Chapter 3

I stood there for ages, completely stunned, chilled to the bone.

Did Cecilia really see all my years of hard work and sacrifice as nothing but being cold and harsh?

It felt like someone had a fist around my heart, and for a moment, I couldn't catch my breath.

Seeing me clutch my chest and unable to say a word, Cecilia thought for sure I was just feeling guilty.

She stifled her sobs, covering her mouth as she rushed back to her room.

All I heard was a loud bang as the bedroom door slammed shut behind her.

It took me a long time to finally snap out of it.

When did the little girl I once cradled in a blanket and carried home like she was the most precious thing in the world, the one I treated as my own daughter, start thinking only of herself?

Or had she always been this way? and it was just today, now that she'd been accepted to a prestigious university, that she finally had the nerve to speak her mind?

But after all these years, I just couldn't stop myself from trying to find reasons to defend her. Family ties ran deep, after all.

Maybe there really was some misunderstanding, and she ended up twisting the truth without even realizing it.

Or maybe it was just that teenage girls were naturally sensitive and suspicious, and with all the gossip and online chatter, she was drifted away from her original innocence.

When a kid lost his way, it was the job of parents to help them find their way back.

Yeah, that was it. I needed to figure out what was really going on.

I quickly called Braden, and he picked up right away, sounding as friendly as ever.

"Hey Mom, what made you call me all of a sudden? Are you doing okay lately?" he asked.

Hearing him say that, I felt a pang of guilt.

Braden was two years older than Cecilia, and since he was a boy, I just assumed he didn't need me to fuss over him as much.

Thinking about it, ever since he started college, I barely ever called to see how he was doing.

And what Cecilia said earlier really made me realize that Braden's studying in another city, living on 500 dollars a month, and that had to stretch to cover his trips home, too.

He ate a lot, but he'd never said a word about it being tight. I never even thought to ask if that was really enough for him.

Thinking about all this, a wave of guilt washed over me.

"I haven't really checked in on you much, have I? Are your living expenses enough?" I asked.

Braden's voice was calm. "Nope, money's a bit tight."

My heart clenched, but then he let out a chuckle. "But I've got plenty of ways to get by. Come on, I'm not gonna let a little thing like food trip me up.

"I picked up a tutoring gig, so I'm making over 300 dollars extra each month. That's more than enough."

Hearing how mature and responsible Braden was, I felt even more guilty, but also genuinely touched.

I said, "You really are something, Braden. Why didn't you ever let me know about all this? No wonder Cecilia keeps saying you have one thousand dollars for living expenses."

Braden's smile grew even brighter. "Since Cecilia's heading off to college soon, I decided to get her a new phone.

"I didn't want her to feel like it was too much, so I told her I had one thousand dollars a month. It makes buying her a gift seem totally normal."

So, that was it. I knew there was definitely some misunderstanding.

I tried to say something, but the words just wouldn't come out.

Braden jumped in to comfort me. "Mom, I can handle stuff myself, so I don't want to trouble you. Plus, with the new policy, they're tearing down our old neighborhood for redevelopment.

"Based on the size of our place, we'll be getting two new apartments. Life's about to take a turn for the better for our family."

After hanging up, the gloom finally cleared from my heart.

The neighborhood committee had mentioned the redevelopment a while back, but I didn't want to tell the kids just yet, in case things didn't work out and they ended up disappointed.

Now that even Braden knew about it, that meany it was almost certain.

My mood had finally lifted, and I decided it was time to sit down with Cecilia, clear things up, and let her know it was all just a misunderstanding.

And most importantly, I wanted her to understand that no matter what, we were family, that Braden and I both loved her a lot.

But just as I reached her door, I overheard her talking on the phone inside.

She was trying to keep her voice low, but when she got emotional, a few sentences slipped through and reached my ears.

She yelled, "When are you going to come get me? I can't take living under someone else's roof anymore.

"She acts all nice, but it's just so she'll have someone to take care of her when she's old. Being adopted is worse than being a stray dog..."

I stood there frozen, as I listened to Cecilia venting her complaints. My mind just couldn't process what I was hearing.

Cecilia continued, "Braden bought me a new phone just to brag about how much he gets for living expenses.

"He's the pride of the family, the real son. Whatever slips through his fingers is already way out of reach for someone like me, a niece with no blood relation."

Living under someone else's roof?

Being adopted was worse than a stray dog?

It was like a knife tearing through my heart. I didn't get why Cecilia would think this about us.

I thought I must have heard her wrong.

Cecilia had always been a bit sensitive, but she had always been well-behaved and worked really hard at school.

I didn't believe she would say something like that.

Suddenly, that post from before flashed through my mind.