Forgotten Kinship - Chapter 9
Ashley wasn’t acting.
Mom and Dad looked at me like they wanted me to say something. But I had already said it all.
Ashley did have heart problems. When she was adopted, I pushed her and she had a heart attack.
Mom and Dad yelled at me. They said that I tried to kill her. After that, Ashley would collapse if I did anything wrong.
But when she wasn’t sick, she jumped and danced. I told my parents that she was faking it, but eventually, her illness became her weapon.
She got sick when I got good grades. She got sick when I did well at sports. She got sick when I tried to help around the house.
I became someone who wasn’t needed. I think my parents knew it, but they felt bad for Ashley because she didn’t have parents.
I had parents, but I wasn’t as good as an orphan. But then the trip made me realize that I could be happy by myself.
A few days went by. I was nice to my parents. But they were getting impatient. They would take me to the mall like they used to.
When Mom asked if I wanted new clothes, Ashley collapsed. Mom looked at Ashley.
“Autumn is our daughter too. You can’t act like this.”
“We gave you a lot of love over the years. We did this because we knew that you weren’t safe. That’s why we focused on you.”
“But Ashley, you need to know that Autumn is our real daughter.”
Ashley looked shocked. But then she collapsed. Dad looked serious.
“Ashley, you’re not a kid anymore. Stop acting like this to get attention.”
Ashley didn’t get up. Mom and Dad were scared again. They didn’t look at me. They picked up Ashley and ran downstairs.
I stood by the window and watched them drive away.
I didn’t care.