Disinherited, Not Defeated

Disinherited, Not Defeated

Gavin

5.0
Comment(s)
View
11
Chapters

Thanksgiving. My favorite, and most dreaded, day of the year. For decades, I, Sarah, a CNA in my early forties, had been the invisible backbone of my family, paying for meals, offering endless support, always putting them first. My small home, filled with the aroma of the turkey I' d basted since dawn, should have been a sanctuary. But then Brenda, my manipulative mother, gathered us for dinner, her smile unnaturally sweet. Instead of giving thanks, she announced her estate plans. My brothers – John and Michael, perpetual freeloaders – each received significant inheritances, while my hands lay empty. Then, with a chillingly fake smile, she turned to me: "Sarah, dear, since you' re so good at caring for people, I' ve decided I' ll be moving in with you after the New Year." Not a thank you for decades of sacrifice, just a shameless demand. All the quiet resentment, the financial strain, the forgotten birthdays, the endless emotional and monetary drain – it all crashed down. "Happy Thanksgiving!" I screamed, pulling the tablecloth, sending the entire feast flying. My mother shrieked, then slapped me. My brothers, John and Michael, attacked, twisting my arm, shoving my head against the wall. How could a family be so cruel, so entitled? Bruised and furious, I knew one thing: this was the end of being their martyr, and the beginning of fighting for myself, my husband David, and my son Ben.

Introduction

Thanksgiving. My favorite, and most dreaded, day of the year.

For decades, I, Sarah, a CNA in my early forties, had been the invisible backbone of my family, paying for meals, offering endless support, always putting them first.

My small home, filled with the aroma of the turkey I' d basted since dawn, should have been a sanctuary.

But then Brenda, my manipulative mother, gathered us for dinner, her smile unnaturally sweet.

Instead of giving thanks, she announced her estate plans.

My brothers – John and Michael, perpetual freeloaders – each received significant inheritances, while my hands lay empty.

Then, with a chillingly fake smile, she turned to me: "Sarah, dear, since you' re so good at caring for people, I' ve decided I' ll be moving in with you after the New Year."

Not a thank you for decades of sacrifice, just a shameless demand.

All the quiet resentment, the financial strain, the forgotten birthdays, the endless emotional and monetary drain – it all crashed down.

"Happy Thanksgiving!" I screamed, pulling the tablecloth, sending the entire feast flying.

My mother shrieked, then slapped me.

My brothers, John and Michael, attacked, twisting my arm, shoving my head against the wall.

How could a family be so cruel, so entitled?

Bruised and furious, I knew one thing: this was the end of being their martyr, and the beginning of fighting for myself, my husband David, and my son Ben.

Continue Reading

Other books by Gavin

More
When Love Turns to Ash

When Love Turns to Ash

Short stories

4.7

My world revolved around Jax Harding, my older brother's captivating rockstar friend. From sixteen, I adored him; at eighteen, I clung to his casual promise: "When you're 22, maybe I'll settle down." That offhand comment became my life's beacon, guiding every choice, meticulously planning my twenty-second birthday as our destiny. But on that pivotal day in a Lower East Side bar, clutching my gift, my dream exploded. I overheard Jax' s cold voice: "Can't believe Savvy's showing up. She' s still hung up on that stupid thing I said." Then the crushing plot: "We' re gonna tell Savvy I' m engaged to Chloe, maybe even hint she' s pregnant. That should scare her off." My gift, my future, slipped from my numb fingers. I fled into the cold New York rain, devastated by betrayal. Later, Jax introduced Chloe as his "fiancée" while his bandmates mocked my "adorable crush"-he did nothing. As an art installation fell, he saved Chloe, abandoning me to severe injury. In the hospital, he came for "damage control," then shockingly shoved me into a fountain, leaving me to bleed, calling me a "jealous psycho." How could the man I loved, who once saved me, become this cruel and publicly humiliate me? Why was my devotion seen as an annoyance to be brutally extinguished with lies and assault? Was I just a problem, my loyalty met with hatred? I would not be his victim. Injured and betrayed, I made an unshakeable vow: I was done. I blocked his number and everyone connected to him, severing ties. This was not an escape; this was my rebirth. Florence awaited, a new life on my terms, unburdened by broken promises.

Five Years' Love, Shattered by a Call

Five Years' Love, Shattered by a Call

Romance

5.0

My wedding to Ethan, the man I’d loved for five years, was weeks away. Everything was set for our future, a beautifully planned life together. Then the call came: Ethan’s high school sweetheart, Chloe, was found with severe amnesia, still believing she was his girlfriend. Ethan postponed our wedding, asked me to pretend to be his brother Liam’s girlfriend, insisting it was "for Chloe’s sake." I endured quiet agony watching him relive their past, his every loving gesture now for her. Chloe’s Instagram became a public shrine to their "rekindled" love, #TrueLove emblazoned everywhere. I even found a groundbreaking clinic for Chloe, hoping for an end, but Ethan brushed it off. Then, I overheard him: I was just a "placeholder," a "good sport" who would wait, because I had "nowhere else to go." Five years of my life, my love, my loyalty, reduced to a disposable convenience. The cold, calculated betrayal punched the air from my lungs. He thought I was trapped, that he could use me at will, then return to me, expecting gratitude. Numb, I stumbled. And then, I met Liam, Ethan’s quiet brother. "I need to get married, Liam. To someone. Soon." The words escaped me. Liam, who had watched silently, responded: "What if I said I'd marry you, Ava? For real." A dangerous, desperate plan ignited within me, fueled by pain and a fierce desire for reckoning. "Alright, Liam," I declared, a new resolve hardening my voice. "But I have conditions: Ethan must be your Best Man, and he must give me away at the altar." The charade was about to begin, but now, it was on my terms. And Ethan had no idea the bride was truly me.

You'll also like

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book