Chapter9
“I’m off to my room,” I said, and then I did, locking the door behind me for some peace.
My personality has changed, I wasn’t always this shy. I fought back once.
There was this one time when I pulled Ashley aside, and even though I barely tugged, she hit the desk and started crying.
Just for that, my mom slapped me and made me apologize. She didn’t even give me a chance to explain what happened.
That time, I tried to stand my ground with a hunger strike, and even left home, hoping they’d miss me.
I waited for them at our usual park all day, but they never came.
When I finally returned, hungry and shivering, they were all snug in the living room, chuckling at the TV. The coffee table was a feast of snacks.
It was enough to make anyone snap.
I lost it, crushed the snacks under my feet, and got a beating for my outburst. After that, they punished me by taking away my lunch money, and forbid me to go out and play with my friends.
Who got out to play with them? Ashley did, and they all loved. her.
They said they weren’t playing favorites, but all they cared about
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was that Ashley lost her parents. Did they ever think about how her arrival affected me?
It was really sad. In my previous life, I tried to fight and please them, but even when I jumped off the rooftop, they didn’t care.
My folks had all their love reserved for their adopted girl, Ashley.
She was a golden child.
They wouldn’t miss me even if I wasn’t around.
So starting that day, I became the invisible one at home, only existing to go to school and do my homework.
At dinner, all the attention was on Ashley.
The dinner table, once filled with my favorite dishes, now only had what she liked.
It was the same old story. Ashley got all the new toys and the best snacks, and I was left with whatever she didn’t want.
In their eyes, Ashley seemed like someone who was always willing to help, sweet and caring.
They’d paid a fortune on a fancy notebook for Ashley, but when I asked for a doll, they’d tell me to take one that Ashley didn’t want from her collection.
Then I ended up with a doll Ashley didn’t want, but my folks never batted an eye.
They always favored Ashley. If I didn’t treat Ashley like a princess, I would be the black sheep. In my previous life, it ruined my childhood, but I wasn’t going to let it affect me
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anymore.
Once Christmas was over, I would throw myself into studying, aiming for a top university. People might pick their favorites, but the future I was working hard for? That was all mine.
On Christmas Eve, Mom and Dad surprised us with two dresses.
As I was heading downstairs, Ashley waved the dresses at me. “Grace, which one do you prefer?
This was another act from her, because in my previous life and in this one, we never got along, so I just shrugged.
In the past, to punish me, my parents only bought new clothes for Ashley, leaving me with the most used and worn down clothes, becoming a joke throughout the school year. But this time, I nonchalantly chose one of the dresses.
Ashley flashed a sad look and said, “If you like it, I’ll gladly give it to you.”
I couldn’t stifle my annoyance at her act.
However, my parents knew Ashley had her eye on the dress I’d chosen.
My mom then took the dress away from me and held it up to Ashley. “Grace, you’re the elder sister. You should let Ashley have it. Let’s see the dress on her, shall we?”
The more my mom looked at it, the happier she got. My dad and brother joined in, all pushing Ashley to change into the dress.
Ashley nestled against my mom, her voice barely a whisper. “Mom, Grace isn’t too fond of me. Maybe I should return the
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dress to her.”
My brother’s protective instincts kicked in, questioning Ashley if I had bullied her.
Ashley shook her head timidly, her eyes wide with fear, making me look bad.
Seeing that, Mom turned on me, “Grace, didn’t I tell you to be nice to Ashley?
“You’re being so thoughtless. Look at how you’ve scared her. The new dresses are no longer an option for you. They’re both Ashley’s now.“”
No matter how many times I relived my life, that dress was always just beyond my grasp.
I thought, after everything I had been through, I would be immune to this kind of injustice by now.
Yet, the sting of my mom’s distrust cut deep.
“Suit yourselves,” I muttered, retreating upstairs to shield my tears from their view.
I was their flesh and blood, but why did it always end up being my fault when Ashley cried?
My dad’s voice boomed from downstairs. “Grace, march down. here and apologize to your mom! Who gave you the right to talk like that?”
My brother climbed onto the balcony, grabbing my wrist trying to pull me out. “You’re acting so selfish. Can’t you embrace Ashley like we did? She’s lost her family, and we’re all she has.”
His grip on my wrist hurt so deep probably because he’d forgotten his own promise to protect me.
To end the argument, my dad sent him to take Ashley to watch the fireworks.
With a final glare, my brother stormed off, the door crashing shut behind him.
Their joyous fireworks display unfolded outside, a picture of familial bliss.
Upstairs, I was the silent observer.
Was this the family who had vowed to be fair and just?
