Chapter 3
I started packing my bags without drawing any attention.
Having lived here for twenty years, I had far too many things. I only took some personal items and the bare essentials.
I left behind all the designer clothes, bags, and jewelry.
Those were for the Goodman family's heiress, not for me.
I called Roland.
Roland was the son of my dad's business partner, a few years older than me, and we had been close since we were kids.
"Roland, I'm planning to leave the country sooner than expected. I could use your help with some paperwork," I said.
There was a brief silence on the other end.
"Are they giving you a hard time?" he asked.
I smiled and said, "No, I just want to leave early and finish my studies abroad."
Roland didn't ask any more questions. He said, "Send me your address. I'll come over."
After hanging up, I went back to packing.
Suddenly, the door swung open without warning, and my mom walked in.
Her eyes landed on the suitcase spread out on the bed, and her face darkened.
"Maeve, what are you doing?" she asked.
"Packing," I replied.
"Where do you think you're going?" she demanded, rushing over and grabbing my wrist.
She said, "Delilah just got back, and you're leaving? What will people think of us? That the Goodman family can't even make room for you?"
What she cared about was never whether I'd be upset, but the Goodman family's reputation.
"Is there even a place for me in this family anymore?" I asked.
She was momentarily speechless, then snapped back, "We've raised you for twenty years, given you everything you wanted. And this is how you repay us? Making us look bad at a time like this?"
"I'm just going to school," I said.
"School? Is going to school really such an emergency that you have to move out now?" She reached out to snatch my passport. "You're not going anywhere until you learn some sense."
I twisted away, but she still snatched my passport right out of my hands.
"That's my passport, Mom," I protested.
"I'm your mother. Whatever you own is mine," my mom snapped.
"You're not my mother!" I fired back.
My mom was stunned, pointing at me, her lips quivering, unable to say a single word.
"Ever since you found Delilah, you stopped being my mom," I said.
The sound of a slap echoed in the room.
A slap mark was left on my face.
Before Delilah returned, I was always their precious girl. My parents had never laid a finger on me.
I looked at her, and the last bit of warmth in my heart faded away.
For a moment, I caught a flash of disbelief in her eyes. But then she slammed the door and stormed out, her eyes rimmed with tears.
As she went downstairs, I heard her crying to Dad, "She's totally turned against us. After twenty years, now she thinks she can just spread her wings and fly away."
I shut the door and locked myself in. My eyes blurred with tears I couldn't hold back.
I wanted my parents to love me forever, to always be their little princess.
But now, this place really wasn't my home anymore.
My parents quickly switched tactics.
Instead of trying to stop me, they started pulling at my heartstrings.
At dinner, my dad sighed and started reminiscing about those days when I was sick as a kid, running around the hospital with me in his arms.
"Maeve, we know Delilah coming back has made things hard for you. But we've raised you for twenty years. Our love for you is real," he said.
"Just stay a little longer for our sake, okay? Help Delilah settle in and get used to life here," he added.
He was practically begging.
"If you leave, Delilah will think she drove you away. She'll feel guilty for the rest of her life," he said.
Right on cue, Delilah's eyes welled up with tears. She grabbed the hem of my shirt and pleaded, "Maeve, please don't go. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have come back."
With tears streaming down her cheeks as she cried, she looked so pitiful that anyone would feel sorry for her.
My parents' eyes were full of sympathy for her, but when they looked at me, all I saw was blame.
Now I was officially the bad guy in this family.
"Fine," I said.
Everyone stared at me in shock.
"I'll stay for two more days. Once Delilah's welcome party is over, I'm leaving," I added.
My dad looked pleased, a proud smile spreading across his face. "Now that's more like it, my good girl."
My mom smiled too, gently stroking Delilah's hair. "Don't worry, Delilah. Maeve's always been such a good girl."
I lowered my head, masking the bitter irony in my eyes.