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Chapter 2

Penulis: Flying Dragonling
Once I'd calmed down, I opened my email and found six job offers waiting for my response.

The position in Riverton was the farthest from home and had never even been on my list of options.

Dad's back was getting worse, and Mom was always complaining about her legs, so I'd planned to stay close enough to come home and spend time with them on the weekends.

But now, without giving it a second thought, I accepted the offer in Riverton.

I wandered around aimlessly until evening before finally dragging my suitcase home.

When I opened the door, Mom was sitting in the living room, sorting through the groceries she'd just bought.

She'd changed back into the old sweater she'd worn for years, and a few cheap fruits sat on the coffee table.

On the wall hung my sister's memorial portrait. Alexandra had been 17 in the picture, smiling with a quiet, gentle expression. A fresh bouquet of white roses sat in front of the portrait.

Mom froze when she saw me. "Ella? What are you doing back?" She hurried over and took my suitcase from me. "Isn't your graduation ceremony tomorrow?"

"I decided to skip it."

My eyes fell on the pearl necklace still hanging around her neck. Mom noticed where I was looking and immediately tugged her collar higher to cover it.

"A friend gave me a knockoff. I just wear it for fun."

I nodded. "It looks nice."

She visibly relaxed, then smiled and pulled me toward the couch. "Are you hungry? I'll make you some onion soup."

"Where's Dad?"

"He's driving for Uber to make some extra money. Your dad says things will get better once you graduate and start working."

She said it so naturally that if I hadn't seen Dad carrying tens of thousands of dollars' worth of gifts for my sister just two hours earlier, I might have actually felt sorry for them.

…

Dad didn't come home until ten that night. He was wearing a faded jacket and carrying a bag of discounted fruit when he walked through the door. The moment he saw me, he frowned.

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming home today?"

"I wanted to surprise you."

"Don't waste money on a trip home next time." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled graduation card. "Here, this is for you."

I didn't take it. Instead, I looked at him and said, "Dad, I want to work here."

"Where?"

"Sterling & Hayes Accounting."

His expression immediately darkened. "No."

I gave him a faint smile. "Why not?"

"The pay is low. How are you supposed to live on that?"

"But it's close to home." I tried to reason with him.

"You're young. You should get out there and make something of yourself. What are you going to accomplish by staying here?"

His voice had turned firm, almost impatient. Mom quickly stepped in before the argument could go any further.

"Ella, didn't a company in Riverton offer you a position? The pay is better, and there are more opportunities there. You don't need to worry about us anymore. Just focus on taking care of yourself."

I looked at them both. "Didn't you always say I was all you had left?"

Mom's eyes immediately filled with tears. "Ella, don't bring up Allie."

She turned toward the memorial portrait on the wall.

"What happened to your sister is a pain our whole family has to carry. If Allie were still alive and saw how responsible you've become, she'd be so proud of you."

Just then, the phone Dad had left on the table lit up with a notification. "Ms. Sterling, your private tour guide in Valeria has been confirmed."

I stared at the message.

Dad immediately reached over and turned the phone face down. "That's a client's."

"I see."

I lowered my gaze and finally took the graduation card from his hand. Two crisp 100-dollar bills slipped out. They looked brand-new, as if he'd just withdrawn them from the bank.

For some reason, I suddenly thought of the handbag my sister had been carrying earlier. I'd seen the exact same one online before. It cost 33,000 dollars.

Dad kept telling me how much the family was struggling, yet he'd spent 33,000 dollars on a handbag for my sister and given me 200 dollars as a graduation gift.

Mom gently patted my hand. "Ella, we know you've had a hard time all these years. We'll make it up to you."

I looked up at her and gave her a small smile. "Okay. I'll be waiting."

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  • My Sister Returned, and I Left   Chapter 10

    A year later, Mom stood by the same river where Alexandra had supposedly jumped seven years earlier. When she called me, her voice was trembling. "Ella, you're all I have left. I want to see you." I went to the river and found Mom sitting on the other side of the safety railing. Her hair had turned noticeably grayer since I'd last seen her. When she spotted me, she reached out a hand. "Ella, forgive me, and I'll come back over." The wind coming off the river was strong, just like it had been seven years ago. I stayed behind the railing and didn't move any closer. "Mom, come back over." "I want you to promise me you'll forgive me." "I can't promise that." She began to sob. "I'm your mother." "That's why I came," I said quietly. "But coming here doesn't mean I'm going to hand my life back to you." Mom stared at me, disbelief spreading across her face. "I gave you life." "And I'll take care of you financially when you're old," I said. "I'll pay for what I'm responsib

  • My Sister Returned, and I Left   Chapter 9

    Seven days later, Dad still hadn't provided the complete transaction records. My lawyer eventually uncovered the truth himself—the education fund had been drained in installments over the previous three years, with the final payment transferred to an art studio registered under Alexandra's name. Alexandra had always called it her dream. But the money she'd used to make that dream a reality had come from the education fund my grandparents had set aside for me. The day before the hearing, Mom called me. She was crying so hard she could barely get the words out. "Allie cut her wrists. Ella, she knows she was wrong. She said she'll give all the money back. Please come see her. Just once." I didn't refuse. I went to the hospital that afternoon.Alexandra was lying in bed with bandages wrapped around her wrists, her face pale against the white pillow. Dad sat beside her, looking as though he'd aged years overnight. The moment Mom saw me, her eyes filled with tears. "Allie knows

  • My Sister Returned, and I Left   Chapter 8

    Mom's face slowly drained of color. Dad, who had been sitting silently on the couch, finally spoke. "What exactly do you want?"I reached into my bag, pulled out a document, and placed it on the table. "First, stop opening or maintaining any bank accounts, insurance policies, or other financial accounts in my name. Second, I want the education fund you've been holding for me returned in full." Mom froze. "What education fund?""Starting when I was eight, Grandma and Grandpa gave me money every New Year's. Then there was my scholarship money, along with the cash gifts they gave me when I came of age. "You told me you were keeping all of it safe until I graduated from college so I could use it to buy a home." I looked directly at Dad. "Over the years, it added up to 486,000 dollars. And last month, 200,000 dollars of that was transferred to Alexandra's overseas account."The living room went dead silent. Dad's fingers twitched against his knee before he finally said, "Your sis

  • My Sister Returned, and I Left   Chapter 7

    That night, Mom texted me. "Allie's in the hospital. The doctor says it's acute anxiety. Are you happy now?" I stared at the messages for a long time before finally replying, "Is she in a private room?"Mom never answered. But half an hour later, I saw that Alexandra had posted an update on social media. The location tag showed the city's most expensive private hospital, and the photo featured a bouquet of imported tulips beside a beautifully plated steak and fries. Her caption read, "With my family by my side, there's nothing to be afraid of."I closed my phone, but not before taking a screenshot and saving it to a folder labeled "The Sterling Family".There were already 372 pieces of evidence in that folder containing records showing how they'd fabricated the story of my sister's death, seven years' worth of her spending and travel records, bank transfers proving Mom and Dad had secretly sent her money while pretending they were struggling financially, and messages reveali

  • My Sister Returned, and I Left   Chapter 6

    Two months later, my parents finally tracked me down at the accounting firm where I worked. That afternoon, I'd just returned from a client's office when the elevator doors opened. Mom stood at the far end of the hallway, wearing an old padded coat, her hair completely unstyled. She clutched a thermal flask in both hands while Dad sat in the waiting area, looking exhausted. For a moment, they looked like ordinary parents who had spent months searching for their daughter and had finally run out of places to look. One by one, my coworkers glanced in my direction. The moment Mom saw me, tears spilled down her cheeks. She hurried toward me. "Ella, how could you be so heartless? Your father and I have been looking for you for two months. You couldn't even pick up the phone." I instinctively took a step back. "How did you find me?""You listed your workplace address when you replaced your Social Security card." Dad stood up, his expression hardening. "So you've grown up enou

  • My Sister Returned, and I Left   Chapter 5

    During my first week in Riverton, Mom and Dad didn't call me once. Mom sent a few messages, though."Did you get there safely?""Don't make any rash decisions just because you're angry." "Your sister hasn't been doing well these past few days. Once she's feeling better, your dad and I will sit down and talk things through with you." I didn't reply to a single one. …Winters in Riverton were colder than back home. I rented a tiny studio apartment with an elevated highway right outside my window, and the traffic never seemed to stop, even late into the night. The apartment was cramped and noisy, but I didn't mind. For the first time, the space was entirely mine.Work at the accounting firm was hectic. As the newest hire, I was responsible for organizing receipts, making bank runs, checking financial statements, and handling whatever else needed to be done. When things got busy, I barely had time to eat lunch. Still, I liked being busy. At least every transaction had a s

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