Ten Years After Death

1
I had just returned to the country when I ran into my father and brother at the cemetery. It was the first time Id seen them in ten years.
They were there to visit the grave of my stepsister Melodys dog. I was there to leave flowers for my mother, who had been dead for just as long.
My father saw me, glanced behind me, and then sighed.
Here to visit your grandfathers grave? Wheres your mother? Its been ten years. Is she still angry?
The word mother was a blade in my heart. My hands clenched into fists, and a hot sting filled my eyes. But I remembered what shed told me before she died. I tilted my chin up, my voice flat.
No.
My brother, standing beside him, let out a cold snort. Not angry? Then why havent you come home? Do you have any idea how much time and energy Dad and I have wasted looking for you all these years?
I glanced at the collection of pet toys and supplies in their hands. A sharp, familiar pain throbbed in my calf. Im sorry, I said coolly, I have things to do. I dont have time for idle chat.
My brothers temper flared. Thats enough, Elara! When are you going to stop being so childish? Are you going to disown your own family now?
Family? The family they spoke of was something my mother and I had stopped needing a decade ago.
Elara, what happened back then it wasnt what you think
The color drained from my fathers face. He reached out as if to touch my hair, but I subtly stepped back.
His hand hung awkwardly in the air. A strange emotion flickered in his eyes as he looked at me. Noticing my gaze on the pet supplies he was holding, he gave a strained smile.
You know how much Melody missed that dog. She was worried he wouldnt be comfortable on the other side. So I just
My expression remained blank. I looked away, said nothing, and started limping past them up the cemetery path.
My fathers body stiffened when he saw my leg, his eyes instantly reddening.
Your leg
Its nothing. I cut him off, unwilling to continue the conversation.
But my cold, distant attitude infuriated my brother, Bobby. He moved to block my path, grabbing my arm.
I said, thats enough, Elara! Dont you know that because you and Mom left, the Thorne family became the laughingstock of our social circle?
If it werent for Melody being so exceptional, we would have lost our place in Seacliff Citys high society years ago!
My father tugged on my brothers sleeve. Bobby, thats enough, he said, his voice firm. This is your sister. Control your temper.
Bobby glared at me, his face dark with resentment.
My father fell back into his old habit of making excuses. Elara, your brother doesnt mean any harm. He just misses you and your mother so much. Please, come home. Were family, after all.
He nudged Bobby again. Bobby shot a look at me, then at our father, and finally turned his head away, his voice stubborn. If you and Mom come back together, youll still be my sister. We can still be a family.
Family?
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. Ten years ago, I might have yearned for that word. Now, it was just dust, buried along with my mother in the cold earth.
Theres no need. Please, let me pass.
I didnt want to say more. I moved to walk around them again.
Bobbys enraged voice followed me. Elara, stop right there! Do you have to be so petty?
If you hadnt been the one to get Melodys dog killed, Dad and I wouldnt have been in such a difficult position back then
I froze. My feet didnt move, but the deep, concave scar on my calf began to ache with a phantom pain.
It was from ten years ago, from the teeth of the dog Melody owned.
That year, the vicious animal had torn into my leg, leaving me bleeding profusely. My wonderful father and brother were only concerned with comforting a crying Melody. I was left lying in a pool of my own blood until a neighbor finally found me and took me to the hospital.
When I woke up, a chunk of flesh was missing from my calf. Ive walked with a limp ever since.
Shaking off the memory, I looked down at my throbbing leg. The pain was nothing compared to what it had been a decade ago. Just as my desperate craving for their love was nothing now. It was all meaningless.
Ignoring his outburst, I dragged myself forward. But he was relentless, chasing after me.
Elara, what is your problem? Dad and I are practically begging you. What more do you want?
Before I could answer, a figure stepped in front of me. I looked up. It was Clara, my senior from the academy.
Dont you dare raise your voice at Elara! She has nothing to do with you anymore, she snapped.
And for the record, the pet cemetery is over there. If youre here to mourn your precious mutt, youre in the wrong section. Stop your yapping here.
Her words hit Bobby like a slap. His face went pale with rage.
Who the hell are you? This is a conversation between me and my sister. Stay out of it.
Clara scoffed, her gaze shifting to my father, who had been silent in the background. Her voice dripped with sarcasm. Who am I? Im the one telling you to get the hell away from her. I wont say it again. Get lost.
She swung the tote bag she was carrying, and it hit the ground with a thud. Its contents spilled outa pile of old letters, and a faded photograph.
The moment I saw that photo, my eyes blurred with tears.
It was a portrait of my mother. Even faded, you could still see the breathtaking beauty that had once captivated a city. Twenty years ago, she was Sophie St. Claire, the toast of Seacliff Citys high society, adored by all.
But of all her suitors, she chose my father, a man with nothing to his name.
To marry him, she cut ties with her own family, sold all her jewelry, and gave him her entire dowry to start his business. The shock and grief of her defiance sent my grandfather to an early grave, and my mother became an outcast in her own family.
But her sacrifice paid off. My fathers business succeeded, launching him into the citys elite. She became the woman everyone envied. After my brother and I were born, his career soared. I was his little princess, spoiled and adored.
I thought that happiness would last forever. Until my tenth birthday.
My father promised hed be there, but he never showed up. The next day, he walked in with a mud-streaked woman named Sienna and her daughter, Melody. He said they were destitute, with nowhere to go, and that hed hired Sienna as a housekeeper.
My mother, with her soft heart, took them in and cared for them. But within a month, Sienna had crawled into my fathers bed.
The day my mother caught them, there was a terrible fight. In a fit of rage, my father officially adopted Melody.
My mother tried to leave with Bobby and me, but my brother pulled his hand away. Mom, stop making a scene! he yelled. Aunt Sienna is Dads childhood sweetheart! If it wasnt for you, they would have been together a long time ago. Cant you just look the other way?
That was the first time we understood the truth about Sienna.
From that day on, the smiles vanished from my mothers face. Our home became a war zone. If there was ever a new toy or a fresh piece of fruit, it went straight to Melody. My father, who once spent a fortune on a sapphire just to see my mother smile, now abandoned important meetings to rent out an entire amusement park for Sienna and Melody.
To help Melody fit in, my father enrolled her in my prestigious private school and made a massive donation. Instantly, she was surrounded by a crowd of admirers. She used the opportunity to spread rumors that I had stolen her rightful place as the Thorne family heiress, and that my mother was a homewrecker.
Overnight, I went from being cherished to being cornered in the girls bathroom. Melody and a group of boys poured buckets of filthy water over my head and threw rotting garbage at me.
This is what a little bitch like you deserves, Elara! she sneered, grinding her heel into my schoolbag.
Listen to me, she spat. Dad is mine. Bobby is mine. This house is mine! You and your shameless mother can get the hell out!
The cold, stinking water dripped through my hair, but the chill in my heart was far worse. My father, who once treasured me, now only had eyes for Melody. My brother, who once protected me, ignored my pain. My mother cried herself to sleep every night, the light in her eyes dimming day by day.
I had fallen from the clouds into the mud, and it was all because of his betrayal. His cruelty, my brothers blindness, and the venom of Sienna and Melody were knives twisting in my mothers heart and mine.
But the final blow was yet to come.
On the day of the national ballet competition preliminariesa competition I had fought tooth and nail to qualify formy father pulled me into his study. He demanded I give my spot to Melody.
Ballet was my dream. I had practiced relentlessly for eight years.
I refused. His face contorted with anger.
Elara, youre the older sister! Why cant you just let Melody have it?
The blood froze in my veins. Let her have it? I cried, tears streaming down my face. How much more do I have to give up? You know what this competition means to me! Why do you always choose her?
He faltered, a flicker of guilt in his eyes. Elara
He started to reach for me, but Melody burst into the room. She was wearing the beautiful, custom-made tutu my mother had spent a week sewing for me.
Something inside me snapped. I lunged at her, trying to rip the dress off, but my father pulled her behind him and slapped me across the face.
Im sorry, sister, I didnt mean to Melody whimpered. I was just so envious I know I dont deserve it. Ill take it off right now
My father wrapped his arms around her, cooing softly, his eyes burning with fury as he looked back at me.
What has gotten into you, Elara? You are a Thorne. Dont act like a hysterical shrew, just like your mother!
A shrew.
The kind, gentle father I once knew had become a monster. The home I had so desperately tried to hold together was crumbling. I stood there, a numb, broken puppet, until my mother appeared.
My sweet Elara, she whispered, her voice pulling me back from the edge. Youve been hurt
She held me, her body trembling with a mixture of sorrow and rage. She helped me to my room, and once I had calmed down, she marched back downstairs. I heard the loudest, most painful argument of their lives. Each shout was laced with heart-wrenching despair.
That night, my mother came back with red-rimmed eyes, packed our bags, and took me to a hotel.
When I woke up the next morning, she was lying on the floor. A river of blood flowed from her wrist, staining the carpet a deep, terrifying crimson. Her face was as white as a sheet.
Mom! Mom! I screamed, grabbing her icy arm. Please, Mom, dont scare me!
I scrambled out of the room, shrieking into the hallway. Help! Somebody help my mom!
They got her to the hospital in time, but I had no money. Trembling, I called my father. The moment he answered, I begged him through my tears. Dad, please, you have to save Mom! Shes shes dying
I could hear soft, intimate sounds on his end, and then Siennas syrupy laugh.
Fighting back nausea, I pleaded again. Dad, please, shes really not going to make it
The line went dead.
Desperate, I called my brother. The first thing I heard was Melodys sobbing, followed by Bobbys roar of fury.
Thats it, Elara! You bully Melody behind our backs all the time, but today you took it too far! I havent even dealt with you for that, and now youre calling me with more of your pathetic lies?
Aunt Sienna was right. You and Mom are just spoiled tyrants. If I ever see you hurting Melody again, dont blame me for disowning you as my sister!
Bobby, please, Mom is
The dial tone pierced my ear.
I collapsed onto a bench in the hospital corridor, a profound cold seeping into my bones. To save my mother, I did the only thing I could think of. I knelt in the emergency room and begged the doctors, slamming my forehead against the cold floor over and over until it was swollen and bleeding. Finally, they agreed to help.
Later, a doctor pulled me aside. Young lady, your mothers health is failing. Years of exhaustion and emotional distress she doesnt have much time.
It was then I learned that when my father started his business, my mother had worked day and night at odd jobs to support us, destroying her own health in the process.
But I was too young to understand what not much time meant.
Until the day she collapsed again. She held my hand, her voice a feather-light whisper.
Elara, dont hate your father and brother. Just live a happy life. Dance your ballet. Her breath hitched. Burn everything of mine. The photos, the clothes all of it. So you can live on, with nothing tying you down.
Then, her hand went limp.
But I still believed I could save her. In the middle of a torrential downpour, I ran back to the Thorne villa. I rang the bell for what felt like an eternity before the door finally opened.
It was Melody. She was wearing my favorite Elsa dress.
Look what the storm dragged in, she sneered. This look suits you. Perfect. A new toy for my dog.
She snapped her fingers. A massive dog lunged at me, its teeth sinking deep into my calf.
I screamed as blood poured down my leg, mixing with the rain. But all I could think about was my mother waiting for me. I bit down on the dogs neck with all my might. It yelped and collapsed.
Just then, my father and brother returned. Melodys face instantly crumpled into tears as she ran to our father.
Daddy! Bobby! Elara is terrifying! She just killed our dog!
My fathers eyes were filled with disgust. You wretched girl! You dare come back here and cause more trouble?
Throw her out, Bobby said coldly. And dont ever let her set foot in this house again.
They didnt ask about the blood soaking my clothes or the gash in my leg. They were my mothers last hope. I crawled toward them, my hand outstretched, about to grab my fathers pant leg.
Aah! Dont come near me! Melody shrieked. Shes a monster!
Instantly, they shielded her, and Bobby ordered the staff to throw me out. I looked at them protecting her, then at my bleeding leg, and the last flicker of hope died.
As the servants dragged me away, the great doors of the villa slammed shut, severing the final tie between me and that house. From that day forward, the Thorne family and I were finished.
Give me that picture! You dont deserve to touch it!
Claras shout pulled me back to the present. I looked up just in time to see Bobby wrestling with her over my mothers faded portrait. With a sickening rip, the photo tore in two.
As Bobby lunged again, his foot kicked the pile of letters on the ground. He bent down, picked one up, and tore it open. As he read, his expression froze.
Dad! Look at this! He thrust the letter at our father.
My father glanced at it dismissively, but as his eyes scanned the page, his face went deathly pale.

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