s suspicious. Just her being here spoils the mood. Kick her out quickly.”

“Look, I’ve told you several times. I invited these people to the wedding. You checked the invitations with me, right? They’ve already checked in. They’re official guests, so apologize for what you said earlier.”

Daniel pleaded. It was worrying that such arguments were happening just before the wedding.

At that moment, my father suddenly said with a surprised look, “Wait, isn’t he the son of the head of Anderson General Hospital?”

My mother also expressed surprise.

“Anderson General Hospital? The famous one? The son of the head doctor?”

“My sister’s husband?”

Julia echoed their surprise.

Amid these stares, Phillip introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Phillip Anderson. This is my wife, Hazel.”

And he greeted them with a smile.

Phillip’s parents are distinguished doctors who have managed a hospital for many years. Phillip himself is being groomed as the talented heir apparent and is passionately studying medicine.

Hearing this, my parents’ eyes widened in amazement.

Suddenly, my sister’s husband intervened.

“It’s unbelievable, but to think that the wife of Dr. Anderson is my wife’s sister. Can such a coincidence even be possible? That means we are relatives now,” he said, unable to hide his surprise.

“Dr. Wells, I apologize for any trouble my son may have caused in the past,” I continued, cutting off his remarks.

My sister’s husband, Daniel Wells, is a doctor and works at a university hospital. I had just taken my son to him recently because he was feeling unwell, but that’s the extent of our connection.

Phillip has had professional ties with doctors, and it seems that Wells respects Phillip greatly.

“How’s R feeling now? From what I diagnosed, he should start receiving treatment immediately, so I suggest you take him to get tested and hospitalized at my hospital.”

Daniel kindly made that offer, but I replied, “Actually, we’ve decided to see another doctor for a second opinion. It’s important, you know.”

He couldn’t hide his surprise at my response.

It seemed that Daniel was attempting to treat my son as a special case, but I was uncomfortable with the idea of my child being seen as a profitable object. Therefore, I gently declined his offer with a smile.

Suddenly, a mocking laugh echoed through the air.

“Why are you behaving like that? Are you trying to compensate for being a high school graduate by marrying a doctor? Are you stupid? Marrying the heir of a large hospital doesn’t elevate your own worth. Your education remains the same, and your thinking is too shallow. You really have a child? Poor kid, having you for a mother.”

Julia criticized.

“Hey, Julia, please stop. We’re family. Why do you keep saying such things?”

Daniel tried to mediate quickly. However, my sister glared at his words. She seemed unshakable in her righteousness.

Suddenly, Phillip spoke to me.

“Hazel, are they really your family?” he asked doubtfully.

“No. These people can no longer be called family. A real family wouldn’t suddenly scold you for no reason, refuse to feed you just because you spilled a little food, or give me secondhand clothes found in a dumpster while laughing as they compared them to the high-end brands they gave to my sister. They wouldn’t throw away my study materials, claiming, ‘You’re too stupid to need them,’ or soak my textbooks with water to make them unusable. So no, they are not my family anymore.”

“True. A real family wouldn’t strip you naked in the winter cold for not lending a book to your sister or lock you in a hot shed in the summer. They wouldn’t silently sell your belongings or tell you directly that you’re expected to labor for a lifetime. People in our town have noticed the clinic’s unfair treatment of the siblings, suspecting abuse, and they don’t want to take their children there. It’s actually surprising that no one reported it when we were kids. Now, despite their business suffering, they failed to realize that they are the cause of it. This shows just how severe it is.”

During our calm exchange, when the cruel acts of my past were revealed, Daniel was shocked.

My parents were equally stunned to find out I knew their clinic was struggling financially. Since I had left home, this information was unearthed by my in-laws, who deeply sympathized with the hardships I endured and felt even more outraged than I did.

Phillip also harbored similar feelings, and they had been investigating my parents’ clinic, potentially to use it for revenge.

“Stop it. Stop lying. We didn’t do any of that. It’s your fault for being a failure. Daniel, don’t believe a word she says.”

My sister vehemently protested, but it was too late. He looked at her with disdain.

I thought to myself that none of this would have happened if she had ignored me and walked away back then.

“No. But actually, it’s you who are lying,” Daniel retorted.