If they couldn’t bear to part with Erica, I would try to accept her. If she liked Lucient, I’ll step aside---I’ll give him willingly. As long as I still had my parents and my brother that was enough for me. I dreamed of going to the amusement park with my mom and dad and walking back to school with my brother, proudly telling everyone I wasn’t some unwanted child with no family.
I wanted to fall into my mom’s arms and act like Erica, the way she would cling to her. Maybe Mom would pinch my cheeks and tell me how pretty and adorable I was, just like she did for Erica.
“It’s okay, Mom. I don't---”
I couldn't stop myself from reaching out, one step at a time, towards her. But before I could hug her, a slap landed on my cheek.
I stopped in my tracks. My ears rang. My head was spinning. The world seemed to move away in slow motion.
“Where did you get this fake medical report? Who was the doctor who gave this out, don't you know that this is against the law? I can't believe you are so cunning!”
Mom's muffled voice slowly reached my ears. She seemed to be speaking from far away even though I was less than a foot away from her. Coupled with the agonizing ringing, I could barely catch a single word she said.
“What? I can't hear you, Mom. Can you come closer?”
“I raised Erica with my own sweat and blood. Don’t you think I know what kind of person she is? A girl who cries if she accidentally steps on an ant is supposed to have schemed to hide your cancer? Is that what you expect me to believe?”
“Erica has been feeling guilty and trying to make up for everything, since you came. But look at you—scheming, tricking her, playing the victim when it was your lies that got exposed! You’re really have the nerve playing with fire!”
I stood frozen, my face burning with the weight of their accusations. The pieces of my medical report, torn and crushed, felt like a silent mockery. Erica’s feigned guilt, her insecure little act, had turned into a symbol of her victory.
“Mom, I didn’t—” I tried to explain, but my voice was so weak it was barely a whisper.
“Get out! I don’t have a daughter like you!”
My mother’s roar shattered the air. Dad and Everett stared at me with disappointed eyes, as if I were nothing but a criminal in their eyes. I shook my head, tears blurring my vision. I couldn’t understand it—why didn’t they believe me?
Erica knelt beside me, her voice soft but laced with venom. “See? You’ll never be better than me. No matter what you do, they'll only hate you more.”
“Erica, stay away from her,” Everett snapped. “From now on, I don’t ever want to see her set foot in this house again!”
With trembling legs, I forced myself to stand up and staggered towards the door. But it seemed Erica wasn't done with me yet.
She suddenly pulled out a piece of paper and exclaimed, “Oh, what's this?”
“Evangeline!” Her eyes widened in fake shock. “Why do you have this? Equity agreement letter. You can’t be… Are you pretending to have stomach cancer so you can scoop up our entire family fortune?”
The moment those words dropped, she hurriedly covered her mouth and acting like it was something she shouldn't have said. Her calculated hesitation unleashed a storm of fury against me.
Everyone turned to glare at me with hatred.
“No wonder you insist on proofing you have stomach cancer. Turns out you're just greedy and want to swindle our family's fortune!” Mom fumed, disappointment in her eyes.
“Who put you up to this? You’d better explain yourself, or don’t even think about coming back here!” Dad’s face turned ashen.
“What is wrong with you? We went out of our way to bring you back, gave you the title of DuPont heiress and you still aren’t satisfied? Now you’re conspiring with outsiders to hurt your own family. Shame on you!” Everett gritted his teeth, his rage palpable. He kicked me hard in the knee.
The sickening snap of my knee joint was enough to make me scream out in agony.
Erica, standing smugly off to the side, pretended to be the voice of reason. “Maybe Evangeline didn’t mean to. She’s young and probably doesn’t understand how the world works. If you throw her out, someone might take advantage of her.” Her words were like pouring gasoline on a fire, stoking the flames of fury.
“Take her upstairs and lock her in the attic. She’s not coming out until she explains herself.”
“No! Please! I don’t know anything! It’s not mine.” I begged them in desperation, clutching my injured legs as they dragged me. I remember the doctor said I only have one month to live and I beg harder.
“Please, please, don’t lock me in the attic! I'll die.”
