Chapter 005

CORNELIA

I have to do this. I need to face my family. I need to walk up those steps and knock on the door. This is what I came here for after all.

I make my way up the porch stairs and ring the doorbell for someone to answer the door. No one answers after the first ring, so I ring it again..... I won't go away without talking to them today. Just as I was going to ring the doorbell for a third time, my mom answers the door.

"What are u here for now?...... After all the shame you've bought our family.... how dare u show up on our doorstep!!!!"

My mother has a knack for dramatics for sure. Afterall she had no problem asking me for money over these past few years. She had asked more.... again and again and again.... and I had always given up and gave it to her. Matty had always advised me to stop, to cut all contact with my family, but I guess a part of me still wanted their approval. Besides, I was worried how my siblings would be treated if I didn't give money to my parents. I was the eldest, I had to take care of them. It's enough.... I need to show my mother I'm done being her doormat.

"I am here to get my money back mother, also I need this house and money left to me by Grandma, which you all have been mooching off over the years"

I know my words were harsh, but this was the only way to deal with her. She had treated me like an expendable doormat from the moment I was born. They were hoping for a son and were so disappointed that their first child was me... and they had left no effort in reminding me this. Reminding me how lucky I was to have been raised properly by them, instead of being given away to an orphanage.

"Would you let me in now, or would you prefer that the whole neighborhood hears... how you have been mooching off of your own daughter, how u stole her inheritance"

My parents, though horrible, still had a good reputation in Amryth, a reputation that they were really proud of. They wouldn't let it go to ruin, even if that meant doing what I say. Finally gritting through her teeth, my mother invited me inside to talk.

My childhood home hadn't changed at all. Honey suckle still grew in the garden leading to the porch, the windchime I had tied up from the roof was still hanging and furniture was all the same inside. Nothing had changed in 8 years.

Our living room had huge windows on the two sides overlooking the garden and the porch. The art my grandma had collected throughout her life, still hung there and the miniature sculptures and trinkets were still there. Though I'm sure they had tampered with the books, the book shelves once extra filled, had a few empty shelves now, also there were a lot of titles I didn't knew. I could only feel bad inside for them ruining my grandpa's book collection, something we both had cherished.

My grandparents were the one who raised me. I had lived with them since I was 6 months old I think. My Grandpa used to take me on hikes around the lake. We used to collect wild flowers and berries and he would always tell me stories of ghosts, fairies and monsters that dwelled in these fairy mountains. My grandma, although she maintained her distance from me because she didn't want to interfere in her daughter's family and hoped one day I could go back to them, was always nice to me and made sure I was fed properly and did my homework. My parents didn't live here then, they only moved in after my grandpa's death 14 years back. This place was my safe heaven.... the only place I felt loved.

My parents had moved in here to take care of my grandma so that I can focus on school, but they hardly did that, instead I was given even more chores in addition to the one's I had before. The punishments also increased with chores, I never got any allowance and the money my grandma gave me and I earned was always taken away from me. Atleast till my grandma was alive I was always allowed to have my meals. But after her death 12 years ago, my parents showed their true colours.

My thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of my Dad to the living room.

"How dare you threaten your mother. You're nothing but a disgrace, I should've never raised you!! ......... you good for nothing.......... how dare you ask for money back.

We deserve that money to get back what we spend on you....... Also don't think that now your fiancee is dead that you can just stay here.... You are of no use to us now, you disgrace..... you've already bought enough shame to us.

You have no money now. You think you'll be able to throw us out..... you broke hussy.

Walk out of here now or I will drag you through the doors myself"

My mother was standing next to him with a smirk on her face. I wanted to wipe away that smirk so much....

"Nice to meet you too Dad!! and just to be clear I have zero interest of staying here with you lot...

Now that we've made that clear, you both have 7 days to move out of here, I'll give u half a million dollars, find a new place and don't show me your sorry faces again.

My siblings can stay here as long as they behave but you both are not welcome"

I said this as authoritatively as possible.

"We ain't going no where. Also I doubt you have even a dollar with you now that boy friend of yours is dead.

Who are you bluffing child??"

My mother said smirking at me. The same smirk had spread to my father as well.

"I am bluffing no one. Grandma left this house to me in her will. Consider yourself lucky I only need the house not the money.

You think you both are so smart but you're not. If you both would've read the newspapers you would've known, I am the co-founder of the largest landscaping firm in this country.

I am here to develop a new project and I would prefer to stay at my home. But that won't be possible if you two are here..... so get out.

Also if you get put now you'll get half a million dollars...... whereas if you don't leave my Lawyers would bleed you dry....... I'll demand the house, my inheritance as well as compensation of my mistreatment from you over the years"

I could see the smirk from my parents face slowly fading, but I know it would be much more difficult to throw them out than this.

"Mistreatment.... what Mistreatment you ungrateful child...... ", my mother steped forward to grab my hair, " maybe if mum and dad had let me discipline you more you wouldn't have turned into the whore that you are....."

"Let me go!!!" I shouted as I struggled to get my hair off her clutches. My father stepped forward and stuck me on the cheek and they dragged me out of the house like that....

I had crossed a line I think.... they no longer cared about their reputation. They dragged me to the porch and threw me down the porch stairs. I landed on wet soil in the garden on my knees.

"Get out of here you whore", my father said and they walked back and closed the door behind them.

This meeting went exactly as I had expected. My parents hadn't changed a bit, I could see the shadow of two of my siblings on the porch window which quickly disappeared and then there was yelling inside the house.

I got up, fixedme clothes and started walking back towards my room at Darcy's motel.

My parents deserve what's coming for them.