Chapter 10

The guy Sharon still couldn't let go of—Chuck—was standing outside my real parents' house.

After walking away from all that mess, I'd only come here to say goodbye.

Chuck once told me they didn't want me. Said they thought a daughter they never raised could never stack up to the one they did. Claimed they resented me even more after Sharon vanished.

For years, I kept convincing myself—a mistake's a mistake. I didn't need to be jealous. My real parents loved me, too.

But it felt like a fantasy. And when I finally woke up, it was like I'd never moved forward at all.

What I didn't expect? The second my birth mom saw me, she ran over, crying, and wouldn't let go.

She scolded me for staying away so long, while she was more scared that I'd only come back because the outside world had crushed me.

That's when it hit me—they'd always loved me. More than anything.

Chuck had lied. Fed me stories and stole years I could've had with them.

Now? My mom was screaming at him. "How dare you sho