Chapter 3

3

My grandmother had left me a small cottage before she passed away.

I had been working part-time jobs for years, saving every penny in a secret account.

For the first time in my life, I had peace.

That peace lasted until I was coming home from the local grocery store one afternoon.

My parents were standing on my porch, their faces twisted in anger.

My father let out a cold snort the moment he saw me.

"You've really got some nerve, Elara! Blocking us and moving out without a word? What are you playing at?"

"We spent a little extra time with your sister, and you throw a tantrum like a spoiled brat! You are so selfish!"

They hadn't seen me in weeks. They didn't ask about my heart or if I was okay.

There was no apology for leaving me at the hospital.

Only accusations. Only the same old script where I was the villain.

My surgical scar throbbed under my shirt. I took a sharp breath.

"Is there anything else you want?"

They expected me to scream. They expected me to cry and complain about how unfair they were.

But my flat, emotionless tone caught them off guard.

It was as if all the old wounds had finally turned to numb scar tissue.

We were nothing more than strangers standing on a porch.

My mother's face flickered with a brief moment of panic before she smoothed it over.

"Don't use those mind games with me. Cora's semester starts soon, and she wants us all to drop her off at college."

"You owe her so much. Are you really going to deny her this one small wish?"

I owe her?

I almost burst out laughing. She stole my grades, my spot at Stanford, and my spot in this family.

I had lived on eggshells for years because of her, and now I owed her an apology?

She was lucky I hadn't filed a police report for identity theft yet.

I looked at my parents, seeing them clearly for the first time―two people who only cared about their own comfort.

In the past, no matter how much they hurt me, a tiny bit of kindness from them would make me forgive everything.

They thought they could just say a few half-hearted words and I'd crawl back.

They wanted me back because they were afraid Cora would be exposed if I wasn't there to play the 'troubled sister' role.

I didn't give them another glance as I stepped past them to my door.

"Sorry, but my own prep school classes start this week. I don't have time to attend a stranger's orientation."

When I tried to go inside, my mother grabbed my wrist, her grip tight.

"How can you be so heartless? You're smart anyway, missing a few days won't kill you!"

"We are your parents! Blood is thicker than water, Elara!"

The same old guilt trip. The same old pressure.

But this time, I wasn't bending. I yanked my arm back and shook my head.

"Where was that blood when I was waiting for surgery alone?"

"Where were you when I collapsed in the rain and woke up in a hospital bed with no one there?"

"Why didn't you send a single text to see if I was alive?"

They stood there, speechless. They looked at each other, unable to find a lie good enough to cover the truth.

I gave them a small, chilling smile.

"Please don't come back. From now on, you only have one daughter, and her name is Cora."

My mother tried to chase after me, but I slammed the door and locked it.

I was like a kite that had finally cut its string. I was gone.