12
“Stomach cancer? If she really has stomach
cancer, I’ll eat this piece of paper!”
“What did the old woman give you? She’s
dead now! Don’t think we’ll believe you just
because you nurses are helping her trick us!”
<
because you nurses are helping her trick us!”
I woke up to a lot of noise. It took me a long
time to open my eyes.
Dead?
Who was dead?
Grandma wouldn’t be. It was just a dream. I
just needed to sleep a little longer.
But I couldn’t sleep. If it was true, why
couldn’t I cry?
Maybe it was because my hand, which was
out of the covers, was shaking out of control.
<
Mom rushed in, demanding, “Did you conspire
with your grandmother? Did you fake the
stomach cancer so you wouldn’t have to
transfer the shares to Amy?”
“Ashley, tell Mom it’s all a lie. Is it?”
“What happened to you in the slums? Why did
someone say I’d regret it?”
I shrank back, confused.
“If I told you, would you believe me?”
“Yes! Mom would believe you!”
She sounded so certain.
r
She didn’t suspect me of lying?
It was strange. Mom was acting like she used
to, before Amy.
Jake interrupted. “Mom! Why would you
believe her? She hasn’t learned a thing. She’s
in cahoots with Grandma to trick us and take
the Smith shares. She’ll get even more
outrageous once Amy’s gone!”
“Shut up!”
Mom snapped.
“You’re the last person who can say anything
about your sister!”
<
Jake froze. Amy, who had just arrived, also
stopped.
I didn’t react to their argument at all.
Then Dad rushed in, dragging Mom out.
“Have you gone crazy? Do you want what
happened back then to destroy your son?”
“But Ashley’s innocent!”
Mom realized what she was saying. She
looked at me, then at Jake, who was silent.
She covered her mouth and cried.
<
She covered her mouth and cried.
Like there was too much she couldn’t say.
Did they know about what had happened
back then?
But I didn’t want to guess anymore. Six years
of torture… even the one person who’d kept
me going was gone. I was an empty shell.
