The question the first son, Anderson Harry, asked the rest of the family lingered, and though his words made them think a bit, they decided to disregard them.
They used the words, 'If she didn't...' and 'If she weren't so picky...', making up excuses why Lilah should be blamed for their mother's death all those years ago and justifying their actions thus far.
"I can't forgive her so easily," Stubborn Patrick insisted as they argued over it, but Harry stayed silent.
He had pondered on this longer than they had, so it took him some time to come to terms with the truth and open his eyes to their unfair treatment, so he did not expect the family to come to terms right away.
He sighed and raised his head.
"Think about it more carefully and compare everything." He said and got up from the chair he was sitting on. "Lilah is not completely at fault, and the ugly treatment we have given her this far is just too much. It needs to stop."
"Brother Harry." Dawn called with a pitiful tone, looking at her brother with an innocent expression and eyes that seemed to be asking for attention.
She didn't like the topic thus far. They had all been talking about Lilah, and no one was giving her any attention anymore.
It was annoying.
Why were they so concerned about the blind girl? Wasn't the way they had been living for so long better? It was comfortable.
She was the only sister they needed to worry about and show love to, so why couldn't things stay the same?
"I'm busy, Dawn," Harry said, not sparing his sister that he used to adore, a second glance.
He turned away and started leaving.
Dawn was shocked beyond words. She bit her lip and clenched her dress.
Just why did her warm brother become so cold to her all of a sudden? What did she do?
She looked down, her mind hatefully cursing at Lilah.
'I hope you never wake up. You're ruining my life. My brothers are only supposed to think of me and look at me with a warm gaze. They...'
"It's alright, Dawn." Patrick suddenly said, dropping his hand on her head to pat her in comfort, and Dawn masked her hate with a gentle and slightly worried smile.
"Brother,"
"I don't know what changed in elder brother, but this brother will still love you unconditionally, so you don't need to worry." He said, smiling in a goofy way in an attempt to reassure her, and she smiled.
"Thank you, brother. I know brother loves me the most."
But underneath that smile was a hateful expression that wished she could rip Lilah apart.
Ever since they were young, everyone had paid more attention to Lilah and even if it wasn't always for a good reason since they all scorned her, called her a cripple and bullied her, it was still attention.
There was never anything she did that got others' attention as much as Lilah's state, and she hated it.
What was so good about being blind? It was a sick deformity.
At least, someone with that deformity should know to stay in one place and stay sad for the rest of their life. Then why is her sister acting so calm and smiling despite always getting bullied?
When the entire family blamed her for their mother's death but she simply smiled gently and apologized for what had happened, not taking their words to heart.
When the maids and everyone else bullied her, tripping her and even intentionally burning her so she could get a scar, she still smiled, saying it was fine.
She never lost her smile.
She walked around with her cane in front, her hair elegantly balanced in her shoulders, and that perfect face of hers.
There was no one helping her, so how was she still able to look so perfect?
Seeing her every day made Dawn's blood boil with jealousy. But she tried not to show it. She was going to be the perfect sister to her while manipulating others behind her.
'It's too bad the hot water incident wasn't a success,' she thought, biting her thumb finger when her brother wasn't looking. She was a secret plotter, a manipulative person who used the affection of the people around her against Lilah.
She had planned to scar Lilah's flawless and pristine face with that incident, but somehow, Lilah avoided it and only got a burn scar on her leg.
She could attempt it again, but the odds that her brothers would catch on were high. She didn't want them to find out and assume that all the bad things that had been happening to Lilah were perpetrated by her.
No, they wouldn't think like that because they loved her. She bit off her nail and gritted her teeth. At least, that was how confident she would've been if it were a day when she pushed Lilah down the stairs.
Right now, their opinions of Lilah were shaking, and she did not like it.
She pushed Lilah, hoping she would simply break her neck and die, but Lilah still managed to survive that.
Just why were the odds against her?
She got up from where she was sitting is started heading up the stairs.
It had been a week since the incident, and Lilah was being treated in the guest room.
Dawn did not let them go to Lilah's room because who knows what they would think the moment they entered there?
None of the family members had ever been to Lilah's room, and she hoped to keep it like that.
Dawn arrived at the guest room and took a look at Lilah on the bed with an Oxygen mask attached to her face.
From the door, Dawn's expression twisted as if she had eaten lemons with hate sprinkled on top of it instead of salt.
She hated the sight of Lilah.
If only... She stepped closer and arrived next to the bed, her heart pounding in rage and discomfort... If only Lilah could just die.
"If I remove this oxygen mask, will you be alright, sister?" She asked with a sinister grin. She looked like she was going mad just thinking about the shift of affection and attention from her family. "First, you take all the attention with your pathetic blindness, and even now, while you're unconscious, you're still causing a stir and making people talk about you."
She slowly reached her hand down, her fingers slightly twitching.
"Just die, sister. If you do, this twin sister of yours will be very happy. I... Will live a happy life." She said, a twisted smile playing on her lips as he reached for Lilah's oxygen mask. "You can only blame yourself for coming into this life at the same time as me." But just then, someone walked in.
"Dawn?" Mister Anderson called, and Dawn's eyes widened. "What are you doing there?"