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Todos los capítulos de The Daughter They Forgot: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 9

9 Capítulos

Chapter 1

"After we finished Rianne's, we realized we didn't have enough cherry wood left. We didn't have a choice, so we used your tree too."Martha Bates, my mother, sounded impatient. "Enough already. What's done is done. Just buy a couple of trunks when the time comes. Who are you making that face for?"As I watched them gathered around my sister, Rianne Bates, I remembered what my parents had once told my brother, Ace Bates."Make sure you build your sisters' hope chests well. They carry a daughter's happiness for the rest of her life."Turns out, when they said "daughter," they didn't mean me.If that was how they felt, then I didn't want them anymore...."Mom, look! There are cherry blossoms carved on all four sides of the chest!"Mom gently traced the carvings with her fingers, her voice thick with emotion. "My precious girl deserves the very best hope chests. That's the only way she'll look respectable. Otherwise people will gossip."So Mom knew. She knew a poorly made bridal

Chapter 2

The next day, I came home after my wedding dress fitting to find the living room buzzing with conversation.Rianne's fiance, Evan Brooks, was there too.Five kinds of fruit were arranged on the coffee table, and Dad had even brought out the expensive tea set he usually refused to use.My parents had always treated Evan well—not because they were afraid of him, but because they hoped he'd treat Rianne well after they were married.As for my fiance, my parents only knew his name was Diego Dougherty. They'd seen a picture of him, but they'd never even met him in person.Every time I suggested the two families get together, Mom always said, "You're getting married anyway. There'll be plenty of chances to meet later. As long as you like him, that's all that matters."It wasn't that they were busy. They just didn't care.And because they didn't care about me, they didn't care about the man I was marrying either.Even Evan only spared me a glance when I walked in. He couldn't even be

Chapter 3

A week before the wedding, Mom suddenly said she wanted to meet Diego.I was surprised, but beneath it all, a tiny spark of hope flickered to life.I booked a table for lunch the next day and asked Diego to dress nicely. I arrived at the restaurant at eleven-thirty, ordered a full table of dishes, and waited.One o'clock.Two.Three.The lunch crowd came and went. Eventually, the restaurant switched on its warm evening lights.But they never showed up.My phone lit up.Mom had finally replied: [Rory, something urgent came up today. We'll meet another time.]At that exact moment, a new message popped up in the family group chat. It was from Rianne.[Look! Mom took me to get my wedding nails done. Aren't they gorgeous?]The photo showed her fingers covered in glittering rhinestones. Under the lights, they sparkled so brightly they made my eyes sting.Ace immediately replied: [Beautiful! They suit Rianne perfectly.]Dad followed: [They look great. Thanks for all your hard wo

Chapter 4

Three days before the wedding, the whole family was busy.Dad was making the final calls to relatives and friends, proudly telling everyone that his Rianne was getting married.Mom went through Rianne's dowry over and over again, terrified she'd forgotten something and shortchanged her little princess.Ace was at Rianne's beck and call, picking up her friends, running errands, never once complaining.The whole family was bustling with excitement, yet not one person asked whether I was ready or if there was anything I still needed.My eyes fell on the entryway. My wedding invitation was sitting there in plain sight. It had been there for an entire week.No one had bothered to open it.No one had noticed that my wedding date had already been moved and no longer fell on the same day as Rianne's.They simply didn't care about my wedding. They didn't care whether the rest of my life would be happy. To them, I was just the extra daughter who happened to be getting married too, a back

Chapter 5

Diego swept me into his arms and carried me down the front steps.Outside, our wedding party was already waiting. His groomsmen, my coworkers, and our closest friends erupted into cheers the moment we appeared.No one asked any questions.Every one of them wore a boutonniere identifying them as part of the bride's side, their faces filled with smiles and genuine joy.One of the guys shouted at the top of his lungs, "Every time someone compliments the bride, I'm throwing out cash!"And so the blessings came one after another.A passerby laughed. "When did an angel like this come down to earth?"A little boy declared, "When I grow up, I want to marry someone as pretty as her!"Even one of the hotel housekeepers teased Diego, "With a bride's entourage this big, I bet you won't dare make your wife mad!"Diego flashed a wide grin. "Never. I worked too hard to marry her. Spoiling her is going to keep me busy enough."The crowd erupted into even louder cheers. Cash gifts flew throug

Chapter 6

Today was Rianne's wedding.The whole family was up early.Then Rianne's panicked voice rang through the house. "Mom! Rory's room is empty. She never came home!"Mom froze. "What do you mean? Is she not getting married today?"Rianne dragged the two unopened comforter sets out of my bedroom. "She didn't take anything. She even left these behind."Ace waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry. She probably went straight to the hotel. Since when has she ever stayed mad after fighting with the family?"Trying to ignore the uneasy feeling creeping into her heart, Mom nodded. "Rianne, hurry up. Let's get to the hotel first. Your wedding comes first."The family arrived at the hotel and gave the receptionist the name of the ballroom they'd reserved.The receptionist looked at Rianne with a puzzled expression. "Huh? Didn't you already have your wedding here yesterday?""What?" Rianne was the first to react. "Was yesterday's bride named Rory Bates?"The receptionist nodded. "That's right

Chapter 7

Over the next several days, Ace left early every morning and came home late, searching everywhere for me. He went to my former workplace and introduced himself as my brother.One of my colleagues had attended my wedding. She looked at him strangely. "You're Rory's brother? Then why didn't I see you at her wedding? Are you really family?"Ace felt as if someone had grabbed him by the throat. Not a word came out.In the end, my colleague sent him a video from the wedding.As Ace turned to leave, he heard her mutter behind him, "Some brother. He didn't even know about his own sister's wedding. Who would believe that? Poor Rory. What kind of life has she been living?"Ace's back went rigid. He remembered the day before I left.Everyone in the family had been criticizing me, and he had been the one who held me down, accusing me of tearing the family apart.But all I'd wanted was to take back what already belonged to me.When he got home, he showed the wedding video to Mom and Dad.

Chapter 8

Dad had sent only one message: [The hope chests have been remade. Take them with you when you come home.]He had never been a man of many words. Whenever there was an argument, he was always the one to deliver the final verdict, like a judge announcing the ruling.Only I was always the one who lost.The fact that he'd sent that message meant he was trying, in his own way, to make peace.I understood that, but I didn't want to accept it.I stopped reading the messages. Nevertheless, I didn't block any of them. I just wasn't ready to face them yet.The day I received my job offer from the new company was also my birthday.My mother-in-law ordered a huge birthday cake. Across the top, it read: "Princess Rory, Forever 18."She cooked another feast, too. I tried several times to go into the kitchen and help. Every single time, she gently shooed me back out."Today's your day. You don't lift a finger."Sitting on the couch, I found myself lost in thought.Every birthday growing up

Chapter 9

By the time another summer arrived, I found out I was pregnant.Diego hung a swing beneath the sycamore tree outside our building. After tying the last knot, he sat on it himself first."It's solid. Rory, give it a try."I sat down, and he gently pushed me from behind. The evening breeze was cool against my skin.From that day on, I'd spend a little while on the swing every evening.A lot happened back home after that.Ace kept texting me. I think he believed I'd read the messages, even if I never replied.[Mom spends hours sitting in your old room. If you can, give her a call.][Rianne isn't doing well. She's always moving back in with Mom and Dad.][Mom's been learning to cook all kinds of non-spicy dishes. She's still waiting for you to come home.][Rory, will you ever come back?]I was eating strawberries Isabella had just brought me when I read the last message. My hand slipped, leaving a red stain on my shirt.A hand reached over my shoulder and gently took my phone a

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