Their Forgotten Daughter

Chapter 9

From the crowd, I watched my parents and brother, a satisfied smirk curling my lips. Isabella had believed that without me, she would finally be the golden child. During the break, she clung to Dad's arm like a vine. "Mom, Dad, Daniel, I'm so happy you came to watch me."

On the podium, Isabella held up her gold medal with a radiant smile. Facing the cameras, she cooed, "I owe this victory to my wonderful family. I want to be their pride forever—their perfect daughter and sister!" The sight of her basking in glory made my stomach churn. Her joy was built on my suffering. How could she push me into hell while standing in the spotlight, adored by everyone?

Murmurs spread through the audience. "Wasn’t her sister the one who died recently? Such a tragedy, but she’s so talented." "I heard her sister got involved with the wrong crowd—some messy love triangle gone wrong." Isabella heard them too, but her grin only widened, as if my death was her ultimate triumph.

Then, without warning, police officers approached her. Her smile froze. "There must be a mistake! I just won the championship!" My brother scoffed, "No mistake. A medal doesn’t cover up a rotten heart."

At the height of her victory, Isabella’s mask was torn away. She gasped, eyes wild. "What proof do you have? Mom! Dad! Daniel’s lost his mind!" My mother’s voice was quiet but firm. "Nathan gave us a recording. We’ve heard everything."

Every cruel word Isabella had ever spoken—telling me to die, calling our parents worthless—had been captured. Nathan smirked as he revealed the recorder. "Know why I let that girl go? I wanted you to suffer, knowing the daughter you loved murdered your real one."

Isabella’s face drained of color as she collapsed to her knees. My mother, trembling with fury, struck her. Seeing no remorse in Isabella’s eyes, my father demanded, "We treated you like our own. Even after Evelyn came back, we never favored her over you. Why would you do this?"

Hatred burned in Isabella’s gaze. "I was just a placeholder. Once she returned, I wasn’t needed. You’re the fools for trusting me over your real daughter."

Daniel exhaled sharply. "Mom and Dad gave you everything. More than they ever gave Evelyn. The problem was always you."

Isabella was dragged away, her medal still gleaming. On the day of her sentencing, my family laid flowers on my grave. In prison, her cellmates despised her—a murderer who killed the daughter of the family that took her in. They tormented her daily, forcing her to run errands, sneering, "A champion like you should love staying active, right?"

At home, Dad spooned soup for Mom. "Open up, sweetheart." But Mom’s eyes were empty, lost in a fog of grief. She couldn’t accept that the daughter she’d loved had destroyed the one she’d lost. Now, she lived in a hospital, trapped in her own mind.

Dad no longer cared about solving cases. My death—caused by a criminal he’d once put away—haunted him. He wiped Mom’s chin with a tissue, murmuring, "We failed Evelyn. When she came back, we should’ve been softer, not so harsh."

"Now she’s gone, and you’ve broken beyond repair. I can’t even look at my badge anymore." Mom only toyed with the ring I’d given them, whispering, "I’m going with Evelyn to her match. Evelyn, do your best."

Daniel stood outside the hospital room, his voice thick. "Evelyn, if you could see them now… would you forgive them?" Unable to bear staying in the same city, he handed in his resignation. He couldn’t face our parents anymore.

Watching him walk away with his suitcase, seeing how much older they’d grown, my heart ached under a crushing weight of sorrow. Mom, Dad… if there’s another life, and I’m your daughter again… please don’t let me go.

My form began to dissolve, the world blurring. Faintly, I heard their voices—gentle, loving. "Evelyn, come home for dinner." Daniel took my hand, tapping my nose playfully. "Our Evelyn worked so hard today."