Chapter Eight

“What are you talking about?” Alana stuttered, trying to play dumb, but the sheer panic in her eyes gave her away instantly.

 

“Don’t lie to me!” Rory yelled.

 

Rory’s hands shook uncontrollably, her heart pounding against her ribs in sheer fury. She forced herself to repeat in her mind that this was all just an act—that now was not yet the right time to throw their ultimate betrayal in their faces.

 

“Rory, sweetie…” her mother called out, her face drained of color. Amanda was visibly unsettled by Rory’s outburst.

 

“Babe, calm down,” Richard interjected nervously. “What are you talking about? What pregnancy?”

 

Rory shook her head, fixing her gaze firmly on Alana. “I know I let you pursue your passion for modeling and acting. But you promised Dad that you would finish your studies first, Alana! You promised him!”

“Just calm down, Rory!” Amanda snapped at her.

 

Rory whirled around to face Amanda. “Mom, she’s only twenty-one! She’s barely an adult! How could she go and get herself pregnant?”

 

Amanda’s mouth dropped open in shock, though she quickly pulled herself together. “What on earth are you talking about? Alana can’t be pregnant!”

 

Richard grabbed Rory by the shoulders, gently forcing her to face him. “Babe, please calm down. Besides, how can you say Alana’s pregnant? What makes you say that?”

 

Rory shoved Richard’s hands off her. “Do you think I’m stupid, Richard?”

 

Richard went completely pale. The remaining color drained from his face until he looked as white as a sheet of paper.

 

“R-Rory…

 

“Sweetie…” Amanda gasped weakly.

 

Rory let her eyes dart between the three of them. She wanted to laugh out loud. Seeing their terrified, pale faces, they looked as if they had just seen a ghost. She bit down hard on her lower lip to suppress a rising smirk before turning back to Richard, her voice dropping to a raspy whisper.

 

“D-Did you betray me, Richard?”

 

“B-Babe, I can explain—” Richard scrambled forward, reaching for her hands, but Rory pulled away before he could touch her.

 

Rory then turned her sharp gaze onto her mother. “And you, Mom. Did you know about all of this?”

“Rory, dear, it’s not what you think—”

 

“No!” Rory barked. “The three of you ganged up on me! You made a fool out of me! All this time…” She clutched her chest, faking a breath, making it seem like she was struggling to speak.

 

“I’m so sorry, Babe!” Richard pleaded desperately.

 

Rory shook her head. “You knew my sister was pregnant. All of you knew Alana was pregnant, and yet you hid it from me?”

 

Richard blinked, stunned. “W-What?”

 

Rory’s brow furrowed in simulated confusion. “You knew Alana was pregnant, right? And you kept it from me?” She turned to her mother, her tone laced with deep hurt. “Why didn’t you tell me she was pregnant, Mom? Why did you have to keep it a secret from me?”

 

Amanda stood there frozen, completely lost for words.

 

Alana was equally unsure of how to react. She stared at Rory, but Rory could feel the sharp glare radiating from her sister. She noticed how Alana was clenching her fists. Right then and there, Rory knew Alana was dying to blurt out the full truth. But for Rory, the time wasn't ripe just yet.

 

“Alana,” Rory called out softly.

 

Alana flinched upon hearing her name. “R-Rory…”

 

“Tell me who the bastard is,” Rory demanded, her voice dripping with rage. “Who got you pregnant?!”

 

“How did you find out, Rory?” Alana asked, her face suddenly devoid of all emotion.

 

Rory rolled her eyes. “What do you take me for, an idiot? I’m a doctor, Alana! How could I not know my own sister is pregnant? Your pulse is elevated—it’s vastly different from a normal, non-pregnant woman’s heart rate.”

 

Amanda and Richard exchanged a glance, both letting out a quiet, collective sigh of relief. They genuinely thought their dark secret had just been exposed.

 

Richard stepped forward, offering Rory a sad, contrite smile. “I’m sorry, Babe. I should have told you—but I didn’t want to overstep or interfere with Alana’s personal business. Your mom felt the same way. Right, Mom?”

 

Amanda nodded quickly. “T-That’s right, dear. We knew it was wrong, but Alana was terrified of disappointing you, so the three of us decided to keep it under wraps for a bit.” Amanda subtly nudged Alana. “Isn’t that right, sweetie? But you were planning on telling your sister eventually, right?”

 

Alana bit her lip in visible annoyance. “Mom’s right.”

 

“I can’t believe this, Mom. How did things end up like this? Alana is still so young! She hasn’t even finished her degree. How could she get pregnant? If Dad were alive, he would be so disappointed! He valued education above all else, and he wanted Alana to graduate so badly!”

 

“Rory, what’s done is done,” Amanda argued firmly. “You can’t honestly tell me you’re going to disown your own sister just because she got pregnant.”

 

“Of course not! She’s my sister, and I promised Dad I would take care of her—but I can’t just shoulder everything on my own, Mom! I have so many of Dad’s debts left to pay off. I’m already working myself to the bone just to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table! How am I supposed to handle the expenses of Alana’s pregnancy on top of all that?!”

 

Amanda’s eyebrows arched in immediate disapproval. “Well, you certainly can’t just abandon your sister, Rory! No matter what happens, Alana is your blood. Until she can stand on her own two feet, it is your responsibility to support her. You promised your father you would look after her!”

 

Rory shook her head in sheer disbelief. “I know what I promised Dad! But Mom! It is not my obligation to provide for the child Alana is carrying!”

 

“Rory! Is that really how I raised you?” Amanda gasped dramatically. “Your father and I raised you better than this—to love your family, especially your only sister!”

 

Rory went completely silent. Was this truly how her mother saw her? A safety net meant to absorb every single one of her sister's mistakes? A sacrificial lamb who had to endure endless mistreatment just to be deemed a good daughter and sister?

 

When their father passed away last year, Rory had sacrificed everything to keep the three of them afloat. She had taken on endless part-time jobs just to ensure food was on the table and money was in her mother’s and sister’s pockets. She had loved them more than her own life, yet this was the return on all the love she had poured out.

 

“Mom, I love you. I love Alana. I broke my back trying to give you a good life, even when I completely forgot to love myself! I worked myself to exhaustion, balancing my studies and multiple jobs, even when it meant having zero time left for Richard! But now, simply because I refuse to raise Alana’s baby, you view me as a terrible daughter and a terrible sister?” Rory vented, her voice thick with raw heartache. “After everything I’ve done, one refusal is all it takes for you to turn on me? Truth be told, it’s not even my duty to support you—let alone take care of Alana! She’s twenty-one years old! In anyone else's eyes, she’s an adult capable of fending for herself. But because I loved her as my sister and gave Dad my word, I never forced her to get a job to help me out!”

 

“Are you throwing all your sacrifices in my face now?!” Amanda barked coldly. “I did not raise an ungrateful, bean-counting child, Rory! If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even be alive in this world today! So what right do you have to question me?!”

 

“Mom, that’s not what I meant! My point is that it’s not my responsibility to raise Alana’s child! If Alana was mature enough to make her own decisions and get herself pregnant, then she should be mature enough to support herself! Or better yet, make the father step up and take responsibility!”

 

It seemed as though every single thing Rory did was wrong in her mother’s eyes, while everything Alana did was treated as holy and innocent. So where was Rory ever supposed to stand?