Her Neglect, My Undying Haunted Soul

raham

irit, a gentle whisper of warmth in the cold expa

ularly harsh scolding from Hilda, Penelope would sneak me cookies and tell me I was special. She'

," she'd say, her voice sof

lies, meant to soothe a lonely child. My mo

t of me, the part that had longed for her acceptance, still hovered, a silent observer of

one, her fingers flyin

is just being Eva. You know how she gets. Of course, she'

ll coming, aren't you? It w

ng forward to seeing you all. And yes, I'll bring

r that book once, years ago. A rare art history text. "Look, Mom," I had said, my voice full of excitement, "Penelope sa

in their carefully constructed reality. No calls,

cutting through the heavy air of the house. I felt a surge

was invisible, untouchable. I was trapped, bound by the unfinished business of my life, by the lingering shadow of my mother's in

er face plastered with a saccharine smile. "Grandma!

membering how Carina used to use me to get closer to Gwendolyn, fetchin

d the hug politely, her eyes already scanning the roo

. "Mother, you're early! Carina, why do

the picture of a du

oid of any warmth, fixed o

do this every time? She's probably just

"You've always had a cruel streak, especially where Eva is con

"Mother! How can you say that? I've been not

fawn over Carina, spoil Kellan rotten, and treat Eva like

s manipulative, Mother! She twists t

. You hammered it in deeper with ever

always the scapegoat. I tried to explain, to defend myself, but my parents never listened. "Eva, stop making excuses! Why can't you be more like Carina?" they'd say, their words a dull thud a

ween the two women. "This is Gwendo

knew, because he was Hilda' s choice, a consequence of her own youthful rebellions. But she never truly acc

the tea tray, her smile still firmly in place. A flicke

no less insistent. "I want to speak to my granddaughter." Her ga