Switched at Birth

The next day, Sophie came by with Julie's gift as promised. However, Emma was nowhere in sight.

I could not resist but asked, "Where's Emma?"

Sophie looked revulsed to hear her own daughter's name. "Why did you have to bring her up? She disgusts me. Well, I punished her by making her stand out on the balcony in the cold last night, and guess what? She fell sick. Can you believe it?"

I could not believe it. It was close to zero degrees outside, and with the few scraps of clothing Emma usually wore, it was no wonder she had fallen sick.

Sophie rolled her eyes at the concern on my face. "No need to feel sorry for her. I'm just training her to be more resilient. She needs to toughen up, otherwise she won't even stand a chance in this cruel world! Besides, she'll take care of herself. She needs to wake up for work later, anyway."

My eyes widened in shock. "Work?"

Sophie seemed pleased with herself when she explained, "Yes, work! I found her a job washing dishes in a restaurant, and at night, she's supposed to hand out flyers for a supermarket. Once she comes home, she'll host a livestream for a social media account. With these three jobs, she earns a few hundred bucks a day!

"It's too bad, though, that this is the best she can do. She's too hideous, and no one else will take her. I see child prodigies online earning a few hundred thousand dollars on top of their studies. If only she was half as smart as them!"

At the mention of that, she hugged Julie and squealed, "Don't you agree, Julie? When Emma's salary comes in, I'll buy you some new clothes, and we can go out for a meal! You like Italian food, don't you?"

Julie was delighted, but the next moment, her expression turned sour.

She said glumly, "I can't, Aunt Sophie. Mom says that I'm overweight, and I need to watch my diet. My heart is going to suffer if I get any bigger. Also, I can't accept any more gifts from you, Aunt Sophie. Mom says that they belong to you because you bought them, and I shouldn't accept things that aren't mine."

Sophie scowled, but she replied reassuringly, "How can that be? You're not overweight, Julie! Besides, being skinny is just a trend! If anything, those supermodels look anorexic to me! We mustn't blindly follow the trends. What matters is that you're happy and healthy!

"Besides, I bought those gifts with my own money, so I can decide who I want to give it to. You deserve all the best things in the world, darling!"

That seemed to cheer Julie up. She chirped, jumping with joy, "Aunt Sophie, you're the best! I wish you were my real mother! If you were my Mom, I'd be the happiest girl in the world!"

Sophie was overjoyed. She was about to bring Julie out to the newest Italian restaurant in town when I pulled her aside and murmured, "You mustn't indulge her anymore. She needs to lose weight!"

Sophie did not heed my warning. Instead, she snarled at me.

"Why are you depriving your own child of her nutrition? It's not like you can't afford it! She's growing! She needs all the nutrients she can get!"

I explained to Sophie that the more overweight Julie became, the more strain it would place on her already weak heart. If she got any heavier, her heart would give out in the future, and she would even need to rely on a ventilator for the rest of her life.

Sophie's hand flew to her mouth. She even took a few steps back, as if this was the most shocking thing she had ever heard. "Is this true?"

I nodded my head solemnly, but Sophie did not seem to believe me. She kept shaking her head in denial. After a few moments, an idea occurred to her.

"Why don't we find her a heart donor?"

It sounded like an impossible plan. "Who would willingly donate their heart to a complete stranger? Even if we get Julie on the transplant list, it'll take ages until a suitable match comes around. It's better if we keep a close eye on her health to delay this from happening as long as we can."

Sophie pursed her lips. "Our precious Julie can't just accept a heart donated from a random stranger! What if she contracts something from the transplanted heart? You never know with those people! If she must undergo a heart transplant, it must be from a live, healthy donor!"

That idea sounded borderline delusional to me. After all, why would a healthy, living person willingly die to donate their heart?

Sophie seemed utterly convinced that it was the best idea to happen to mankind. She trotted over to Julie, looking excited. I hovered on the other side of the wall and eavesdropped.

Sophie deliberately lowered her voice, but I could still hear her every word.

"Julie, do you want to have Emma's healthy heart?"