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I followed Nina and my mother to the bedroom.
My mother spoke in a low, serious voice, “Your father and I dealt with that girl last night.”
I sighed in frustration. They were a little too late.
Nina wasn’t happy with my mother’s expression. “What’s with that look? Are you regretting it, feeling sorry for her?”
My eyes lit up as I stared at them, eager to hear more.
My mother gently tapped Nina’s forehead and gave her a half–hearted scolding. “You little ingrate. The only person I care about is you!”
I couldn’t help but float closer. “Mom, aren’t I your daughter too? Didn’t you carry me for nine months? Why did you help Nina overpower me?”
“All these years, I’ve listened to you, staying in that small town, minding my own business. If you asked, I would’ve gone back without a fight.”
I never dared to hope for the same love she gave Nina. But for the sake of ensuring Nina’s perfect life, she chose to erase me completely.
She held me down so her other daughter could take my place. The memory of my mother visiting me once as a child blended painfully with the image of her pulling Nina away from my blood–soaked body, careful not to let my
blood stain her hands.
But I would never get an answer.
A
Nina smiled, satisfied with the response. “Good. Make sure to scatter her remains bit by bit, somewhere far away.
My mother hesitated for a moment before adding, “There’s one thing… she was pregnant. And it was twins.”
I felt my spirit sway as I stood there, staring at them in disbelief.
Though I had been taking birth control, deep down, I had always wanted a
child.
Earlier this year, Grandma Dawson was growing weak. I rushed to the small–town hospital to see her.
She lay in bed, holding my hand, worry in her eyes. “Sarah, my sweet Sarah. What will you do when I’m gone?”
I held back tears and forced a smile. “Don’t worry, Grandma. Liam’s been treating me much better lately.”
With her last bit of strength, she raised her hand, and I leaned in close.
“Sarah, try to have a child as soon as you can. Boy or girl, it doesn’t matter
-someone to keep you company, someone to protect you.”
“People need someone to care for to have the strength and hope to go on living.”
I nodded. “Yes, I’ll bring them to see you when I have one.”
Grandma smiled and asked me to take off the wooden beads from her
neck.
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“I don’t have much to leave you, but these beads were blessed by a monk for my parents. I was born with a light spirit, and my soul was always drifting. Wearing this amulet kept me grounded.”
“It might not be worth much, but it’s something to remember me by.”
Remembering her words, I looked at the amulet around Nina’s neck.
So that’s it. My soul had been tied to that amulet all along.
Nina’s voice trembled with fear. “Who else knows about her pregnancy?!”
My mother frowned with concern. “That’s what I’m worried about. But ! asked Mrs. Jenkins this morning, and it seems no one at the Hawthorne mansion knows.”
Nina paled and grabbed my mother’s arm. “Mom, I don’t want to go to prison!”
My mother hugged her tightly, soothing her in a low voice. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We won’t let anything happen to you. We’ll just say you went on a trip, and after some time, we’ll report her missing.”
“Your father’s working on getting a meat grinder that can even handle bones. We’ll turn her to dust and bury her somewhere remote. That way, there will only ever be one Sarah Dawson.”
My mother’s eyes were cold and calculating, but as she comforted Nina, she returned to her warm, nurturing self
