Chapter 3

I packed my suitcase the next morning.

Then I headed to the convenience store a block away for my usual shift.

I'd survived the past two years by working four part-time jobs. The convenience store was the first one I'd found.

Since I was leaving for London, this would be my last shift.

Hank, the store manager, looked sorry to see me go. "Adele, you're the hardest-working, most responsible employee I've got. I'm going to miss you.

"But congratulations on starting your new life. I hope everything goes great for you."

Hank handed me a pretty glass mug.

"A little something for your new job."

I bowed to thank him, and my tears fell one by one onto the floor.

Two years ago, when I first got here, I couldn't find a job.

To keep from starving, I sold my plasma.

I took the money to the convenience store for a sandwich, but passed out from hunger at the register before I could pay.

When Hank heard my story, he felt sorry for me and offered me this part-time job so I could get by.

Hank reached out and helped me straighten up.

A sudden shriek came from behind me.

"What are you two doing?"

I turned around. Mom was glaring at me, her face full of fury.

Behind her stood Dad, Ethan, Tyler, and Maria.

Ethan and Tyler were carrying a pile of gift boxes.

I didn't need to guess. They were for Maria's new job.

Mom's voice turned shrill. "I let you live on your own, and this is what you do? Fool around with some old man?"

I wiped away my tears and protested. "I'm not. I work here part-time to make money."

Ethan stormed over and jabbed a finger in my face.

"What kind of part-time job has you hanging all over a man? Adele, when did you get so disgusting?"

Hank jerked his hand away and rushed to explain, "It's a misunderstanding. I was just helping Adele up. She was thanking me."

But nobody listened to him.

Dad looked at me like I was something dirty.

"Adele, how did you turn out like this? It's not as if we never gave you an allowance."

At the mention of my allowance, bitterness rose in my chest.

"The allowance you gave me only covered the first month's rent."

Mom looked a little guilty, but she still raised her voice. "You should be grateful we gave you anything. We don't owe you."

Tyler stepped forward, disappointment written all over his face.

"If you need money, ask your parents instead of taking shady jobs."

The look in his eyes stung.

I opened my mouth to explain, but the words stuck in my throat.

When I'd needed money, I'd called and texted my parents, but they'd never answered.

Before I sold my plasma, I'd gone home to borrow just enough money to get by.

But when Dad opened the door and saw me, his smile vanished instantly.

Before I could open my mouth, he snapped, "Maria still isn't stable. Don't come back here and upset her."

Then the door slammed in my face.

I could have told them all that.

But if I did, would Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Tyler feel sorry for me?

They'd only call me ungrateful, accuse me of neglecting Maria, and say I was throwing a tantrum.

A wave of helplessness washed over me.

I waved them off. "I already told you, I'm working an honest part-time job. Please stop getting in my way."

At the words "getting in my way," Maria rushed at me and shoved me hard.

"I'm disgusted to have a sister like you, Adele. Nobody will ever love you!"

I'd gone without dinner the night before and still hadn't eaten, so I was already a little dizzy.

Maria's shove sent me stumbling into the shelf behind me.

A pile of cans came crashing down, and one split my forehead open.

The glass mug slipped out of my hand and shattered on the floor.

Blood streaming down my face, I looked up at the people lined up against me, still blaming me.

They were all frantically checking whether Maria was hurt.

Seeing the state I was in, Hank grabbed his phone in alarm. "Stop it. If you keep this up, I'm calling the police."

Only then did they look at me. Not one of them showed any concern.

Ethan shielded Maria behind him and murmured, "Don't be scared. I know you didn't mean it."

Tyler covered Maria's eyes. "Don't look. You're such a scaredy-cat, and you know you can't stand the sight of blood."

Mom and Dad stepped forward and started barking orders at me.

"Adele, we'll let this go. You made this mess, so clean it up. Don't let this man call the police."

Blood kept running into my eyes, and their figures started to blur.

My chest hurt so much that I could barely breathe.

Without waiting for my answer, they hurried Maria away.

Hank kept sighing as he helped me up.

"How can parents favor one child like that?"

Yeah. How can parents favor one child like that?

I swallowed the lump in my throat and apologized to Hank again and again. He waved it off and handed me a first-aid kit.

For the next few days, my family and Tyler didn't come looking for me again.

They assumed I'd clean up the mess they'd made.

The cut on my forehead left a scar. I gave Hank a week's pay to cover the damage.

I smiled bitterly at my reflection. I was thin and gaunt from too many missed meals.

I'd planned to use the money from this job to buy myself a proper work outfit. Now I'd have to go abroad in my old clothes.

But I didn't regret it. Hank had been good to me, and I couldn't leave him to deal with the trouble they'd caused.

This would be the last time I cleaned up their mess.

From now on, they had nothing to do with me.

Before I left, I looked at the four dolls on the couch. Their button eyes still stared at me in silence.

I picked them up and threw every one of them in the trash.

Before the plane took off, I got a text from Mom.

"It's Maria's birthday today. She's letting go of what happened the other day, and she's invited you to celebrate. Come home."

I scoffed.

They still thought I was their little shadow, ready to come running whenever they called.

Maria had hurt me, yet she was the one forgiving me.

Her birthday was my birthday too, but nobody cared.

This time, I didn't reply. I turned off my phone and boarded the plane.

I gazed out the window.

This was what freedom looked like.

Mom, Dad, Ethan, Tyler, I'm never coming home again.