The Family Sacrifice

Sabrina's POV

My parents have always loved my cousin Yvonne more than me. I had to give her everything growing up.

I thought my fiancé Gilbert would be different, but I was wrong. After meeting Yvonne, he kept pressuring me to give way to her too, just like this time when he's forcing me to be a test subject. He even threatened to break off our engagement just to make me give in.

Today I finally stopped fighting. I'm giving her everything, all of it.

...

I found out about the cancer today.

"Ms. Collins, I'm very sorry." The doctor's face stayed carefully blank while he said it. "Your stomach cancer is stage four. Without treatment, you have approximately three months to live."

Three months.

I sat there staring at the test results in my hands, watching the words blur together on the page.

"We can start chemotherapy immediately if you'd like to discuss—"

"I need some time to think about it," I told him.

I drove to Gilbert's apartment in complete silence, my mind felt weirdly empty.

Gilbert was waiting in the living room when I walked in. He stood up the second he saw me.

"Sabrina, this is the 99th time I'm asking you." His voice sounded tired, almost irritated. "If you don't agree to test those drugs for Yvonne, I'm not signing the marriage registration form."

He held the form up so I could see it. The signature lines sat empty.

I looked the engagement ring on my finger that suddenly felt way too heavy.

"Okay," I said calmly.. "I'll do it."

Gilbert's eyes went wide. "What did you just say?"

"I'll test the drugs for her."

He just stared at me for a second, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Then his whole face broke into this huge smile.

"Are you serious? You actually mean it?"

He grabbed a pen off the coffee table and signed his name fast, like he was afraid I'd change my mind. Then he shoved the form across the table toward me.

"Sign it right now. Come on, before you back out."

His phone started ringing. He looked at the screen and his smile got even bigger.

"I have to take this." He walked out to the balcony and slid the glass door shut behind him. Through the window I watched him looking so excited.

"She agreed!" His voice carried through the glass loud. "Sabrina finally said yes!"

I looked down at the form on the table at the empty line next to "Wife's Name," picked up the pen, and wrote a name in that space, but the name I wrote wasn't mine, it was Yvonne Wells.

I stared at what I'd written and felt this bitter smile pull at my mouth.

She can have this too.

...

Six months ago, Yvonne told us she'd found a doctor who could cure her.

She'd been sick ever since the car accident twenty years ago. Always weak, always fragile, always needing something from somebody.

"I found someone who can actually fix me this time," she'd said, her eyes bright with hope. "A real doctor who knows what he's doing."

"That's great," I'd said. "Which hospital is he at?"

"He has his own research institute. It's private." She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "But there's one thing, he needs someone to test his medications first. He needs you."

The whole room went quiet.

"Test drugs?" I pulled my hand away from hers. "Yvonne, that sounds really dangerous. Let me help you find a different doctor who—"

"Only he can cure me!" Her voice shot up, "You have to do this for me!"

Gilbert stepped between us. "Sabrina, just be reasonable for once."

"I am being reasonable. This doesn't sound safe at all—"

"If you don't agree to help her," Gilbert said slowly, "then we're done. I'll call off the engagement."

I looked at my parents, expecting them to support me, but they didn't.

"If you refuse to help your own cousin," my father said, "we're leaving everything to Yvonne. You won't get a single dollar when we die."

My mother nodded in agreement. "She needs you, Sabrina. Family takes care of family."

I kept saying no for months after that. I held out as long as I could.

Until today.

Gilbert drove us straight to my parents' house after I signed. He could barely sit still in the driver's seat.

"They're going to be so happy when they hear," he kept saying over and over.

My parents were sitting in the living room when we got there. Yvonne was on the couch looking pale and delicate as always.

"Sabrina agreed!" Gilbert announced the second we walked through the door. "She's going to do it! She'll test the drugs for Yvonne!"

My mother actually gasped. My father stood up with this big smile spreading across his face.

"Sabrina," my mother said, looking at me like she was proud for the first time in years. "You've finally grown up. You're finally thinking about your family instead of just yourself."

I didn't say anything back to her.

My father walked over and stood right in front of me. "Yvonne's parents died because of you. Her health got destroyed because of you. Everything you're doing now is just paying back what you owe her."

The words should've hurt. They didn't anymore.

"But you're still our daughter," my mother added quickly, "After Yvonne gets better, we'll leave most of the estate to you. To make up for this sacrifice. We'll make sure Yvonne has enough money to be comfortable, but you'll get the majority."

I glanced over at Yvonne. Just for a second, I saw anger flash across her face. Then it disappeared and she went back to looking sweet and grateful.

I shook my head slowly.

"I don't want your money," I said, swallowed the bitterness inside me.

Everyone in the room stopped and stared at me.

"I don't need any of it anymore."