The Neglected Daughter's Last Stand

stern, uniformed photo. My hand trembled, not from the cold of the Cleveland autumn, but from the war raging inside my own blood.

hey were busy, I knew. Busy preparing for Molly' s "Sweet 19" birthday party. My adopted

desperation. I took a number and waited, my body aching with a fatigue that went bone-deep. When my number was called

I help yo

inquire about... death benefits. For mysel

ney, you look a little youn

ublic hospital across the counter. "It's late-stage. Th

stared at the paper, then at me. Her eye

said, the words

the office flew open. My father, Matthew Fuller, stormed in, his police detective' s badge glinting on his belt. My mother, Jennifer, and my brother, Andr

What the hell do you think you're doing? Wasting public resources on a weekday? Do you hav

er from the clerk's desk,

? Gabrielle, this is a new low, even for you. You' ve be

g beautifully. "Please stop this. Stop lying and

se. Blood dripped onto my chin, then splattered onto the linoleum floor. I didn' t bot

make sure my cremation in three