I merely stood still, feeling my body grow colder, inch by agonizing inch, unsure if it was from the blood loss or the pain in my heart. I had relied on my own efforts to leave that mountain village in the countryside and make it to the city.
Before I came here, I had thought that Karen would welcome me with open arms. I had hoped my academic performance might elicit even a trace of their affection. I had put aside the fact that they had left me in that far-off countryside, where I had to get up at 4:00 am daily to feed the pigs, trek three hours through the mountains to get to school, and had almost died from malnutrition.
I never held any of that against them. I always thought that I was somehow at fault and that if I just behaved better and achieved more in my life, they would eventually accept me into the family. Yet, no matter what my actions were, they would always view me as the inherently flawed one.
I remembered when I was first sent to that mountain village, Tina didn't go as Tina Johnson. She was known as Tina White. She was the cherished only daughter of the White family, the ones who sheltered me back then.
I initially believed that I was just staying in the countryside for a little while, but then I realized that my parents never intended to bring me back with them. They planned to leave me in that mountain village, where school was a grueling three-hour walk away.
The day I arrived in the mountain village, Tina beckoned me to the pond, telling me that only by retrieving the most stunning iris in the pond would my mother recognize my feelings for her and, consequently, reciprocate my affection.
I never sensed any ill intent from her. I simply slipped off my shoes and waded in. Yet, for some unknown reason, Tina joined me in the water as well. She then started to drown, gripping my waist relentlessly, which destabilized me. I ultimately lost consciousness from her relentless dragging.
Upon regaining consciousness, I found Tina lying weakly in my mother's embrace, saying things that made no sense to me. "You shouldn't blame Kiara. I only tried to pull her to safety, but she kept pushing me away…"
I wanted to tell them what really happened, but I was too weak even to utter a single word at that moment. In the end, I could only watch helplessly as my parents held Tina close and departed for home.
I could only watch as they condemned me, saying, "You're truly bad to the bone! You're actually plotting Tina's demise just because I complimented her for being cute."
"I should have smothered her the moment she was born!"
In the end, Tina was taken to the city to live a life of comfort and privilege, while I was left behind in the countryside.
The White family then abandoned their facade when my parents left. They routinely withheld my allowance, denied me sufficient food, and compelled me to toil every day.
However, no one else would intervene on my behalf. It was all because everyone viewed me as a wicked child, all thanks to Tina's drowning incident. Their perception was then cemented by the fact that even my biological parents had disowned me.
Just before she stepped into the luxurious car bound for the city, Tina turned to me. She stuck out her tongue in a mocking gesture. "I'm off to enjoy the fortunate life that was meant for you, Kiara."
Tina's utterance was barely audible, intended for my ears alone. Yet, its implications were immense enough to irrevocably change my entire life's trajectory.
I looked at my parents and Liam, who regarded me as if I were a plague, and at Tina, who was still feigning tears. I felt every ounce of my strength deserting me as I clutched my bag. I then swallowed the metallic taste in my throat and faced them, stating, "I'll leave. But before I do, I want us to formally sever all our ties as family."
