- 2.
My soul returned home.
<
They were all sitting there, watching some
holiday special on TV, talking about my sister,
Polly’s wedding plans.
Suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes.
“I want to invite Jenny to the wedding, but
I’m sure she’s still mad at me. What am I
going to do?”
My dad snorted. “Don’t worry about that.
We’ll drag her there if we have to!”
“Yeah, it’s just a guy, what’s the big deal?”
My brother chimed in, completely
unsympathetic.
My mom sighed, a cloud of sadness passing
over her face.
<
“She’s always been a worry. Remember,
when I had her, it was twins, and the doctor
said she stole the nutrients and that’s why
she survived… she was always less than…”
There it was. Again.
I’d heard it all my life.
It was my original sin, the reason my parents
and brothers resented me.
They’d always shut me out, looking at me like
I was some kind of murderer.
Even when I was just a kid.
I lived in fear and anxiety under their
judgment, always crying, always helpless.
<
I craved their love, but instead they went and
adopted another little girl.
They called her “Baby.”
They lavished on her the special love I never
had.
They demanded that I atone, giving her
everything.
If there was something Polly wanted, if I had
it, I had to give it to her.
Little things, like a pen or a doll.
Big things, like scholarships or chances to
compete.
Even my fiancé.
<
I’d met Tom Riley in graduate school. It was
like we were meant to be together. We fell in
love, and just like most college sweethearts,
we were planning to get married as soon as
we graduated.
But during our last year, Polly also enrolled at
our school and became Tom’s classmate.
She always needed help with something from
her “big brother–in–law” and would always
vent to him when she was upset, always so
blatant about it.
She was dependent on him, idolized him. The
way she looked at him was… intense.
Watching them grow closer, I spoke up, trying
to put a stop to it.
く
But they both denied it, like they had a secret
pact.
Then Tom, to show his loyalty, proposed to
- me.
I wanted my own family so badly. After
everything, I still had feelings for him, so I
said yes.
But on my wedding day, Polly showed up.
