of the living room carpet, the scent of dust and my mother' s cheap air freshener filling my nose. I blinked, my vision slowly focusing on my younger sister, Chlo

ance, but it was the one

body. I remembered this day. This was the day I received the acceptance letter and the full scholars

been the begin

n the floor, heard my mother' s frantic sobs and my father' s a

ief. "Your sister is trying to kill herself because of you! She can' t handle th

me, his voice a smooth, co

mily needs you. I need you. What' s a sch

to create a bond of shared mediocrity. He promised we' d build a li

rings to get my scholarship transferred to Chloe. The art school, pressured by the stor

He had scored high enough to get into the same city university as Chloe. They left together, taking my dream and

ey came back one night. Not to apologize, but to silence me. They l

e and left my left leg twisted and useless. I was no longer the

town over. He was a widower who wanted a wife no one else would, someone to cook and clean and endure his drunken rages. My life became a

.. now I

hone, her voice choked with fake panic. "Yes, my daugh

. "That girl," he muttered, referring to me. "Always

There were no scars on my face. My leg was strong. I was seventeen agai

as having the desired effect. Her eyes met mine, and for a split secon

. I watched the scene unfold with a cold, detached calm that felt entirely new. The burning rage from my p

followed by Mark, who rushed to Chloe'

loe, wake up!" he cri

ey had concocted. It was all my fault. The scholarship, my t

dy. Everyone turned to look at me, their expr

digging into my skin. "Ava, look wh

n' t flinch. I didn' t cry. I simply looked at her, my eye

voice even

ine

parents, even Mark, who was in the

u say?" my f

s tear-streaked one, then to Mark' s feigned concern

can have it. The scholarship, the ac

ed. They had prepared for a fight, for tears and arguments they could use to

upposed to be unconscious,

ickly slumped back down, groaning as if

n. A slow, triumphant smile spread across Mark

e shifting from accusatory to cautiously hopef

aid. "On on

eir faces. My father folded

When they go for the university orientation. It was my dream school, after all. I just want

imental request. A final, pathetic ple

irl, and their arrogance blinded them. For them, my presence would be the ultimate symbol of

le. "Of course, Ava. That' s the least

ainst him, shooting me a look of pure, unadulterated contempt a

were

minor incident, the neighbors who had gathered outsi

e, Ava, she' s giving her bi

sister. Chloe

tious. It' s better this way, fo

ieve the lie. This time, I wouldn't be the one burning. I would be the one holding

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