- 2.
That night, my parents had me share a room
with Lily. I lay awake, pretending to sleep, my
mind racing, planning how I could become
independent and leave this house. My past
life had taught me that from the moment Lily
entered our family, my parents and brother
became hers and hers alone.
Later that night, Lily tiptoed out of bed. I
watched through narrowed eyes as she
walked straight to my parents‘ room.
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“Mommy… Daddy… It’s so dark… My eyes
hurt… I’m scared…” she whimpered.
My parents, blinded by sympathy, didn’t stop
to consider how Lily, in such unfamiliar
surroundings and with impaired vision, could
have navigated to their room in the dark while
experiencing an episode with her eyes. They
simply held her close, their own eyes
brimming with tears.
“Don’t be afraid, Lily. Mommy and Daddy are
here.”
Lily trembled, burrowing into my mother’s
arms, acting terrified. “Mommy… Daddy…
Can I really stay here? Ashley… she…”
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My heart sank. The next moment, my father
stormed into our room and yanked me out of
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“What did you say to Lily?! How could you be
so insensitive? She’s sick and she’s been
through so much! Can’t you just be nice to
her?!”
“Honey, calm down,” my mother pleaded,
though she continued to cradle Lily, making
no move to comfort me. “Ashley’s still young.
She’ll learn.”
They took Lily back to their room, leaving me
standing outside in my thin pajamas. My
mother used to check on me every night,
tucking me in before leaving. Now, they
seemed to have forgotten I was just a seven-
year–old child, also afraid of the dark and the
cold, and desperately needing their love.
In my past life, Lily had pulled these stunts
frequently. She would feign an eye episode,
then, while my parents were consumed with
sympathy, fabricate stories to make me look
bad.
As a child, I gradually became aware of the
threat. Since Lily’s arrival, I had transformed
in my parents‘ eyes from their sweet, loving
daughter into a “bad girl.” I started
competing with Lily, wanting everything she
had. Lily, however, was a master of playing
the victim, always appearing gentle, timid,
and yielding. This only made my parents feel
even more indebted to her.
I fought with Lily my whole life, but I never
won. Even David, my brother who used to
adore me, fell under her spell. Everyone in the
art world knew the Evans family had two
daughters: the sweet, fragile, artistic genius,
Lily Evans, and the spoiled, jealous, talentless
Ashley Evans.
This time, I decided not to compete. I would
live the life I truly wanted.
