The Four Dolls Who Replaced My Family Chapter 06

The Four Dolls Who Replaced My Family Chapter 06

A small group stood outside the door.

The woman in front was holding a microphone. Behind her stood a camera crew.

Mrs. Sterling blinked.

“Can I help you?”

The woman smiled.

“Hi, we’re from the local news. We’re here to interview Eleanor Sterling.”

“Is she home?”

Mrs. Sterling’s expression froze.

Behind her, every head in the living room turned.

Mr. Sterling frowned.

“Interview Eleanor? For what?”

The reporter hesitated, clearly caught off guard.

“You haven’t heard?”

“Eleanor scored a 1520 on her SAT. She’s one of this year’s top scorers in the state.”

“We reached out to her school, but they said she wasn’t on campus.”

So we came here.

The living room fell dead silent.

The hair clip slipped from Bella’s fingers and clattered to the floor.

Mrs. Sterling opened her mouth, but no words came.

1520.

One of the top scorers in the state.

The words hit the room like a blow.

They’d always known Eleanor was smart. They’d always known her grades were good.

But none of them had imagined this.

When Tristan got into Wellington, he’d barely made the cut. Just like Bella.

But Eleanor?

A 1520. One of the top scorers in the state.

Tristan took it the hardest.

He’d never been able to admit that Eleanor was better than him.

He would grind through one problem for an hour. Eleanor would glance at it and write down the answer.

The awards he fought for, Eleanor picked up without breaking a sweat.

When their parents praised him, he felt like he actually mattered.

But whenever Eleanor was in the room, all that praise felt hollow.

So, bit by bit, he’d drifted toward Bella too.

Bella was slower. Softer.

She needed him to explain things, needed him to take care of her.

With Bella, he could always be the impressive one.

Julian hadn’t said a word. His hand tightened around his phone.

No one knew better than Julian how brilliant Eleanor really was.

And the more he saw it, the harder it became to stand beside her.

Beneath all his feelings for her lay a quiet, bitter truth he’d never admit: He wasn’t enough.

Eleanor burned too bright.

Standing beside her sometimes felt like staring straight into the sun.

Then Bella came along.

She’d look up at him with wide eyes after asking the easiest questions and tell him he was so smart.

Being needed like that went straight to his head. It made every promise he’d ever made to Eleanor feel very far away.

The reporter was still waiting.

“Is Eleanor available for an interview?”

“We also heard she didn’t apply to Wellington or North Crest.”

“That’s a pretty unusual choice for someone with her scores. Where did she end up going?”

Mrs. Sterling snapped out of her daze. Her voice came out strained.

“She… she went to a school in Oakhaven.”

The reporter paused.

“Oakhaven?”

She glanced down at her notes, choosing her words carefully.

“According to her school, Eleanor didn’t accept any offer in Oakhaven.”

“Her counselor, Ms. Vance, said she wasn’t at liberty to share where Eleanor actually went. They’re respecting her privacy.”

Mr. Sterling’s face drained of color.

“What do you mean? She didn’t choose Oakhaven?”

The reporter took a step back.

“We’re… not sure either.”

“That’s actually why we came here. We were hoping the family could tell us.”

Mrs. Sterling fumbled for her phone and called Eleanor again.

The same automated voicemail played.

“The person you are trying to reach is not available.”

The catering menus, the venue photos, Bella’s acceptance letter spread across the table. Five minutes ago, all of it had felt like a celebration. Now it looked almost obscene.

The reporter read the room.

She lowered the microphone.

“We’ll… reach out another time.”

The door clicked shut. Mrs. Sterling’s phone slipped from her hand and hit the floor.

She stared at the screen, every message still unanswered, and whispered,

“Where did Eleanor go?”