The first evidence

The atmosphere was beginning to smell different. Emily sat by the river, distracted by the unusual scent.

Various animal sounds came from the woods, but no one could tell where they were coming from.

Emily looked up from her imaginary painting to the sky. “Do you see that?”

She pointed toward the sky as her close friend Cassandra, who had been minding her own business and wading out of the river, glanced up.

They both loved spending time there, especially since it was hard to get away from their homes these days.

Cassandra, dressed in a matching bikini that barely covered her cleavage, asked, “What is that?” She walked toward Emily and sat down beside her, also looking up at the sky.

The sun seemed unusually close. “Well, I guess the day is coming to an end. We should leave now,” Cassandra said sadly. It was obvious to both of them that they might not see each other for a few weeks.

Emily packed up, and they began walking back home. Their houses weren’t far from each other, but they could barely leave their homes these days.

Emily’s stepmother was waiting impatiently for her. It had become routine for her to confront Emily whenever she returned.

“And guess who decided to stroll in so late? Where have you been?” Isabella, her stepmother, asked as the doorman opened the door to their fancy house, which was situated far from the main city.

Though there were houses nearby, theirs stood alone. “I went to the river with Cassandra,” Emily answered, careful not to upset her stepmother, hoping she wouldn’t be forbidden from seeing her friend again.

“Haven’t I warned you about spending time with that lowlife friend of yours? She’s no good for you—a bad influence,” her stepfather called out from his study, injecting himself into the conversation before Isabella could say more.

“But, Father! Cassandra has been my friend for a long time, and you’ve never complained about her before. Why now?” Emily asked, her eyes welling with tears.

Her emotions had always been her weakness, something her father, stepmother, and brother exploited whenever they could.

Her stepmother walked up to her, gently placing a hand on her cheek. “Listen to me. I may not be your biological mother, but I care about you and won’t let anything bad happen to you. Cassandra isn’t the right friend for you, and you’ll listen to me, okay?”

Emily couldn’t argue. She simply nodded in response.

As she turned to leave for her room, her father called after her.

“Hold on. I have an announcement for everyone.”

Isabella rushed over to him. “Oh, my love, that can wait until dinner. She just got back from a long day. Let her rest, and we can talk then.”

Her father looked from his wife to Emily, who reminded him so much of the love he had lost. That love had since turned into resentment because he blamed Emily for her mother’s death.

Isabella knew how much her husband still loved his late wife, and how Emily, looking so much like her, reminded him of that loss. Isabella’s plans to get rid of Emily were finally starting to fall into place.

Emily glanced at her father, waiting to be dismissed.

Her room was at the end of the east wing of their enormous house. As she walked down the long corridor, she could hear murmurs from behind her. Her parents were likely arguing about whatever announcement they were planning to make, something Emily wasn’t eager to be a part of.

She opened the door to her room and sat on her bed. It had been a long but peaceful day.

She was about to stand and change into something more comfortable when a sudden knock came at her door, so hurried that it startled her.

She rushed toward the door, nearly tripping but catching herself on the handle. “Ouch!” she exclaimed as she banged her leg against the doorframe.

“Oh dear, did you hurt yourself?” her old nanny asked. The nanny had always adored Emily and was the only person in the house she felt close to. Even when Emily went off to college, she looked forward to coming home to see her.

“The pain is nothing compared to the emotional torture I get from Father,” Emily said sadly as she made her way back to her bed. Her nanny sat beside her. “Don’t say that. You know your father loves you and only wants the best for you.”

Emily rolled her eyes. “Then why am I a prisoner here? Why can’t I work like Cassandra or live a normal life like everyone else? Look at my step-siblings. They come and go as they please, doing whatever they want. Why must I always follow their rules?”

Tears streamed down her face as she shared the emotional toll her home life was taking on her.

Their conversation was interrupted by a maid at the door. “I’m sorry to interrupt this moment, but dinner is ready, and everyone is waiting for you.”

No one in the family regarded her as one of their own, and it broke her heart every day.

“You’d better hurry and change. You don’t want to keep him waiting, do you?”

Emily forced herself up and went to her wardrobe. Everything felt the same. She loved simplicity, so she put on a pair of jeans and a cotton sweatshirt before walking out. She headed down the corridor toward the dining room.

the walk down was a slow one but she felt , in attended to and this made everything so untidy for her .

walking down the corridor she could hear her step mother speaking to her father ... making things hard for her has always been her greatest joy ...

" are you serious about this ?" Her step mother asked as she made her way down the hall , she could stay to hear the rest but rather headed to the dinning to join them