“Bethany is last in the entire grade. She’s
single–handedly pulling down our class average.
This is an advanced class. If Bethany is going
to stay, you need to focus on her academics.
And you, as her parent, need to set a better
example. Don’t let her focus on frivolous things
like you do. If her grades don’t improve by the
final exams, I’ll have to recommend that she be
transferred.”
My mom’s face burned with shame. Bethany’s
nead was practically buried in ner lap, shrinking
from my mom’s furious glare. My mom had
spent a fortune on tutors and extra classes,
trying to get Bethany up to speed. Yet, her
grades had only worsened.
In my past life, my mom would have argued with
the teacher. But now, with my dad and
Grandma present, she didn’t dare.
Unlike their grand entrance, their exit was hasty
and subdued. As soon as the conference ended,
they scurried out of the classroom. We followed
them home. It was time for my mom to explain
where this other “daughter” had come from.
The atmosphere in the living room was thick
with tension. My dad and Grandma sat with
grim expressions, neither speaking. Bethany
cowered behind my mom, trembling.
Sensing the danger, my mom forced a smile
and began her lies. “Honey, I know you and
Mom are angry I didn’t intentionally skin
2008
<
Mom are angry. I didn’t intentionally skip
Melissa’s conference. She’s the Miller heiress;
she has plenty of people to attend with her. But
Bethany’s all alone here, with no one to rely on.
I feel responsible for her. Don’t you agree?”
“So you decided to tell everyone that my
Melissa is the daughter of a housekeeper and a
driver?” Grandma’s voice was laced with fury.
She jabbed her cane towards my mom. “Did you
think we didn’t hear you outside? Did you think
we were fools?”
“If we hadn’t arrived, you and your little brat
would have humiliated my Melissa!”
“I didn’t, –” My mom panicked, scrambling for
an excuse.
I cut her off. “Grandma, in a way, she wasn’t
lying.” I looked at Bethany sideways. It was time
to reveal the truth.
“Melissa what are you saying?” Grandma
<
“Melissa, what are you saying?” Grandma
asked, bewildered.
“I said, in a way, she wasn’t lying. Grandma,
Dad, Bethany might actually be my… sister, in a
manner of speaking.”
I took out a DNA report from my bag and
placed it on the table.
Grandma’s hands trembled as she read it. When
she reached the part confirming a biological
relationship, her eyes flashed with rage.
“Carol Evans! You have some nerve!”
She threw the report at my mom’s feet. My
mom scrambled to pick it up, her face paling as
she saw the exposed secret.
“No, this isn’t true. It’s fake! This report is
forged!” She tore the report to shreds,
desperately trying to deny reality.
<
“You ungrateful wretch! I raised you for years,
and now you’re turning against your own
mother! Just because I showed Bethany a little
more affection, you’re trying to destroy me with
these lies! What’s your motive?”
“Enough.” I was tired of this charade. Even now,
she refused to see the truth.
“Why bother? I know you’re not my real mother.
And deep down, you know how you’ve treated
me all these years.”
In my past life, when I was at my weakest,
tortured and near death in the mental hospital,
my mom had visited me one last time. She’d
revealed everything: that she wasn’t my mother,
that my real mother was my father’s true love,
that she’d gotten pregnant by my dad
intentionally, shown my pregnant mother
fabricated photos to induce early labor, leading
to her death after my birth, that Bethany was
her daughter from a previous relationship,
<
“How… when did you find out?” My mom’s
voice was barely a whisper, her eyes wide with
fear and disbelief.
“No mother would treat her daughter the way
you treated me,” I said calmly. “I have a loving
father and grandmother. I knew my real mother
wouldn’t have been so… indifferent.”
I stood up, turned, and left the room. The rest
wasn’t my concern.
I wanted revenge for my mother, but my mom’s
actions had been too carefully concealed.
Accusing her directly would only raise
suspicions. It was better for my dad to uncover
the truth himself.
Then, I would make my move.
My dad acted swiftly. No divorce. He had her
committed to a “sanatorium.” He’d offered her
a deal: a divorce, a clean break, and he’d let
even resorting to contacting my dad’s enemies
and plotting to kidnap me. But my dad found
out, and everyone involved was dealt with.
He asked for my opinion. I feigned
consideration, then said, “She seems to have
lost her mind. Given your history, your priority
should be getting her treatment.”
He understood. A messy divorce would damage
the company. Since she was so reluctant to let
go, he’d keep her. A “mental breakdown” was a
convenient cover story. He committed her to a
private facility owned by the Miller family. No
scandal, no financial repercussions.
A year later, I had her transferred to a
psychiatric hospital abroad. To prevent her from
ever escaping, to avenge my mother and
myself, I had her lobotomized. She lived, but as
an empty shell, devoid of personality and
awareness. A fate worse than death.
didn’t spare Bethany either. I sent her to the same facility, as an orderly. She would care for my mom for the rest of their lives. Wasn’t their mother–daughter bond so strong? A daughter should take care of her mother.
As for me, I visited my mother’s grave with my dad. I gazed at the woman in the photograph, her gentle eyes so much like mine. Tears streamed down my face.
If she were alive, I thought, I wouldn’t have
suffered so much.
I would have been the happiest girl in the world.
