After My Death, the Whole Family Began to Love Me
Chapter One
The doctor told me I had late–stage
pancreatic cancer. I swear, I almost kissed
him right there.
All because I was the long–lost real daughter
of the Miller family. But on my wedding day,
the adopted daughter, Sarah, jumped off the
Golden Gate Bridge.
Just like that, Sarah became the family’s
precious angel, and I, the actual flesh and
blood, became the villain who killed her.
My parents cursed the day I was born,
wishing it had been me who died.
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My brother, Tom, forced me to kneel at
Sarah’s grave and beg for forgiveness.
Even my husband, Nick, would get caught up
in the moment and call out her name when we
were intimate.
Turns out, family and bloodlines don’t mean a
thing. I was always going to be the outsider.
The doctor’s voice snapped me back. “Ms.
Miller, you have about a month left.”
Well, isn’t that just perfect? You guys finally
won’t have to look at me anymore, and I’m
finally free.
But why are you all crying?
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- 1.
I went straight to my parents‘ house from the
hospital.
Since I was kicking the bucket soon, I figured
I should grab whatever was rightfully mine
before it was too late.
But when I walked in, I saw my mom sobbing
on the couch, and my dad patting her back,
trying to comfort her.
The second he saw me, his comforting act
turned into a look of pure disgust.
“What are you doing here? Did you come to
make us miserable?”
“You know today’s Sarah’s birthday Did you
“You know today’s Sarah’s birthday. Did you
come back just to ruin it?”
“Laura, I can’t believe your mother and I
raised you to be such a terrible person! So
spiteful and ungrateful!”
Hearing his words, I finally understood why
Mom was crying.
It was Sarah’s birthday, huh? What did that
have to do with me?
I looked at them. “I’m just here to pick up a
few things. I’ll be out of your hair soon.”
Mom grabbed a mug off the coffee table and
threw it at me, her voice full of hatred.
“Didn’t you hear your father? It’s your sister’s.
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birthday! Don’t you have anything to say to
her?”
“It’s been two years, two whole years! You
drove her to her death, and you stand there
like nothing happened!”
“I wish you were the one who was gone! Why
did you have to come back? Bring my Sarah
back to me! Give her back!”
The mug slammed into my forehead. In
seconds, warm blood was trickling down my
face.
Dad wrapped his arms around Mom, who was
getting hysterical. “Just grab your stuff and
- go. Don’t upset your mother any more than
you already have.”
<
I wiped the blood off my face, feeling nothing
but contempt.
My existence was a trigger for my own
mother?
When I was four, Mom took me to Disneyland,
and somehow lost me.
I wasn’t found and brought back to the
Miller’s until three years ago, when I was
twenty–two.
I still remember that day vividly.
I stood awkwardly in this massive, fancy living
room. Sarah was sitting on the couch,
dressed like she’d been pampered her whole
life. Even her hair looked perfect.
Seeing me staring at Sarah, Dad nervously
explained, “Laura, this is your sister, Sarah.”
“After you disappeared, your mother couldn’t
eat or sleep. She cried every day, looking for
you for six months. We couldn’t find you
anywhere, so we adopted Sarah from the
orphanage.”
“If it weren’t for Sarah, your mother probably
wouldn’t be alive today. But now you’re back,
and we’re finally a family again.”
Before I could say anything, Sarah’s eyes
filled with tears, and she said, choking back
sobs, “Laura, do you not like me? I’m sorry, I
didn’t mean to take your place.”
She looked at Mom and Dad.
“Mom and Dad, as much as I love you, I can’t
be the Miller’s daughter anymore, now that
Laura’s come home.”
“I don’t want to ruin your relationship with
Laura.”
“Thank you for taking care of me all these
years. I was an unwanted orphan, and the
eighteen years I stole from Laura were
enough for a lifetime.”
