Betrayed by My Childhood Love novel · Chapter 4 of 32

Chapter 4: Not Your Daughter

"You don't mean that," I said.

"I have never meant anything more." My mother picked her phone back up. "We took you in. We gave you this house, this school, our name. And you've spent five years acting like we kidnapped you."

"You did take me. You didn't ask."

"You were thirteen. You didn't get a vote."

She walked past me toward the kitchen.

At the doorway she turned.

"Annika's Thornbury party is Saturday. Half of Highland Park is coming. You'll be there, you'll smile, and you'll call Rice on Monday and tell them you've changed your mind."

"And if I don't?"

"Then you can pack."

My father was in his study with the door open.

He'd heard every word.

He turned a page of his newspaper.

All week, nobody in that house said my name.

Annika floated around in a Thornbury sweatshirt with the tags still on.

On Wednesday I passed her in the upstairs hall.

"I really hope you come Saturday," she said. "It would mean so much to Mom."

"She's your mom," I said. "You make her happy."

Her smile didn't move at all.

"I always do," she said.

On Saturday a white tent went up on the back lawn.

There were string lights in the live oaks and a jazz trio by the pool.

I stayed in my room and packed.

Everything I owned that mattered fit in one duffel bag.

Work boots. Jeans. My Galveston T-shirts. Gran's old socket set in its dented red case.

The folded paper with Lyndon's signature, which I'd started carrying everywhere.

I left the pearls my mother gave me for my sixteenth birthday on the dresser.

I left my car keys too, and then I picked them back up.

Gran and I had paid for that Honda with my summer money from the docks.

At eight o'clock the party was loud enough to hear through the floor.

← Chapter 3 · All chapters · Chapter 5 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend