Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I remember a specific day when I was six. I called Eleanor for help because I couldn't control Lyla. She just hung up and told me I was useless for not handling such a small thing.

It was pouring rain. Lyla ran out into the storm. By the time I chased her, she was gone.

As a six-year-old, I tried to call my parents again, but they ignored me.

I didn't find Lyla until the next day. She had been wandering in the cold all night and had a high fever.

Eleanor kicked me as soon as she saw me. She called me a dog. She said raising a dog was better than raising me, because at least a dog could watch the house.

Robert grabbed my head and forced me to look at my sick sister.

"You're just jealous of Lyla! You've always said you didn't want a sister because she's noisy. You monster! How could you do this to her?"

They didn't even ask what happened. they just decided I was guilty. They thought I let her out on purpose so she would disappear forever.

Young Lennox didn't understand what she did wrong. I just hid in the corner, holding my bruises and crying.

No one cared that I was also shivering from the cold. They didn't love me, yet they were the ones who brought me into this world.

Lyla noticed the shift in the atmosphere and lowered her head.

"Mom, Lennox just didn't want to share your love. It's not her fault. It's mine. I shouldn't have been born."

She barely remembered that night, but she knew exactly what to say to trigger Eleanor's guilt and her hatred for me.

Robert kicked the table in frustration. He used to kick me like that all the time. It was a habit for him.

Eleanor reached out and stroked Lyla's hair.

"Our Lyla is so good. Don't worry about that beast. She does these horrible things and then has the nerve to throw a tantrum. She's been bullying you for years. Look at the scars on your body. She caused all of them."

Those words felt like a knife to my soul.

Lyla's skin was perfect. If you looked really closely, you might see a tiny scar on her wrist. But me? My body was covered in scars from being hit with belts and burned with hot water.

Love really does make people blind. They only see what they want to see.

Suddenly, Eleanor's phone rang. She jumped and answered it with a snarl.

"What now? Don't you know I'm―"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. The hostage, Lennox Miller, has been killed. We did everything we could. We need you to come to the morgue to identify the body."

Eleanor froze for a few seconds. She checked the caller ID to make sure it wasn't a prank. Then, she let out a loud, hysterical laugh.

"Seriously? Is this another one of Lennox's games? What, she got rescued and immediately started acting? Or are the kidnappers her friends? What is she trying to gain? To stop Lyla's promotion? Tell her she's dreaming..."

Eleanor screamed curses until the officer on the other end hung up.

Lyla's eyes turned red. she stood up as if she were going to leave.

"Mom, Lennox must hate me so much to pull a stunt like this. I'm a failure. I should just die."

She made a move toward the 17th-floor window. Eleanor grabbed her and screamed.

"Lyla! I know you're kind and responsible, but don't throw your life away for that beast!"

Calling me a beast over and over. My mind went blank from the pain.

Nurses and doctors in the hallway stopped to watch. Eleanor didn't care about the scene she was making.

"It's a curse! I raised a snake who bullies her sister every day. I should have smothered her when she was born!"

Eleanor's crying was loud and dramatic. A crowd gathered. I heard people whispering about how awful I was. They said any parent would be miserable with a child like me.

But I was the victim. I was the one who was kidnapped. I was the one used as a practice dummy for my sister's career. What did I do wrong?

A wave of despair hit me. I curled up on the hospital floor and sobbed.

Once Eleanor saw she had the crowd's sympathy, she took Lyla's hand and showed everyone her tiny scratch.

A doctor quickly treated the minor wound, and the drama ended.

When they left the hospital, Lyla was still sniffing. Robert was smoking angrily.

They didn't say a word until they got home. Then, they walked into my room. They found my most precious photo―a picture of the three of us before Lyla was born.

In the photo, Eleanor was holding me and smiling. Robert wasn't smiling, but he looked at me with love.

Back then, before my sister existed, their love for me was real.

"No, please don't!" I screamed, trying to block them. But my ghostly hands passed right through Eleanor's body.

She coldly took out a lighter. The flame swallowed the last proof that my parents ever loved me.

Now, there was nothing left. They belonged entirely to Lyla.

I sat in the corner, defeated. I watched them cook a nice meal for her.

Lyla sat on the couch like a queen, giving orders.

Everything seemed perfect for them. It was as if the world was better without me.

Suddenly, there was a frantic knocking at the door. Eleanor ran to open it, thinking it was me coming home to beg for forgiveness.

"I told you it didn't matter who did the negotiating! You're finally back, huh? Don't you ever―"

The words died in her throat. She stared at the police officers, her body instinctively blocking Lyla.

She thought they were there to get Lyla in trouble for the failed negotiation.

The officers looked at each other and bowed their heads.

"We are so sorry. Right after you left the scene, the kidnapper killed Lennox Miller. We failed to protect the hostage. Please, accept our deepest condolences."

The officer speaking looked heartbroken. He was genuinely sad for me. He also looked a bit angry.

That negotiation could have saved my life. But Eleanor had insisted on letting Lyla take over.

The police had begged her to reconsider. They told her a life was on the line.

But she had shut them up by saying, "She's my daughter. If I'm not worried, why are you?"

Are you happy now, Mom?

I looked at her. She stood perfectly still for a long time. Then, she spoke like a robot.

"She's dead? She's really dead? That's impossible."

She suddenly grabbed the officer's sleeve, tears streaming down her face.

"How could she be dead? There were so many of you there! You're lying! You're all liars!"