3
The birthday party ended abruptly.
The DNA test results came back quickly. Unsurprisingly, Serena was indeed a Blackwood by blood.
I became a stranger in this home.
My position became incredibly awkward.
Brenda daily recounted, with floods of tears, how “regretful” she’d been all these years.
She claimed she’d been blinded by greed, which led her to make such a terrible
mistake.
She also insisted Serena had been frighteningly clever since childhood, but her poor family circumstances nearly held her back.
“My poor girl, she suffered so much with me…”
Brenda cried, yet never forgot to glance at my parents from the corner of her eye.
My mom, Eleanor, was already inconsolable, embracing Serena and calling her “my daughter” over and over.
11:56 Sat, Oct 18 M..
<
My dad, Richard, sighed and instructed the staff to give Serena the best room in the
house.
After that, their gazes towards me changed, growing stranger by the day.
There was sympathy, and guilt, but mostly a polite distance, like one would show a
stranger.
Only my brother, Julian…
He was still the same.
He would still bring me a cup of warm milk when I stayed up late studying, and gently
say:
“Aspen, don’t be afraid. No matter what happens, you’re my sister.”
The whole family had turned cold, but he was the only one who still offered a glimmer
of warmth.
I naively believed he was the only person who would never change.
That was until one week before the national physics competition finals.
The final training camp roster was announced, and both Serena and I were on it.
But our school only had one spot for the actual competition.
The night before the training camp, my parents called us all into Richard’s study.
The moment I stepped into the room, I felt an oppressive atmosphere.
“Aspen.”
Eleanor spoke first, her voice hesitant, as if she didn’t know what to say.
2
11:56 Sat, Oct 18 …
:
82
“You see, Serena… she’s been through so much hardship, and she finally has this opportunity…”
My heart sank. I immediately understood what she was implying.
But just as I was about to speak, Julian, who had always stood firmly by me, suddenly
chimed in.
“Dad, Mom, I think… that spot should go to Serena.”
I sharply looked up, staring at him in disbelief.
Julian avoided my gaze and continued:
“Aspen’s grades are excellent; even without the scholarship, she could easily get into a top university through regular admissions. But Serena is different. This is her only chance to change her fate. We owe her.”
He paused, then delivered the final blow that shattered my illusion:
“Maybe we should send Aspen abroad for a prep program first, let her cool off and not compete with Serena.”
4
