Butterfly with broken wings Ch 3

Butterfly with broken wings Ch 3

Mom, calm down, maybe Jess just got mixed 

it was just a mistake don’t get worked 

Mike gave me a look

Mom hesitated, but her angry, suspicious 

expression made my heart drop

I nodded

Mom sat down to comfort Beth

Mike took me out of the room

I wanted to thank him, but he handed me

photo

In the photo was a balding man with

potbelly, sitting in a BMW and trying to look 

cultured

He showed off his gold teeth for the camera

Mike made it pretty clear what he wanted

Jess, you aren’t getting any younger, your 

brother isn’t rushing you, but you should start 

planning things out.” 

I’ve taken care of everything for you.” 

Mr. Thompson has seen your picture and 

loves it.” 

If you’re with him, you’ll live good for the 

rest of your life.” 

I knew the man in the photo

He was a big shot businessman in town

I remembered he was a married man

Mike’s expression went sour

What do you know? You’re lucky he likes. 

you. A big shot like that.” 

We can’t marry into a family like that, but 

you are lucky if he takes you.” 

He softened his voice when he saw I wasn’t 

happy

Your brother is in a tough spot with his 

business, and if you go, we’ll have money. It’s 

like helping your brother, okay?” 

I wanted love

But before… 

Laboyed the photo in my pocket and dodged 

く 

the question

Give me some time to think about it.” 

Mike told me to hurry up, and I nodded

When he left, I took the photo out of my 

pocket and threw it in the trash

Years ago, I took Ben home for Christmas

We had been in love for six years

He never cared that my family was dirt poor

He loved me with all his heart

Our parents met, the deal was sealed

Dad grinned like a maniac when he got the 

dowry, shoving drinks in Ben’s hand

Amidst the drunken chatter, Beth called me 

from her room

She said she wanted to meet her future 

brotherinlaw

Ben was flushed and slurring, so I told him to 

sneak into Beth’s room to avoid Dad

I’d handle Dad

Ben smiled at me, his face red

I’m so lucky to be marrying you.” 

I smiled and nudged him towards the room

I stayed in the living room and took care of 

Dad

Mom helped Dad back to his room, and

cleaned up the mess

Then I heard a scream from Beth’s room

I ran in, and the sight made my blood run 

cold

Beth was on the floor, halfnaked

Ben was in bed wearing nothing but his 

boxers

He blinked at the sound, groggy

Dad and Mom heard the noise and rushed in

Dad sobered up fast and punched Ben

bloodying his nose

I protected Ben and screamed, There’s gotta 

be a mistake! Ben wouldn’t do that.” 

Beth was sobbing

He, he started ripping my clothes off and 

kissing me.” 

Ben scrambled to get dressed, denying 

everything

I didn’t! I didn’t do it!” 

Dad was furious

Your sister’s a cripple! How could a grown

man’s pants be ripped by her? I can’t believe 

this is happening! We don’t need trash like 

く 

that in our family.” 

I was about to say something to defend Ben

but I looked at Beth’s skinny legs

Dad was right

Beth couldn’t have done it, so it must’ve been 

Ben

But how important was the truth, really

The wedding was off

Dad returned half the dowry, claiming the rest 

as compensation for emotional damage

Two months later, Ben texted me that he was 

moving to a new city

く 

I cried and held onto him as he got on the 

bus

He sighed and stroked my hair

He said, Jess, believe me or not, I swear,

never did anything like that to your sister.” 

Thinking back, it all made sense

I asked a friend in the city to get me a hidden 

camera

I had to catch the actress redhanded

I waited until Mom was out and installed the 

camera in the living room

Even though I dropped out of school early,

the waiting so 

knew how to play the waiting game

A few days later, I got a clear recording

Beth checked to make sure nobody was 

home

Then she walked into the living room, sat on 

the couch, crossed her legs, and watched TV

I waited until the whole family was home to 

show the recording

Mom, Dad, Mike, and Sarah were silent

Beth lay in bed, looking at Dad with a ghostly 

face

Dad asked, Who said you could put

camera in the house? What do you think this 

is? A prison? Is that what you think of your 

sister? A criminal?” 

Dad was trying to blame me first

I yelled, Sixteen years! I’ve taken care of her 

for sixteen years! What else do you want

Every day, every minute, I felt guilty and took 

care of her, trying to make up for her life.” 

Without this recording, how would I know 

that I was the one who deserved to be made 

up to?” 

I’m thirtysix! She ruined my life!” 

Mom threw her glass on the floor, stood up

and slapped me

That’s your sister! Even if she wasn’t 

disabled, you should be taking care of her!” 

I covered my face

I thought this was funny at that moment

I asked, “Why? Why did you hit me when 

Mike messed up? Why did you hit me when 

Beth messed up?” 

Ever since Beth was paralyzed, you haven’t 

even looked at me. But now you know she’s 

faking, you’re still on her side. Why?” 

Am I not your child?” 

I gave Mom a look, and she stopped

Her expression changed

Suddenly, Beth ran into the wall

Mike noticed and pulled her away, but she 

still hit the wall hard, and blood started 

pouring from her head

Beth struggled and laughed with blood all 

over her face

Jess, you want me dead! I’ll just die then!” 

Everything was chaotic, screams, blood, and 

arguments

Dad slammed his fist on the bed

Enough!” 

He took a cigarette out and put it in his 

mouth

We’re going to let this slide.” 

Dad!I said

Are you not going to listen to me!He 

looked me straight in the eyes

It can’t be let slide!I stood up to him

What about my sixteen years? My marriage

Who’s paying for that?” 

You want your sister to pay you with her 

life?Mom said as she grabbed Beth. You 

are too good to be true

You’re lucky we gave you food and a home

How dare you talk back to your mother and 

father.” 

I thought they would stand up for me

Mike and Sarah were comforting Beth, and 

Mom and Dad stood in front of me to protect 

Beth

I was the enemy in this family

Beth was still yelling about how she wanted 

to die

Dad hugged her for a few moments and 

stood up and dragged me into the attic

Stay up here until you’ve changed your mind 

and don’t cause problems for your sister.” 

I scratched at the walls

Why

Why did she get everyone’s pity after lying for 

sixteen years

Why? 

Why do I have to be treated like this just 

because I’m your daughter

I was locked up, and Mom didn’t give me 

food

Sarah came to my room late at night with 

some rice soup

I watched her closely, she was a beautiful 

woman with her hair pulled back

She smiled sadly and rolled up ber sleeves to 

show me the marks on her arms

She said Mike beat her when he was drunk

new bruises, old bruises

She wanted a divorce, but Mike said he’d kill 

her whole family if she did

She said this family was past saving

I wanted out, and so did she

She asked if we could work together

He’s my brother, blood is thicker than 

water.” 

Sarah laughed

Do you really think he’s your brother? Do you 

think your parents are really your parents?” 

I frowned

What do you mean?” 

She took a paper out of her pocket and said

should take a look

I sat down and read from start to finish with 

the dim light

I sat on the floor and cried until there were no 

more tears

I was never their daughter

This was a DNA test, showing that I was not 

related to my Mom or Dad

All the unfairness made sense

I was a bastard

Sarah hugged me, and we both sat against 

the wall in silence

When I stopped crying, I asked, What’s your 

plan?” 

Chapter Two 

She gave me a sugary smile

Sarah must have told Mike that I was down to 

chat with the big shot

Mike was ecstatic

He spilled the beans to Mom

く 

Mom’s eyes lit up at the thought of money

She looked at me like I was a gold brick

The next day, Mom tried to be nice, let me 

out of the attic, and cooked a real meal

I ate with my head down

Beth sat across from me, looking lively as she 

grabbed for the best pieces

Mom saw my face

She quickly added, We took Beth to the 

doctor. He said she has a conversion 

disorder. Lying in bed for so long, her brain 

thinks she’s really paralyzed.” 

Someone who thinks they’re paralyzed 

wouldn’t sneak into the kitchen to pig out on 

peanuts when nobody’s around

I ladled a bowl of soup and put it in front of 

Mom

I smiled, but it didn’t reach my eyes

It’s okay, we’re family. I’m not going to hold 

a grudge against my own sister.” 

But this time, Beth was going to pay the 

price

Mike gave me the guy’s contact info

I chatted with him, but I didn’t put much effort

into it

Mike thought things were going well, so he 

started being nicer to me

Mom and Dad did too

Seeing them so eager, it made me sick

If they couldn’t make money off me, I’d be 

treated worse than Digger

Sarah gave me a ticket

She wanted me to slip it to Aunt Carol, who 

was always mooching off us

When Aunt Carol showed up, I put the ticket 

on the table, right where she’d see it

Her eyes darted around like a hummingbird

She asked what kind of ticket it was

く 

I shrugged and said, They’re saying some 

hotshot is coming to town, giving a talk on 

how to get rich.” 

Butterfly with broken wings

Butterfly with broken wings

Status: Ongoing

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