A Stolen Fate
"Am I? What about when I won first place in the regional track meet? Everyone else's parents were there, cheering. You told me you were too busy with Roxy's dress fitting for the spring formal."
Each memory rises like bile in my throat, bitter and burning. Years of slights, of dismissals, of being made to feel less than. Small cuts that accumulated into a wound that never healed.
Lolita's eyes narrow. "You are making a scene."
"You are right, I am," I agree, my voice still rising. "For once in my life, I am not being the quiet, obedient daughter who takes whatever scraps of attention you deign to throw her way." I bit back a tear. "A real mother," I continue, feeling stronger with each word,