Becoming the real heiress with cancer

chapter 3

Porter jostling me made me feel even more nauseous.

I pushed at him, struggling to speak. "Want... to throw up..."

Porter only heard a weak mumble. "What did you sa?"

Before he could even finish asking, I wretched, spewing everything out.

I hadn't eaten anything all morning, so what came out was just acidic water mixed with blood from my stomach.

I tried my best to avoid it, but it still got on Porter's clothes.

I gripped his shirt, weakly apologizing.

Porter's face darkened, but he gently laid me on the infirmary bed, letting the school nurse take over.

He silently went out to get a mop and rag to clean up my vomit.

The school nurse applied medicine to my face and put me on an IV drip of glucose.

"Young lady, why are you throwing up blood? Do you have any medical history?"

The school nurse advised me to go to the hospital for a thorough check-up, just for peace of mind.

I thanked him and explained that it was just because I hadn't eaten breakfast.

I didn't need a check-up; I already knew this body's condition.

I silently asked the System why this was happening.

The System's mechanical voice quietly responded.

"Because the original owner's consciousness is fading faster."

Meaning she wanted to leave this world faster, right?

The System remained silent.

I gave a knowing, bitter smile.

Harriet. Her name, given by her grandma, held a hidden meaning: "to retain," "to keep."

When Grandma Rose found the baby girl, still bundled in swaddling, she was stiff and purple, frozen in the bitter snow.

Grandma Rose thought the original Harriet had already frozen to death, but then her tiny finger moved.

Grandma Rose took the original Harriet home and named the little girl Harriet.

Grandma Rose was a woman of deep faith.

She always said that saving Harriet, retaining her, was fate's decree, and her own heartfelt wish.

At five years old, Grandma Rose passed away.

The original Harriet was sent to an orphanage by the neighbors.

Later, the Bernal family took her back and wanted to change Harriet's name.

But she stubbornly refused; it was the only thing her grandma had left her.

But now, Harriet no longer wanted to follow fate's decree. She just wanted to find the only person who had ever truly loved her: Grandma Rose...

Perhaps it was the pain, or perhaps it was because of the girl.

My eyes welled up, and I stared blankly at the ceiling.

We were two souls adrift, bound by the same tragic fate. No need for introductions; we understood each other instantly.

In that moment.

I wanted to hold that girl deep within my soul, tightly.

I noticed Porter was still there and quickly wiped my eyes.

I pursed my lips. "Thank you for bringing me here."

In my past life, I faced too much malice and always fought alone.

Now, facing Porter, who had helped me, I felt a little lost.

And I'd just thrown up on him...

Porter raised an eyebrow. "Then, as repayment, how about you get me breakfast every day?"

I hesitated.

I didn't want to get too involved with anyone.

Porter saw my worn, faded canvas shoes and quickly added,

"My meal card's yours. What? Your thanks aren't just empty words, are they?"

I sighed, helpless, and could only nod in agreement.

After school, I planned to go to the hospital.

My body's condition would only worsen.

I needed to get some painkillers.

The original Harriet had a card; it was compensation given to her by Brian, the Bernal family heir, when she first returned.

If ordinary painkillers worked, I wouldn't even want to go to the hospital.

Gastroenterology department.

Dr. Todd was very young. Perhaps seeing that his patient was a young girl, he spoke softly, asking me where I felt unwell.

For a moment, I actually felt like crying.

Such concern was something I had never received in both my lives.

I smiled at him. "Could you please prescribe me some morphine?"

The doctor froze, unable to believe his ears.

The young girl in front of him, barely old enough to be in school, was asking for morphine.

I continued, "If not, then OxyContin, Fentanyl, just anything will do."

Dr. Todd choked, looking reproving.

"What illness does this young lady have? Have you been checked? You can't just take any medicine."

"I have stomach cancer, mid-stage," I answered calmly and seriously.

His expression instantly stiffened, and he even seemed agitated.

"How is that possible? How old are you? Which hospital? Which quack diagnosed you?! Believe it or not, I'll report them!"

The doctor's expression was a little amusing. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"I've already been checked. It's just been hurting more and more recently. Could you please prescribe me some painkillers?"

Dr. Todd looked at the girl's genuine expression, and his heart sank.

"Do your family know?"

"You're so young. Why aren't you fighting for treatment?"

I sighed. This was one reason I didn't want to come to the hospital.

I had to play the victim.

"My family knows. It's just... we don't have the money at home, and I have several older brothers, so I won't get treatment."

Dr. Todd looked like he wanted to say more but eventually said nothing.

I left the hospital with my medication.

Unaware that Porter had followed me the whole way.

Porter hid behind the door, feeling a chill run through him.

After school, Porter had watched the girl wobble out of the school gate, worried she might faint halfway.

After all, they'd shared a bond from half a year of him copying her homework. He inexplicably followed her.

Unconsciously, he'd followed her to the hospital.

He had planned to leave, but a strong emotion held him back.

And then he overheard that the girl had stomach cancer.

No wonder... she was coughing up blood.

Porter felt a knot in his stomach, even wanting to slap himself.

He had bullied the girl for half a year.

He was a terrible person!

But beyond that, a dense wave of heartache washed over him...

When I got home, I intended to pack a few changes of clothes, preparing to move into the school dorms.

But then I found my things had been moved.

Mrs. Ward said, "Harriet, Mrs. Bernal gave you a new room."

"It's on the same floor as Renata, the one on the far east side. She said it's so you and Renata can bond better."

Mrs. Ward looked at me with pity. The Bernal family's favoritism was truly boundless.

Almost the entire third floor belonged to Renata, yet they'd given me only one room on the far east side.

Ha.

I felt a pathetic amusement on behalf of the original girl.

Were they arranging this to warn me that my status in this family would never compare to Renata's?

But it didn't matter anymore.

I was moving into the dorms anyway, and in just another half a year or so, I wouldn't be in this world anymore.

The daily, agonizing pain told me so.

The girl's desire to break free from this family, and from this world, was incredibly strong.

At the dinner table.

I informed Bernal and Laurel that I wanted to live at school.

The family, who had been chatting and laughing, instantly fell silent.

Laurel frowned. "Why do you suddenly want to live at school? Don't you like the room your mother arranged for you today?"

She suddenly remembered Mrs. Ward's words from this morning: "Harriet and Renata's rooms are quite different, I'm afraid Harriet might overthink it."

She then had a sudden realization, thinking Harriet had complained to Mrs. Ward, and said impatiently,

"Don't be so jealous. Renata's room has been hers for sixteen years."

"You've only just moved in. Don't compare everything to Renata. If you really want it, we can get an interior designer to renovate your room in a while."

Bernal's face was even fouler.

"Why aren't you as sensible as Renata? What will people think if they find out that I, a prominent Bernal, let my daughter live at school? It'll just be a joke."

Elton suddenly thought of the boy who had held me today and became annoyed, speaking without thinking.

"Could it be for the convenience of flirting with some wild guy?"