The Game They Played, The Life I Lost Chapter 05

The Game They Played, The Life I Lost Chapter 05

At 11 p.m., Ethan glanced at his watch.

His face was tight with irritation.

“We should head back. It’s late. Tara’s still waiting.”

Serena admired her freshly done manicure, taking her time.

“Relax. Tara’s probably just now starting to cry. We can go later.”

Mom and Dad nodded.

“Serena’s right.”

“She’s been playing the Invisible Game long enough. She’s learned not to mind by now.”

Ethan nodded, deciding that made sense.

After all, I’d always been soft-hearted. Easy to appease.

He’d broken plenty of promises before, and I’d never held it against him.

One more time wouldn’t hurt.

But before long, the phone started ringing off the hook.

Every call came from relatives and friends.

“What’s going on, Mr. Thompson? Not one of you has shown up. What kind of hosts leave their guests sitting here like this?”

“Exactly! We’ve been waiting since morning. We haven’t seen the bride.”

—

or the groom!”

Mom, Dad, and Ethan shot to their feet.

“No one’s there? Where’s Tara?”

“She’s the whole point of today. There’s no way she wouldn’t show up!”

On the other end, Mrs. Cooper snatched the phone.

“I don’t know what happened, but Tara never showed.”

“Get over here right now.”

Ethan’s stomach dropped. He quickly sent me a text.

A bright red exclamation point popped up.

All three of them tried. Same result for every single one.

“Tara actually blocked us? How dare she…”

Shock filled their voices.

They rushed to the hotel as fast as they could.

The venue manager approached them.

“Are you Miss Thompson’s family?”

“Yes, yes! Where is she?”

The manager held out a sealed envelope.

“She asked me to give you this before she left.”

—

When Dad opened it, everyone went still.

The color drained from their faces.

It was a paternity test.

Black ink on white paper.

It confirmed Dad and I were biological father and daughter.

Ethan looked confused.

“Mr. Thompson, what does this mean?”

Mom and Dad stood frozen, the blood slowly leaving their faces.

After a long moment, Dad finally spoke, his eyes red.

“Tara… she really is my daughter.”

Mom slammed her hand on the table, her face full of old pain.

“I told you. I told you years ago. You were always so paranoid, and you wouldn’t believe me.”

“You kept suspecting me of being with someone else. You were too scared to get the test done back then, and your fear ruined Tara’s life from the moment she was born.”

Even Serena stood there, staring in shock.

So the Invisible Game wasn’t just a childish whim from my sister.

It started because, before Mom got pregnant with me, she and Dad had a huge fight.

—

One day after work, Dad saw a male coworker drop Mom off at home.

Two weeks later, Mom found out she was pregnant.

But back then, marriages were held together with duct tape and denial.

They already had two kids. Divorce wasn’t an option. They just had to make it work.

But that suspicion buried itself in Dad’s chest like a splinter.

He kept swinging back and forth—was I his daughter or wasn’t I?—drinking too much, picking fights.

Under that suffocating cloud, everyone silently agreed to treat me as the extra one.

So they let Serena play her absurd game, over and over.

It made everyone feel better.

Everyone except me.

Dad wiped his eyes and carefully folded the paternity test.

“Let’s go. We’re going to find Tara and apologize.”

“We’re the ones who wronged her. Not the other way around.”

Mom nodded immediately.

“Yes. We’ll bring Tara home. From now on, no one ignores her.”

Ethan snapped out of it and grabbed his keys.

—

“Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, I’m coming with you. I’ll find Tara.”

Only Serena stayed put, arms crossed, refusing to move.

She didn’t follow them.