Chapter 12

After lunch, Charles and Nancy went to their room for a nap, but Amy lingered in the kitchen. As I cleaned up the dishes, she continued to taunt me.

"Julia, you act all high and mighty at school. You've got Anna and Betsy wrapped around your finger, but let me remind you that you're just an orphan in my house. You're nothing without your parents."

The word "orphan" made me flinch. I stopped what I was doing and stared at her. "This is my house. What makes you think it's yours?"

Amy scoffed. "It's only a matter of time before it's mine. We'll see."

Amy must have figured out that Nancy was pregnant. Fearing Nancy might neglect her after giving birth to another child, she frantically went to desperate lengths.

It was true what they say—like mother, like daughter.

That afternoon, I sat in the living room, pretending to study the postpartum care book. Amy came home, ignored me completely, and took a bottle of water into her room.

A little while later, she emerged with a glass of wate