Chapter 4

That night, Mom and Dad summoned the entire family.

But they didn't dare bring everyone to the luxury apartment where Alexandra was staying.

Instead, they had our relatives come to the small rented house I shared with my parents.

They arrived in separate groups, careful not to attract attention.

Too many people showing up at once might make the neighbors suspicious, and the last thing my parents wanted was for anyone to discover that the Sterling family's daughter—the girl everyone believed had drowned seven years ago—had been alive all along.

Aunt Sophia, Uncle Walter, Aunt Winona, and several cousins whose names I could barely remember crowded into our cramped living room.

Alexandra sat in the middle of the couch with Mom holding her hand tightly, while Dad stood by the window, smoking.

Everyone's attention was on my sister, as if she were the only person in the room who mattered. Not one of them asked how I'd survived those seven years.

Aunt Sophia was the first to speak. "Ella, the important thing is that Allie is alive. Don't let yourself get too worked up over this."

I looked at her. "Three years ago, you went with me to the river to pay our respects to Alexandra. You knew she was alive back then, didn't you?"

The color drained from Aunt Sophia's face. Before she could answer, Uncle Walter cleared his throat and said quietly, "We were all afraid you wouldn't be able to handle the truth."

I stared at him. "Were you afraid I couldn't handle it, or were you afraid I'd find out?"

The room fell completely silent.

Mom suddenly slammed her hand against the table. "Enough! Have we really treated you that badly all these years? When you wanted to continue your education, we never made you drop out. When you wanted to work in Riverton, we didn't stop you.

"Allie is different. She's been through so much, and she's still dealing with the emotional scars from everything that happened. What's wrong with us taking a little better care of her?"

I looked at her. "You had the money. You had enough to buy her a house, expensive bags, and send her overseas. But you lied to me and told me our family was struggling. You made me take out my own loans and work to pay my way through school. Why?"

Dad quietly stubbed out his cigarette. "Because you're stronger than she is."

There it was again. The same excuse they'd used before Alexandra disappeared.

Whenever I fell apart, Mom would tell me, "Ella, you're a strong girl. Get back up." But whenever Alexandra cried, Dad would immediately scoop her into his arms and comfort her.

After Alexandra came back, every sacrifice I'd made simply became something they expected from me.

She had suffered, and I was the strong one, so apparently I was supposed to need less, ask for less, and accept less.

I nodded slowly. "So I guess being strong means I deserve to have nothing."

Alexandra looked at me, her eyes red from crying. "Ella, I never meant to take anything from you. I just wanted back what was always supposed to be mine."

"Mom and Dad aren't things," I said. "But all of you treated me like I was something you could throw away whenever you wanted."

Mom was trembling with anger. "Your sister nearly gave her life for this family!"

"She didn't nearly die," I shot back. "She deliberately jumped into that river so you'd all hate me."

"Eleanor Sterling!" Dad's voice cut through the room. "Enough. Your sister can't handle any more stress right now."

I looked at Alexandra, then back at him. "She can't handle stress. What about me?"

My voice finally cracked. "When I was 15, I thought I'd killed my own sister. For seven years, I was afraid to celebrate my own birthday. I was afraid to spend your money. I sent every cent I made from my part-time jobs home because I was scared you wouldn't have enough to eat or even a decent place to live."

I looked from Mom to Dad. "When you took that money, did you ever feel guilty? Even for a second?"

Mom couldn't meet my eyes. "That was you taking care of your parents."

"Right." I smiled, but there was nothing warm about it. "Then I guess that ends tonight."

I went to my room, pulled out my suitcase, and started packing. I put my ID, diploma, bank cards, and laptop inside, leaving everything else behind. Mom followed me to the door, finally starting to panic.

"Ella, where are you going?"

"Riverton."

"Don't you start your new job tomorrow?"

"I'm taking the train tonight."

Dad's expression hardened. "Once you walk out that door, don't come crawling back when you regret it."

I turned to look at him. "What would I regret? Finding out that you were never incapable of loving me. You just didn't want to love me."

Alexandra suddenly burst into tears. "Ella, don't go. Mom and Dad will be heartbroken if you leave."

I looked at her. "Allie, weren't you the one who wanted me as far away from you as possible?"

The color drained from her face, but I didn't wait for a response. I dragged my suitcase downstairs and headed for the door.

Just as I stepped outside, my phone buzzed. It was a 200 dollar transfer from Mom. The note read, "Money for food during the trip."

I sent the money straight back.

When I reached the entrance of the apartment complex, I opened my banking app and canceled the monthly transfer I'd been sending my parents for living expenses all these years.

Then I organized every record of the money I'd given them, along with my student loans and everything I'd earned from my part-time jobs.

For years, I'd been the one quietly supporting this family while they made me feel like I was the burden.

But starting tonight, that was over. I wasn't the one who had anything to be afraid of anymore.