He wasn’t my biological father. My mother had cheated on him. ***
Days later, Dad tested my sisters.
Alexa was his, but Kira wasn’t. I watched from the hallway as he packed his bags. “You’re leaving?” I whispered.
He didn’t look at me. “I have to.”
Later, Dad filed for divorce, paid child support for Alexa, and cut ties with the rest of us. After he left, my mother’s hatred for me grew.
“This is your fault,” she hissed. “If you didn’t look so much like him, none of this would have happened.”
She ignored me unless she needed something. I was invisible until it was time to clean.
But Kira? She never lifted a finger. My mother still adored her.
“My beautiful girl,” she’d say, tucking Kira’s hair behind her ear. “You look just like me.”
I was nothing to Mom. I had never been.
***
One day, my mother walked into the room. Her face was cold, her arms crossed. “I’ve decided you will start paying rent,” she said.
“What? I already buy my own groceries!”
“You earn money. It’s only fair.”
I clenched my fists.
“Then make Alexa and Kira pay too! Why only me? Why do you treat me like this?!”
Mom’s eyes darkened.
“Because you ruined my life! This is your fault!”
I felt like I’d been slapped. I turned and ran to my room, slamming the door behind me.
But it didn’t matter. Mom never changed her mind. I had no choice.
I paid rent. Alexa made things worse. She dumped my makeup in the sink, cut holes in my shirts, and threw my food in the trash.
Once, I even found my entire paycheck missing. I stormed into her room. “Why are you doing this?!”
“Because Dad left because of you!” Alexa screamed.
“If you had just looked like Mom! Like Kira!”
As if I had any control over that. ***
As soon as I finished high school, I knew I had to get away.
My manager from my old job saw my determination and offered to help. He spoke to his son, who ran a company, and got me a position as a sales representative. It wasn’t glamorous, but it paid well.
With my first few paychecks, I found a small apartment and moved out immediately. For the first time in my life, I had my own space. No one was barking orders at me.
I felt free. But my mother and sisters didn’t disappear. They always found a reason to contact me.
They never called to ask how I was. They only wanted money. The older I got, the more they demanded.
At first, I gave in, hoping it would make them leave me alone. It never did. One day, when my mother came knocking again.
I decided I wanted something in return. “I want to know my biological father’s name,” I said. She scoffed.
“I told you, he doesn’t want you. He abandoned you.”
“Then I won’t give you any more money.”
Her lips curled in annoyance, but she finally relented. “His name is Rick,” my mother said, scribbling down an address.
“Go ahead. Waste your time.”
I scraped together my savings and made the five-hour trip to reach the address. My hands felt clammy as I walked up the steps and knocked.
The door opened, and a middle-aged man stood before me. His eyes widened, and he stared at me. “Are you Rick?” I asked carefully.
“Yes.”
“I—”
“You’re my daughter,” he said before I could finish. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t look confused.
He knew. “You— You recognize me?”
“Of course,” he said, stepping aside. “Come in.”
I followed him inside, my mind spinning.
His home felt warm. Pictures lined the walls—family vacations, birthday parties, smiling faces. A life I had never been part of.
“Why didn’t you try to contact me?” I finally asked. “I did. I paid child support until you turned eighteen, but your mother told me you hated me.
She said you wanted nothing to do with me.”
Shock rippled through me. “I never knew. She told me you didn’t want me.”
“That’s not true.
You’re my daughter. Of course, I wanted you.”
Tears filled my eyes as he pulled me into a hug. His embrace was firm, real, safe.
I had never felt anything like it. I let out a shaky breath and held on. From that day on, we stayed in touch.
He invited me over, introduced me to his wife and two sons. They welcomed me without hesitation. I had never been part of a family before.
One day, during a visit, Rick handed me a folder. “What’s this?” I asked. “A house.
It’s yours.”
I gasped. “What?!”
“It’s the least I can do. For the years we lost.”
I threw my arms around him.
No one had ever cared about me like that before. For the first time in my life, I had my own space. That joy faded almost instantly.
***
One day, I ran into Kira at the store. I mentioned, almost without thinking, that I had my own house now. Her jaw tightened.
She didn’t congratulate me. She just stared, her jealousy plain as day. A few days later, I left for a business trip.
While I was away, my phone rang. My neighbor’s voice was urgent. Two women had moved into my house.
Read Here : I rushed back. When I stepped inside, I found my mother and Kira living there. “What are you doing here?!”
“Oh, Olivia, you’re back,” my mother said without a trace of shame.
She didn’t even look up. “Answer me,” I demanded, my hands shaking. My mother sighed and finally met my eyes.
“I lost my job. I couldn’t pay rent for three months. We got evicted.
So, I decided that Kira and I would stay with you.”
“Are you insane?! You didn’t even ask me!”
“Don’t be so dramatic.”
Kira smirked. “There are only two bedrooms, so you’ll have to stay somewhere else for now.”
I stared at them in disbelief.
“You are not staying in my house!”
Kira rolled her eyes. “Well, you can sleep on the couch if you don’t want to move.”
Something inside me snapped. “This is my house!
I will sleep in my bed! You are leaving right now!”
My mother jumped up, her face twisted with rage. “How dare you?!
I raised you! I gave you everything!”
“Raised me?” I scoffed. “You treated me like a servant!
I bought my own groceries! I even paid you rent!”
“You had a job,” she said defensively. I shook my head.
“In the short time I’ve known my real father, he has done more for me than you ever did!”
“If you don’t let us stay here, I will sue you for this house!”
“You have no legal right to it! Either you leave now, or I’m calling the police.”
My mother forced a smile. “Olivia, sweetheart.
You’re my daughter. I’ve always loved you. Let us stay.”
“No!”
Without another word, they bolted out of my house.
When the door slammed shut behind them, I exhaled deeply and sank onto the couch. My entire body felt drained. It hurt knowing that my own mother only remembered me when she needed something.
She never cared about me, only what I could give her. But that moment made one thing clear—I had to cut them out of my life. I changed the locks.
Blocked their numbers. That was the last time I saw them. And I had never felt so free.
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