They Erased Me, So I Rewrote My Life Chapter 03

They Erased Me, So I Rewrote My Life Chapter 03

Family dinner began.

More accurately, it was a campaign meeting.

When I walked into the dining room with my backpack slung over my shoulder, everyone stopped talking.

On the large screen mounted on the wall, Father’s campaign manager was playing the latest family promo video. It was beautifully cut, full of family gatherings, charity events, and tender father-daughter moments.

On the screen, a blond little girl blew out candles at a birthday party while Father and Mother clapped beside her.

It was Savannah.

She was wearing the blue dress I had worn when I was five, standing on the lawn of my family’s old estate.

My childhood had been repurposed for her story.

Savannah was sitting in my usual seat. When she saw me, she immediately offered a cautious smile.

“Eliza…”

“You wrote me out of the family story,” I said.

My voice wasn’t loud, but the dining room fell silent.

Father frowned. “Eliza, we’re in a meeting. Watch your tone.”

The campaign manager quickly jumped in. “Eliza, this is just the first cut. We wanted to highlight Savannah’s growth story first. It helps with the campaign. Your feature will be handled separately—”

“Don’t bother,” I cut him off.

I walked to the doorway and set my backpack on the floor.

Then I turned and looked at every “family member” in the room.

“I applied to the University of Oregon on my own. I’ve already received a provisional offer.”

The air went still.

Father shot to his feet, the chair legs scraping harshly across the floor.

“Oregon? A place like that? Do you know how the media will interpret this? Do you have any idea what this means for me?”

“All I know,” I said, meeting his gaze, “is that I don’t want to stay here.”

Mother’s face went pale. “Darling, we only want what’s best for you. If you stay here, you’ll have the best arrangements—”

“You’re not arranging things for me. You’re arranging things for the Walton name.”

I glanced again at the rewritten childhood flashing on the screen.

“I don’t want to appear in this version anymore.”

Ethan stood, too, his voice tight with urgency. “Eliza, what are you talking about? We’re a family.”

“We’re not.” I looked at him, then at everyone else in the room. “We’re more like a campaign project.”

At last, my gaze landed on Savannah.

Panic flickered across her face, and her eyes began to redden.

I picked up my backpack and walked out of the dining room.

Behind me, I heard Savannah’s muffled sobs and Father’s angry voice snapping at Ethan.

“I told you to keep an eye on her! And this is the result?”

But to me, those sounds were just noise now.