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.The opportunity for the overseas assignment came through, and
my colleagues were all congratulating me.
Because once someone was selected for such a project, it usually meant a chance for a promotion.
But I didn’t tell them that I didn’t need this opportunity
anymore.
I was about to follow my mentor and join Doctors Without Borders.
Kyla and I worked at the same hospital, and when she saw the overseas assignment list, her eyes welled up with tears.
That evening, my parents cooked a big dinner for me.
At the dinner table, Dad spoke with guilt in his voice, “Sophie,
I owe you an apology. I saw the news about the flood. You must have been so scared back then.”
Mom’s eyes were also moist.
“Sophie, you don’t know how much it hurt me to see the scars on your body!”
They went on about how inadequate they were as parents.
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They said they shouldn’t have held a grudge against me for what happened all those years ago.
Then, they apologized and asked me to forgive them.
Their words were so heartfelt that I almost believed them.
But then, they quickly changed the subject.
“Sophie, we heard the overseas assignment opportunity at your hospital is up for grabs.
“Your sister almost got selected. You know, her biggest dream is to save lives and become a great doctor… So, would you consider giving her the opportunity instead?”
Seeing my darkening expression, Mom hurriedly added, “It’s not that we’re favoring your sister. After all, she’s been through so much. You should make it up to her. And you’re so capable, so a promotion is just a matter of time. But your sister… she doesn’t have the same opportunities…”
I could hardly believe what I was hearing.
I had already given up my parents‘ love to make it up to Kyla.
I had given up my fiancé for her.
Now, they were using the opportunity for a promotion to guilt–trip me.
Seeing that I didn’t say anything, Kyla suddenly kneeled in front
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of me, tears streaming down her face.
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“Sophie, I beg you. I really need this overseas assignment! I know you must be angry at me because of how Mom and Dad have favored me over the years, but I’m begging you!”
I let out a sneer.
“Alright, here’s the deal. If you kneel here for an hour, I’ll let you have the opportunity. How about it?”
Kyla stared at me, wide–eyed in shock.
Even my parents‘ expressions changed, and Dad raised his hand to slap me.
“Sophie, you ungrateful little brat! How could you treat your sister like this?”
I swiftly dodged.
“Mom, Dad, have you forgotten? When Kyla came back, you only listened to her side of the story and wanted to throw me out of the house. I was kneeling at the door, begging you not to leave me, and you said the same thing then.”
It was December, and I had been kneeling in the snow, my thin clothes doing little to protect me from the freezing cold. I had frozen completely, yet I kept banging my head on the ground, begging for their forgiveness, pleading for them not to abandon
- me.
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Meanwhile, the three of them sat in a warm room, enjoying a lavish meal.
If it hadn’t been for the fear that I might freeze to death and make a scene, they would have left me out there.
But the injustices I had suffered didn’t end there.
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“Mom, do you remember when Kyla fell into the water? You all thought I pushed her. I was on my period at the time, yet you threw me into the lake. Since then, every time I have my period, I’m in excruciating pain, and you thought I was pretending to be weak!
“During the college entrance exams, when my admission ticket went missing, you didn’t help me and blamed me for being careless. If the teacher hadn’t vouched for me, I wouldn’t have even made it to the exam hall! But later, when I found my
ticket in Kyla’s pencil case, you said she didn’t do it on purpose!
“When I was invited to give a speech as an outstanding graduate, and the school asked me to bring my parents, you agreed. But at the last minute, you chose to stay with Kyla, who was sick with a cold, and I became the laughing stock of the entire school.
“I’m also your biological daughter! After Kyla came back and said all those things, none of you cared to hear my side of the story. Was it really my fault she went missing?”
Tears fell onto the back of my hand.
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It was then that I realized I had been crying, my tears silently
streaming down my
