Reclaiming My Own Life

rawn. I ate my meals in my room, claiming I had too much studying to do. The

room, trying to read for my literature class, when my fathe

I need to talk to you,"

ite me. Lily trailed in behind them, looking un

th accusation. "You' ve been sulking around here for days. If you have

busy examining her fingernails. The injustice of it all, her accusing me of h

I asked, my voice low and tremblin

' s face went pale. My father' s jaw tightened.

talking about," my mother

strength. "I saw it. The group chat on your

rough your mother' s phone? That' s a co

ound, to make me the bad gu

nd. "You made a secret chat to talk about me behind my back. To compla

up, her voice small. "It' s just

d to help you with your homework? Is it a silly joke when Dad asks Mom when I' m going to

d looked at our

"You are twisting our words, Chloe. You' re always so sensitive, so d

o take it? You want to talk about drama? Let' s talk about my high school graduation. You missed my valedictorian speech because

dismissed with a wave of his han

You were all too tired to go out for dinner, so I spent it alone in my room. Two weeks later, you threw Lily a

noyance-in her eyes. "We were just trying to make Lily feel special. Yo

. "I wasn' t independent by choice! I was independent because I had to be! Because you were

ce trembling with what sounded like manufactured hurt. "We

ou were obligated to give. But you gave Lily your time. You gave her your attention.

oment, no one spoke. They just stared at me as if I

"If you' re so unhappy here, Chloe, maybe you sh

le proof. I wasn't part of the family; I was a burden they w

ith a conversation. This wasn't a mistake. This was who they were. This was the foundation

faces-my father' s anger, my mother' s defensive coldness, Lily' s tear-str

d, my voice barely a whi

of my shattered illusions. The argument was over, but something much bigg