Chapter 3 - The Forgotten Daughter
I stared at the folded paper in my father's hand.
"What is that?" I asked.
Mark unfolded the heavy, yellowed parchment.
He didn't look like a father anymore.
He looked like a cornered animal willing to bite.
"You were never our flesh and blood, Sarah."
The congregation erupted into chaos again.
My brain couldn't process the words.
I looked at my mother, desperate for a denial.
Linda just covered her face with her hands.
"We adopted you when you were four," Mark sneered.
"You were a charity case from a broken home in foster care."
"When Emily was born, we finally had a real daughter."
"You were supposed to look after her."
"It was your job to protect her, even from her own mistakes."
Tears spilled over my scarred cheeks.
My entire life was a fabricated lie.
The love I thought I had earned was never real.
I was just a shield they bought to protect their biological child.
Margaret knelt beside my wheelchair.
Her hands were warm as they held mine.
"You don't have to listen to this poison anymore," she said gently.
"I am taking you home with me."
Daniel walked down the aisle and stood beside his mother.
"My mother is right, Sarah."
"You are leaving this toxic family behind today."
Mark laughed maliciously.
It was a sound that made my skin crawl.
"She can't leave with you."
He waved the adoption papers in the air.
"If she walks out those doors, I cut off her medical trust fund."
"Without that money, she can't afford the skin graft surgeries she desperately needs next month."
My chest tightened in panic.
I needed those surgeries to stop the chronic pain in my legs.
Mark smiled darkly.
"Stay here, Sarah, or you lose everything."
Margaret stood up slowly.
May you like
A terrifying smile touched the corners of her mouth.
"You made a fatal miscalculation, Mark."
