Chapter 8 - The Ultimatum
I pushed the apartment door open slowly, my heart hammering against my ribs.
Marcus stepped in front of me, shielding me as we entered the living room.
Sitting on our sofa, looking completely disheveled, was Stephanie.
She had ripped the IV tape from her arm, and her hospital gown was poking out from beneath a trench coat.
"How did you get in here?" Marcus demanded, pulling his phone out to call the police.
"Mom has a spare key for emergencies," Stephanie muttered, her eyes vacant and dark.
"Get out of my house, Stephanie," I ordered, pointing toward the door.
She didn't move.
Instead, she let out a hollow, broken laugh that sent chills down my spine.
"Derek served me with the papers an hour ago," she whispered.
"Mom and Dad are packing their bags to flee to Mexico because of the fraud charges."
I felt a brief flash of pity, but it was quickly swallowed by the memory of everything she had done.
"You did this to yourself," I told her firmly.
"You wanted to be the center of attention, and now you are."
Stephanie finally looked up at me, and I saw pure, unadulterated hatred in her eyes.
"You always thought you were so much better than me because you worked hard," she spat.
"But you don't know the real reason Mom always favored me, do you?"
I frowned, not wanting to get pulled into another one of her manipulative games.
"I don't care, Stephanie, just leave."
"She favored me because you aren't Dad's biological daughter!" Stephanie screamed.
The room went completely silent.
Marcus lowered his phone, looking between me and my sister.
"You're lying," I said, but my voice shook.
"Am I?" Stephanie mocked, pulling a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and throwing it on the coffee table.
"Mom had an affair before you were born, and Dad stayed just to keep up appearances."
I stared at the paper, which looked like an old medical document.
"That's why you were never really part of the family, Amanda," she smiled cruelly.
"You were just the mistake they were forced to raise."
My chest tightened as if all the air had been sucked out of the room.
Marcus walked over, picked up the paper, and read it carefully.
He looked at me, his eyes filled with a deep, tragic sorrow, and I knew she was telling the truth.
May you like
Suddenly, Stephanie lunged toward the kitchen counter where I kept my knife block.
"But if I lose everything, you don't get a happy ending either!" she shrieked.
