6
Like a drowning person grabbing a piece of
driftwood, I reached out and clutched Mom’s
skirt, a tiny spark of hope flaring up.
“Mom! Tell them! I’m your real daughter!”
I screamed, my voice raw with desperation.
The jeers stopped.
Г
The people who had been ready to tear me
apart went white when they saw Mom and
Dad knew me.
Dad slowly knelt down, and I thought he was
going to help me up.
Instead, he leaned in and whispered, cold as
ice, “Did you think hurting Haley and putting
on this act would get you out of trouble?”
“Stop faking.”
Despair, like freezing water, spread through
me, killing any hope.
I stared at him, then looked to Mom, pleading.
But she shook her head, a hint of disapproval
But she shook her head, a hint of disapproval
in her eyes, and backed away from me.
Dad stood up and announced, “I only have
one daughter, and it’s not this girl on the
ground.”
“Ha! Imposter! Exposed in public! What a
joke!”
“Trying to pretend to be rich! Like she could
pull that off!”
“She deserves to get beat up!”
The insults came back, louder and meaner
than before.
They swarmed me, fists and feet raining
down.
Г
Pain exploded in my head, and I thought my
bones would break.
I curled up, trying to protect my head, but I
couldn’t stop the blows.
A sharp pain ripped through my chest, and I
coughed up blood.
My body spasmed, and I collapsed.
I thought I saw a flicker of fear in Mom and
Dad’s eyes.
But I didn’t hear them stop anyone.
I struggled to look up, used the last of my
strength, and croaked, “You killed my sister,
and now you’re letting your adopted daughter
L
“I hate you! You’re not fit to be parents!”
More blood came up.
I couldn’t hold on anymore, and I blacked out.
My blood stained the ground, a horrible sight.
Mom and Dad finally realized this wasn’t an
act. They looked terrified.
They frantically stopped the crowd, picked me
up, and ran to the emergency room.
