They Forgot My Name, They Forgot My Ticket, They Forgot Me Chapter 08

They Forgot My Name, They Forgot My Ticket, They Forgot Me Chapter 08

At the station, Yasmin was lying on the floor, thrashing and screaming.

Her hair was a tangled mess plastered across her face, her once-white pants covered in dust. A complete wreck.

“If you hadn’t messed up my birth parents’ information, they’d still be alive! You killed them–and now you’re coming after me too!”

Her voice was shrill. “You kept it secret for six years-why stop now? I finally had a family. I finally had happiness. And now you’ve destroyed all of it. What am I supposed to do now? How am I supposed to live?”

Her face was covered in tears and snot.

A female officer tried to help her up. Yasmin slapped her hand away. “Don’t touch me!”

Mom and Dad had to drag her out themselves.

On the way home, she kept crying into her hands. Mom’s heart twisted with pain despite

everything.

“Yasmin, if you’re willing to accept us as your parents, you’ll always be our daughter. We’re not telling you this to push you away. You have a right to know. You and Jocelyn are both our daughters -from now on, can you two try to get along?”

She sniffled, giving a quiet “Mm.”

Over the next year, my parents tried everything to find Jocelyn. They asked everyone they knew- no one had any idea where she’d gone.

They sold the old house and moved into a new three-bedroom. They gave Jocelyn the master bedroom-the one with the best light and its own bathroom-hoping to make up for the six years of

pain.

A year later, Yasmin packed a suitcase and said she wanted to go find her own path.

Mom took her hand. “Yasmin, I know we’ve neglected you this year. But Jocelyn still hasn’t contacted us, and your father and I are really worried about her.”

She held Mom’s hand back. “I’ve thought a lot this year. I was just so afraid of losing your love that I did those things-even though she never once fought back. Even my current job, Cedric helped me

take from her. I’m leaving because I need to find my own life. But in my heart, you’ll always be myy parents. Maybe if I go, she’ll finally be willing to come home.”

Cedric drove her to the station. “Take care of yourself.”

She nodded and walked toward the gate. Just before going through, she turned back.

“Cedric, I’m sorry. If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have left. Every time you were kind to me, saw the hurt in her eyes. I took everything from her. I’m really sorry.”

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. He forced a bitter smile.

He’d always known. He’d just never thought she would actually leave.

By now, I’d been at the research institute for exactly eight years.

I’d given myself a new name.

Jocelyn Vance-whose ambitions reach the heavens, whose wishes find their home. That was my parents’ blessing for their real daughter. Cedric was right-I shouldn’t have held onto it.

My name now is Aurora Vance. Aurora-it means dawn. A new beginning

I wish myself a bright road ahead.

On the eighth New Year, I decided to go back.

Not for family ties. I had debts to repay.

It was late when the plane landed. The cold wind cut against my face like a blade-but I didn’t mind. I’d spent six winters in that attic; I was used to it.

I had the address of their new place saved on my phone.

I didn’t go straight there. I met my cousin Vincent first.

At the bar, his boyish face had become a man’s. He raised his glass. “Jocelyn, Happy New Year.’

“Happy New Year.” I tossed it back.

He hesitated, then spoke after two more drinks. “Your parents have been looking for you all these years. After they found out Yasmin wasn’t their real daughter, they were consumed with regret. She left a year after you did-she only comes back for New Year now. Jocelyn, you…”

“It’s over.” I set down my glass. “I never hated them. There’s nothing to forgive. I understand why they wanted to make it up to their real child. We just can’t go back to the way things were.”

He didn’t push. We drank in silence.

Halfway through the bottle, a man walked toward me.