2
I went upstairs.
As I opened my bedroom door, Jessica called
out “Michael was so upset when be beard.
about the…incident. Don’t forget to talk to
him.”
My heart sank. Tears flowed silently.
The hot shower stung, making me tremble.
I sobbed, the sound swallowed by the running
water.
Michael and I had promised to wait until our
wedding night.
I hadn’t kept my promise.
There was a glass of warm milk on my
nightstand. Dad had been here.
I opened my door a crack, hearing laughter
from downstairs.
ᄀ
Jessica was nestled beside Mom, telling her
something amusing.
My brothers were laughing along.
Only Dad kept glancing towards my room, his
face etched with sadness.
I closed the door, shutting out the noise.
I scrolled through Jessica’s Instagram feed.
Pictures from the adoption party.
The family photo, Mom beaming at Jessica,
Jessica beaming at Michael.
Jessica always tagged everyone in her posts,
fishing for likes.
This one had none.
When Mom first brought Jessica home, I
treated her like a sister.
But I soon saw through her manipulative
ways.
Flirting with my brothers, playing the victim
with Mom.
I warned them, only to be scolded.
Now, I was the unreasonable one.
I opened my messages with Michael.
“We’re done.”
#
He replied quickly.
“Sarah, they said you made up the assault
story to disrupt Jessica’s party. Is that true?”
“I didn’t lie.”
“Sarah! Why won’t you tell me the truth? If
you didn’t lie, why did Jessica say you
dropped the charges?”
How could I explain that my family had
conspired against me? No one would believe
- it.
Especially not Michael, who was childhood
friends with Mark.
“We’re done.”
I turned off my phone, burying myself under
the covers, clinging to the faint warmth.
