- 11.
Two years flew by. I was about to graduate
high school. To escape the Evans family
completely, I decided to study medicine
abroad. My excellent grades earned me a full
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My family only learned of my plans when the
acceptance letter arrived. I expected the
usual accusations of making decisions
without consulting them. Instead, their
attitude had completely changed. They were
suddenly solicitous, praising me for being so
independent.
It turned out that Lily’s medical expenses,
tutoring, and the “donations” required for her
admission to a prestigious high school had
drained the family’s finances. Learning about
my investments with the principal, they had
the audacity to ask me, their underage
daughter, for money.
I looked at David, who had been living off my
parents since graduating from a mediocre
college. “If you’re short on money, why
doesn’t David get a job?”
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Lily rushed to defend him. “David’s been
taking care of me… He turned down several
job offers because of me…” She had dropped
the “brother” act. It seemed that without my
interference, their relationship had blossomed
earlier.
I pulled out a bank card. Since my rebirth, I
had kept track of every penny they had spent
on me, including the money I had intended for
their retirement. It was all on this card.
“Mom, Dad,” I said, “let’s be clear. This is for
your retirement. If you give a single cent to
Lily, consider me disowned.”
The atmosphere turned icy. Lily buried her
face in David’s chest, feigning distress.
ם
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My father swept the card to the floor,
stomping on it. He pointed at me, shouting, “Then get out! We don’t need a heartless
child like you in this family!”
I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed the notarized
document I’d prepared, the one severing all
legal and financial ties, and left. I could hear
Lily and my mother sobbing as I walked away,
as if I were the one responsible for their
misery.
I paused at the doorway, my gaze sweeping
over their faces. “Heartless?” I asked. “Have
you noticed that ever since Lily arrived, I’ve
disappeared from all our family photos?”
My parents looked at the framed photo on the
wall, their arms around Lily and David, their
faces bezmina. There was no room for me in
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faces beaming. There was no room for me in
the picture, just as there was no room for me
in their lives.
Exhausted, I returned to my dorm. Every
interaction with the Evans family left me
drained. To my surprise, Ryan was waiting
outside.
He jumped up, then froze, fidgeting nervously.
Finally, he held up his own acceptance letter. “Ashley,” he mumbled, “let’s go abroad
together.”
