I Moved 1,500 Miles Away, Now You Can Favor Her Openly Chapter 01

When I was eight, my twin sister, Chloe Reed, accidentally pushed me into an icy river.

It left me nearly deaf in my right ear.

After that, Chloe was no longer the family favorite.

Our dad, Gregory Reed, cut off her monthly allowance.

Our mom, Diane Reed, stopped taking her shopping for pretty dresses.

Our older brother, Mason Reed, never said another word to her.

And my childhood sweetheart, Ethan Cole, was cold to her and saved all his tenderness for me.

For ten years, they punished her by freezing her out.

Then, the summer we graduated from high school, Chloe knocked me into a swimming pool to get her hands on my concert ticket.

This time, I didn’t let it go. I called the police.

But Diane snatched my phone away, her eyes red, and screamed at me.

“Are you trying to ruin your sister’s life?”

“It’s been ten years. Hasn’t she paid enough?”

“Hannah, you only lost the hearing in one ear, but your sister lost ten years of being loved!”

Mason backed her up, his face tight with irritation.

“We’ve spent ten years trying to make things right with you. We don’t owe you anything anymore!”

Even Ethan, who had grown up with me and was now my boyfriend, looked at me pleadingly.

“Hannah, I’ll save up and buy you the best cochlear implant there is. Please don’t blame her. Don’t make her live with the guilt for the rest of her life.”

But this second fall had taken my left ear too, the only good ear I had left.

I couldn’t even hear myself cry anymore.

I told them to get out.

Hollis University had sent me an offer, and I took it.

I bought a one-way ticket to a city 1,500 miles from home.

From then on, they wouldn’t have to pretend in front of me that they didn’t love her.

*****

On the day I was discharged from the hospital, Ethan drove, and Gregory and Diane sat in the back.

Diane looked at my pale face and sighed, and a trace of weariness crept into her voice as she tried to soothe me.

“Hannah, we already gave Chloe a real talking-to about the ticket.”

“She knows she was wrong. She locked herself in her room and cried all day. She didn’t even eat. Can’t you let it go?”

So that was their idea of teaching her a lesson.

It was absurd, but I couldn’t even work up any anger.

Gregory spoke up sternly. “Hannah, you’re the older one. Would it kill you to give your sister a break? You know he’s her favorite singer.”

He was my favorite singer too.

The ticket was a reward from my college counselor because I had the highest SAT score in the whole school.

Gregory and Diane probably still had no idea.

Only minutes before, I had gotten a confirmation email from Hollis University.

[Hannah Reed, your enrollment is confirmed. Please report for freshman orientation in fifteen days.]

In fifteen days, I would leave that city for good.

So I let it all go.

I didn’t want justice anymore, and I didn’t want to hear any more of their clumsy lies.

“I won’t press charges against Chloe.”

I would count it as my way of repaying Gregory and Diane for raising me.

Once they had my word, Gregory and Diane looked thrilled, and even Ethan, behind the wheel, smiled.

Back home, over dinner, Gregory took the chance to make an announcement.

“Hannah and Chloe are both adults now. Whatever happened over the last ten years, we’re calling it even. From now on, this family treats both our girls the same.”

Ethan pulled out my chair for me.

“Hannah, you can’t pick on Chloe in this house anymore.”

They knew exactly how to pin the blame on me.

I had never once picked on Chloe.

I had believed that even if they played favorites, they would at least feel a little guilty toward me.

Mason brought out a fancy cake. “Chloe bought this for you to say sorry.”

It was an orange mousse cake.

Its sugary smell hit me right away.

I didn’t take it.

Across the table, Chloe’s eyes went red at once.

“Hannah, is it because I got a cheap one?”

“I’m sorry. My allowance was cut off for ten years, so this was all I could afford…”