I Paid for My Adopted Sister’s Crime

1
My parents' adopted daughter led three teenagers to their deaths on a mountain.
And my parents framed me for it.
My father forced me to kneel before the victims' families and shattered my leg with a trekking pole, bone by bone. These are the legs she used to lead your children into danger, he declared. "I'll make sure she never climbs again!"
My mother officially disowned me. "Patty is destined to break world records," she said, her voice like ice. "She can't have a disgrace like you for a sister. Shes sacrificed so much for you over the years. It's time you paid her back."
Even my childhood sweetheart, Ethan, made me a promise. "Patty has nothing. If she had to take the blame for this, she'd fall apart. But you have me. No matter what happens, I'll wait for you."
"Those families just want someone to blame," hed whispered. "They wont let you go to prison. Once their anger cools, you can come home."
But to protect their precious Patty's reputation from the slightest blemish, he joined my parents in fabricating evidence, and together, they sent me to prison.
They lied to my face, telling me it was for my own protection, to keep me safe from retaliation.
They had no idea I had already given up on them.

The fluorescent lights of the bus station were blinding. I stood at the empty gate, then began the long, slow walk back to the house that was no longer a home.
On a massive screen in the city square, a news report played on a loop: Patty, breaking a world climbing record. In the video, my parents and Ethan stood in the crowd below, their faces ecstatic, cheering for her.
It seemed they had completely forgotten that today was the day I was released.
I walked for nearly three hours before I saw Ethan's car screech to a halt beside me. He must have remembered at the last minute.
He saw the unevenness in my gait and rushed over, grabbing my arm. "Clara, what happened to your leg? Did someone hurt you in there?"
I met his concerned gaze and felt a bitter laugh rise in my throat. "Weren't you the one who, along with my parents, was so worried about Patty's reputation that you sent me to prison before my leg had even healed?"
Because my injury was never properly treated, I would never be able to climb again.
Ethans eyes darted away, unable to meet mine. "We were just worried the victims' families would come after you," he mumbled. "That's why we did it. And even if even if there's a problem with your leg, I won't ever hold it against you. It'll be my turn to take care of you."
I didn't have the energy to argue. I pulled open the car door, but stopped when I saw Patty sitting in the passenger seat.
"What is she doing here?"
Ethan quickly shut the door. "Our friends are throwing a party to celebrate Patty's record. It it might be a little awkward if you came."
"Awkward?" I snapped. "The murderer gets to go, but the one who was framed can't? How is that not awkward?"
My words made him panic. He glanced nervously at Patty in the car, relieved when he saw she hadn't heard. He turned back to me, his expression hardening with disapproval. "Patty is still severely traumatized by what happened. Are you trying to push her over the edge by saying things like that?"
"Just get a cab home," he said, his tone dismissive. "I've already wasted enough time looking for you. I have to get Patty to her party."
With that, he got in the car and drove off, apparently forgetting that a person just released from prison doesn't have a single penny to their name.
It took another hour to walk home. By the time I arrived, a sharp, stabbing pain was shooting up my leg. I reached the front door and heard the sound of cheerful chatter from inside.
"Yes, Patty is so accomplished. It's a good thing we adopted her. I don't know what we'd do without her."
"Don't even mention Clara. We haven't had a single good night's sleep since she killed those kids. Patty was heartbroken, you know. She kept saying she wanted to take the blame for her sister."
I knocked on the door.
My mother opened it. The smile on her face vanished the moment she saw me.
"Why are you back now? Go wait outside. We have guests. Don't you dare embarrass us!"
Her words were merciless. As the door swung shut, I heard her explain to the relatives inside, "Oh, it's nothing. Just someone collecting for charity."
Later that night, when I was finally allowed in, my father greeted me with a slap that sent me sprawling to the floor.
"You knew today was a big day for Patty, and you still came back to ruin it! Would it have killed you to stay in there one more day? Because of you, we've become a laughingstock!"
My mother shot me a look of pure disgust, quickly snatching Pattys trophy off the mantelpiece as if my very presence might tarnish it.
"She definitely chose today on purpose. Patty has such a tragic past, and still, she bullies her. Why didn't they lock her up for longer?"

2
I had been hearing things like this ever since my parents adopted Patty. I was used to it.
I looked at them coldly. "Have you told these lies so often you've started to believe them yourselves? Don't forget, the person who got those kids killed was Patty."
As the words left my mouth, there was a thud from behind me.
My parents rushed to Pattys side, who had dramatically collapsed. "Don't listen to her, Patty," my mother cooed. "What happened back then was just an accident. It had nothing to do with you."
"Besides," my father added, glaring at me, "if Clara had just told you how dangerous climbing was, you never would have taken those kids. I think she wanted something to happen to you. It's not the first time shes tried to hurt you, is it?"
"Now get over here and apologize to your sister!"
Ethan looked at me with disappointment. "Clara, that was way out of line," he said coldly.
As he walked towards me, Patty grabbed his hand, her eyes welling with tears. "Mom, Dad, Ethan, don't blame her," she whispered pitifully. "She probably just got out and saw my success, and it made her feel inadequate. But I really did earn this on my own. It had nothing to do with the things you left behind."
"If it makes you feel better," she cried, "I don't need this trophy! I can leave this house, so I'm not a bother to you anymore."
With a dramatic flourish, she snatched the trophy from my mother's hands and smashed it on the floor before running out of the house.
"Patty!"
Ethan shoved me aside and ran after her. I stumbled and fell onto the shattered remains of the trophy. Shards of glass dug into my flesh, and I gasped from the sharp pain.
I had barely struggled to my feet when my father kicked the back of my leg. I collapsed again, my knees landing directly on the broken glass. An agony I could barely endure shot through me.
Blood quickly stained the floor, but my parents acted as if they couldn't see it. Without a shred of concern, my mother threw a tube of superglue at my feet.
"You can get up when you've glued that trophy back together. Otherwise, consider yourself no longer our daughter!"
Her words didn't even faze me. From the moment Patty entered our home, their hearts had belonged entirely to her.
After Patty's biological parents were arrested for their crimes, she was sent to an orphanage. She was smart and sweet-tongued, and my parents, who were patrons of the orphanage, decided to adopt her the first time they met.
At first, I felt sorry for her.
But on her second night with us, she deliberately cut my hand with a knife and then poured superglue into the wound. When my parents rushed in, she was the first to cry, throwing herself into their arms.
"I'm so sorry, Mommy, Daddy! I just saw Clara's hand was hurt, and I wanted to help her. It's all my fault! She has every right to be angry with me. Please, don't blame her!"
The wound on my hand burned like fire. I tried to explain what had really happened, but they didn't believe me. They decided I must have been trying to hurt Patty and injured myself by accident.
From that day on, no matter what happened between us, it was always my fault.
They even blamed me for the time their brakes failed while they were on a trip with Patty, convinced I had sabotaged the car.
I painfully pulled myself up from the floor, intending to clean my wounds. As I passed my parents' room, I overheard them talking.
"That trophy is smashed to pieces. Making her glue it is pointless. We're letting her off too easy."
"The trophy is just an excuse. I don't want her interrupting Patty and Ethan. You don't actually want to see Ethan marry that girl, do you?"
"Of course not. I wish she'd rot in there forever. She only makes Patty miserable when she's around."

3
The last fragile piece of my heart shattered. I went back to my old room, now occupied by Patty, and began gathering my things. As I was packing, a video on her phone caught my eye. It was an old recording of me on a difficult climb, years ago. She had posted it on her own social media account.
In the video, I was bundled up against the cold, my face completely covered. No one would recognize me. The comments section was flooded with praise for Patty.
"Wow, Patty was tackling mountains this dangerous years ago! No wonder she's my favorite!"
"It's a shame someone so amazing has a sister like that. She was so jealous of Patty's talent that she secretly took three teenagers on an illegal climb and got them killed."
"She killed three people out of sheer selfishness? How can she even live with herself?"
Soon, my personal information was leaked online. The internet exploded with hate. But amidst the bile, there were a few voices of reason.
"Could this be a misunderstanding? I seem to remember some climbers saying they saw Patty leading the three teens that day."
"I know Clara. She's a professional. She never climbs with others, let alone with inexperienced minors."
Just as these two comments started gaining traction, two familiar accounts posted lengthy replies beneath them.
"I am Patty and Clara's father. I can confirm that it was Clara who took those three children climbing. She did it to frame Patty, never imagining the consequences would be so dire. As her father, I am filled with regret. If I had known she would turn out like this, I wish she had never been born."
"I am Patty's mother. The only reason Clara knows anything about climbing is from stealing and studying Patty's notes and guides. It's been like this her whole life. Anything Patty wants, she has to steal!"
...
Reading my parents' words, twisting the truth and heaping filth onto my name to protect Patty, left me numb.
But what truly broke me was Ethan.
After being hurt by my parents time and time again, he had become the one person I trusted, the one person I cared about most. I told him everything. Even the video Patty had just postedI had only ever sent it to him.
Years ago, Ethan, an amateur climber, had been caught in a flash storm on a solo climb. It was pure chance that I was nearby. I risked my own life to save him. If I hadn't, he would have died on that mountain.
After he recovered, he latched onto me, following me everywhere, his eyes shining as he begged me to be with him.
"Clara, if you don't say yes, I'll follow you for the rest of your life!"
"I can see you're carrying a heavy burden. Let me help you carry it."
His persistence wore me down. I finally agreed to be his girlfriend, and I told him everything about my family. At first, he was my comfort, promising to build a real home with me, for me.
But somewhere along the line, he started getting closer to Patty. By the time I realized what was happening, the accident had occurred. Before I could even confront him, he had conspired with my parents to make me the scapegoat.
Seeing that video, any love I had left for him died.
Ethan came home late that night. When he saw my injuries, he rushed to my side. "How did this happen? I'm taking you to the hospital!"
I shook his hand off and stared at him, my eyes cold. "What's the deal with the video?"
He paled, realizing what I was talking about. "Patty was in a really bad state. You have no idea what that trophy meant to her. I only showed her the video to stop her from doing something stupid. Besides, you can't climb anymore. That stuff doesn't mean anything to you now."
"You're not me. How would you know what it means to me?"
My question seemed to spark a flicker of guilt in his eyes. He stepped closer, taking my arm again, his voice softening. "It was an emergency. I didn't have time to think. I promise, I'll take you to any mountain you want to see. We'll make new videos, better ones."
I looked into his earnest eyes, my mind a chaotic mess of emotions. Just then, my parents burst into the room.
"Ethan! Something's happened to Patty!"

4
Ethan dropped my hand and ran out of the room. My parents, halfway out the door, noticed I hadn't moved and shot me a furious glare.
"Your sister is in trouble, and you don't even care? I bet you had something to do with this!"
After spitting their venom, they hurried away.
I was just about to lie down when my phone rang. It was Ethan.
He was silent for a long moment before speaking, his voice heavy. "Clara, you need to get over here, quickly. There's new evidence in the climbing accident case. The injustice you suffered it can finally be cleared up."
I was skeptical, but the desire to clear my name was stronger. I went to the address he gave me.
When I arrived, Ethan was standing there, his head bowed, chewing on his lip.
Before I could ask what was going on, my father swung a trekking pole, striking my good leg. The crack of bone echoed in the quiet room. I collapsed, a wave of nausea and cold sweat washing over me as the agonizing pain hit.
Several familiar faces loomed over me. It was the families of the teenagers who had died. My mother's voice cut through the haze of pain.
"It was selfish of us to hide the truth. The fact is, Clara was jealous of Patty's success, and she deliberately took your children climbing to spite her."
A deathly chill spread through me. The scene from years ago was replaying itself.
Ethan knelt beside me, his voice a low, urgent whisper. "They thought the accident was just thatan accident. So after you went to prison, they let it go. But now, they've seen the news online, and they know it was intentional. They're furious."
"They couldn't find you, so they came for Patty. I was afraid something would happen to her, so I"
Tears blurred my vision. I looked up at him and laughed, a broken, hollow sound. "So you lured me here? To make me take the fall for Patty all over again?"
"You wretched girl, what nonsense are you spouting?!" my father roared. "You're the one who killed them! What does this have to do with Patty?!"
Before I could reply, he struck me again, this time across my back.
My mother cradled Patty in her arms, looking down at me on the floor with cold indifference. "You made your bed, now you have to lie in it. Are you trying to drag Patty down with you? Because of you, shes reliving that trauma all over again. If her condition gets worse, I'll never forgive you!"
Ethan gently wiped the sweat from my brow, his hand gripping mine tightly. "Just let them get their anger out, and then we can start a new life. No matter what, I won't leave you. I'll face this with you this time."
My father threw the trekking pole down in front of me. "None of this would have happened if you didn't cause so much trouble!"
My mother, clutching Patty, sobbed with rage. "Clara, do you have any idea how much Patty has suffered because of you? She finally has a chance at a bright future. Are you really going to destroy it?"
She has a bright future?
What about me? Am I supposed to live the rest of my life covered in this filth?
My questioning gaze made my parents look away, a hint of shame in their eyes. Ethan's eyes reddened.
"Clara, as soon as this is over, we'll get married," he promised.
At his words, Patty shot me a look of pure hatred before her eyes rolled back and she fainted in my mother's arms.
"Patty!"
Ethan's head snapped around. He saw Patty, limp and unconscious, and a look of conflict crossed his face.
"Ethan, you're the only one who can stop her from doing something drastic," my mother pleaded. "Please, come with us to the hospital."
"But" He glanced at me, hesitating for a moment before squeezing my hand. "They just want to know the truth. They won't actually hurt you. I'll be back for you soon. Patty needs me right now. I can't let anything happen to her."
I watched as Ethan and my parents disappeared, and I closed my eyes in utter despair.
When I opened them again, they were filled with ice.
I looked at the victims' families and smiled. "You want to know the truth of what happened that day?"

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