The Only Thing I Wanted Was A Place In The Family Album Chapter 07

The Only Thing I Wanted Was A Place In The Family Album Chapter 07

I hadn’t slept long when the vibration of my phone woke me up.

I had ignored Jonathan ever since I turned off my phone yesterday.

I only turned it back on when I got home.

He had called a lot. He left over a dozen messages.

[Amelia, did you really go back to Willow Creek?]

[Where are you? Can we talk? Get off the train, I’ll come find you!]

[I talked to Chloe. Mom and I are done listening to her. If you come back right now, you can come home immediately!]

[Amelia, please talk to me. I know you’re upset. I’m sorry…]

…

I skimmed through them but didn’t reply.

Then a new message came in.

[Mom’s blood pressure spiked again. It’s serious. She’s in the hospital.]

I stared at the message for a minute, then typed back.

[Is that my fault? I’ve only seen her a few times since coming to Fairhaven. Why blame me when she gets sick?]

The screen showed him typing for a long time.

Finally, his reply came.

[I’m sorry, Amelia. Mom getting sick isn’t your fault. It’s because of Chloe. I’ll send Chloe abroad. You’ll never have to see her again. Is that okay?]

I laughed bitterly and put down my phone.

Last year, I had suggested the exact same thing to Jonathan.

I said we could send Chloe to another country. The family had the money and the connections.

Once she had her own life overseas, maybe she wouldn’t mind my existence so much.

Worried he’d be upset, I promised I’d never try to keep Chloe away. Even if she only left for two months a year, I’d still treat her like family.

But what did Jonathan say then?

“Abroad? She’s still young. It’s not safe. Forget me, Mom would never agree to it. Don’t bring this up again. I won’t allow it.”

Now, I typed back, one word at a time.

[Stop calling me. Stop texting me. I’m not coming back.]

Before he could reply, I blocked his number.

The next few days were wonderfully peaceful.

Jonathan didn’t try to contact me again, and my phone was quiet every single day.

I bought two pigs and a few chicks.

Since it was summer, I planted a vegetable garden in the yard.

I kept busy. It wasn’t too tiring. It felt like the days right after my foster parents died.

But I never expected that two weeks later, Jonathan would track me down.

This time, Margaret and Chloe came too.

As soon as they got out of the car, Jonathan pushed Chloe toward me.

Chloe fell to her knees right there in front of me, sobbing, tears streaming down her face.

“Amelia, please forgive me. I swear I’ll never bully you again!”

“I’m the one who kept you from coming home. I used Jonathan and your mother’s love for me to get my way. I didn’t want you coming back to take everything I had.”

“I know I was wrong. I’ll go abroad. I’ll do anything, as long as this family will still have me!”

Her voice cracked. She was crying so hard her throat was raw. Gone was the arrogant girl from before.

I frowned deeply. “Who told you to come here?”

Chloe sniffled. “Don’t blame Jonathan or your mother. This is all my fault. They said if you didn’t forgive me, they’d kick me out of the Hart family and leave me to fend for myself!”

“Please, Amelia. I’m begging you. Please forgive me!”

“Then go fend for yourself.” I looked down at her, my voice cold.

Before, I had tried to win her favor, desperate to go home. But now I had given up on that idea. I wasn’t going to pretend anymore.

“Don’t try to guilt trip me. I don’t care if you jump off a roof or get kicked out. It has nothing to do with me.”

Chloe was shocked by my change. Her eyes widened.

I looked at Margaret and Jonathan. “And you two. Showing up at my home without my permission is trespassing. I can call the police.”

Margaret went pale. She ran over and grabbed my hand.

“Amelia, I know you hate us. But we’re still family. You’re my daughter. You have my blood in your veins. You can’t just cut us off like that.”

I looked at her coldly and pulled my hand back.

“Family? Then what were those three years I spent in the suburbs? What kind of family leaves their own daughter on the outside for three years and won’t let her come home?”

Margaret froze. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. Her eyes reddened.

I turned my back to them.

“Just go. Don’t come back here again.”