The Family Chat Held No Room For My Pain

Summary

The day I returned to the family estate, my three brothers added me to a group chat named The Family. They promised that if I ever ran into trouble, I could post there and they would handle it. Though it stayed silent for months, I treasured it, believing I was finally loved after years in the orphanage.

Later, I traveled for the National STEM Fellowship Selection. The night before, my stomach ruptured and I was rushed in with acute gastric perforation. Surgery required a guardian’s signature.