The Only Thing I Wanted Was A Place In The Family Album Chapter 03

The Only Thing I Wanted Was A Place In The Family Album Chapter 03

Jonathan came for me right after my foster parents passed away.

I had suddenly lost everything and barely managed to get through the funeral on my own, physically and emotionally drained.

In my most vulnerable moment, he appeared like a savior.

His eyes were red when he told me I was actually a Hart.

“Amelia, come back with me. Mom and Dad are waiting for you.”

“You’ve suffered too much here. How could you have lived like this all these years…”

I weighed barely seventy pounds then, malnourished. He pulled me into his embrace.

His hands shook and his voice was hoarse. “I’m sorry I came so late. I’m sorry you had to go through so much pain.”

I was frozen, completely overwhelmed. Jonathan was so tall, so sophisticated.

Holding me, he looked so clean and perfect, I felt like I was dirtying him just by being touched.

I was terribly insecure, but I couldn’t deny the thrill of that blood connection.

I saw him as my salvation and followed him back to Fairhaven.

But he didn’t take me home. Instead, he settled me in a small house in the suburbs.

“There’s another girl in the family. She doesn’t want you to come back. She throws tantrums, even threatened to jump off the roof.”

“Wait a little longer, Amelia. Let me talk to her, get her used to the idea.”

To appease me, he brought my biological mother to see me.

The elegant, wealthy woman cried the moment she saw me. “Amelia… you’ve grown so much. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry!”

Like Jonathan, she held me, her voice choked with emotion. “Just wait a little longer. I’ll convince Chloe, I promise!”

I hesitantly hugged her back. “Okay. I’ll wait.”

My mother smiled, relieved, and patted my head. She pulled a bank card from her pocket.

“Spend this money however you want. You can’t come home yet, but you’ll get the same allowance as Chloe!”

Flustered, I tried to refuse, but she forcefully tucked it into my pocket.

“Alright. I’ve been out too long. Chloe will get suspicious. I’ll come see you again. We’ll have dinner together, okay?”

I nodded vigorously. “Okay. Thank you.”

But that “wait” lasted three years.

Every time I mentioned coming home during those three years, Jonathan would sigh. “Let’s talk about it in a few days.”

At first, he was nice about it. But once he realized I had no temper, that I wouldn’t throw fits like Chloe, he got impatient.

“Aren’t you lacking for anything? Why do you have to come home right this second?”

“Do you know how much pressure I’m under to come see you? I can barely keep it a secret from Chloe.”

I couldn’t understand. “Why do I need her permission to go to my own home? You and Mom have to sneak around to see me. Am I really a Hart or not?”

Jonathan’s face darkened. “You are my biological sister, of course you’re a Hart. But we have feelings for Chloe too. Are we supposed to just let her jump off a roof?”

I fell silent.

Seeing my unhappiness, he sighed and took my hand helplessly.

“Don’t worry. You’ll get to come home eventually. When Chloe lightens up, I’ll have you two meet. Try to be friends with her. Once she likes you, she’ll accept you.”

I never imagined that coming back to my own family would be so difficult.

That was the first time since coming to Fairhaven that I felt homesick. I missed my foster parents.

Now, I finally gave up on the idea of rejoining the Harts completely.

“No more drama,” Jonathan said in the hallway, gripping my arm. “Go back in there and look happy. It’s your birthday.”

I let him lead me back into the lounge. Our friends had already set up the cake.

Chloe was drinking in a corner and looked away when I came in.

I was pushed into a seat. Someone next to me said, loud enough for everyone to hear, “Amelia won that round, didn’t she? The deal was the winner gets to make a demand from Jonathan.”

Probably worried I’d bring up the legal recognition again, Jonathan said flatly, “I only said that to make Chloe happy. The second round doesn’t count.”

I didn’t say anything. The girl next to me stuck candles in the cake and gave an awkward laugh.

“Hurry and make a wish, Amelia. It’s almost midnight.”

I smiled slightly and pressed my hands together. “I want a home.”

The wine glass slipped from Chloe’s hand and shattered on the floor.

“So you’re doing this on purpose! Just because it’s your birthday, you think you’re so special!” she screamed at me, then spun around and ran out of the lounge.

Jonathan shot me a furious glare, then got up and chased after her.

His other friends looked at each other uneasily and then left, one after another.

Soon, I was alone in the lounge.

I picked up a knife and a plate and cut three slices of cake.

I placed two slices on opposite seats, and kept one for myself.

“Mom, Dad, it’s really sweet. I’m coming home to you tomorrow.”

With that, I ate the entire slice of cake by myself.

Then I pulled out my phone and booked a train ticket back to Willow Creek for the next day.