The Ugly Truth

"Whose illegitimate child are you pregnant with?" My parents demand to know, looking crazed. They want to know whose child I'm carrying.

I look at them and laugh. "One of the kidnappers, of course."

My parents and brother are stunned, and they turn ashen. I continue softly, "Don't you guys remember? The kidnappers asked for a ransom, but you guys were only willing to save your other daughter. You wanted to teach me a lesson."

Mom collapses on the couch. "That can't be. We wanted to teach you a lesson so you would stop bullying Eden. I didn't… We didn't…"

I crouch before her. "You guys never expected the kidnappers to violate me, right?"

I don't wait for an answer. "Do you think a few kidnappers would have morals and ethics?"

She parts her lips to speak, but I don't give her the chance. "I was covered in injuries when I got home. Why didn't any of you ask me about them?

"You guys took Eden away without bothering to save me. You didn't return for a day, for two days, for a month… Did you think the kidnappers would think that they could still receive the ransom?"

They should be happy now—I'm about to die.

"I need you to come in, Ms. Larson. There's something I must discuss with you in person." My doctor, Tyree Cameron, sounded unusually anxious on the phone.

"This treatment plan is unacceptable! I've told you. The child is innocent!" I shouted angrily.

Lately, I'd been dealing with constant, unexplained headaches, and stress only made me more irritable.

"It's not... about the child," Tyree stammered, clearly flustered. After a brief pause, he finally said, "Ms. Larson, you have a tumor in your brain."

As I ended the call, my legs felt like they would give out beneath me. I swayed, as fragile as the last leaf drifting off a tree in the dead of winter.

"Have some shame, Cindy! Who's the father of this illegitimate child? Go get an abortion already!"

"Don't you have any self-respect? You're no longer some country bumpkin. You're a Sainsbury now!"

"Dad, Mom, calm down. Maybe Cindy has her reasons."

"Stop defending her, Eden! A leopard can't change its spots. She's always been like this. Otherwise, how else would she have gotten abducted back then?"

Outside the door, my parents' endless chatter echoed, mixed with my sister, Eden Sainsbury's snarky remarks and my elder brother, Craig Sainsbury's sarcasm.

Yes, they were the real family. The prestigious Sainsbury family.

I pulled a slightly yellowed old photograph from my pocket. It showed a bare-faced rural woman in her 50s.

When I saw her face, a faint glimmer of warmth lit up my expression.

The woman in the photo was Lila Hemsworth, my adoptive mother who had raised me for 16 years. She was the last light in my life.

Time would fly. There was no way anyone could turn back the clock.

All my happiness froze on the day Lila passed away. When the glittering facade of life faded, all that remained was pain.

An empty shell—that was all I was now. I continued wandering through the world until my expiration date arrived.

I gently ran my fingers over the photo as silent tears slipped down my face. Life was so good back then, but there was no going back.

Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud bang. A gust of cold wind swept in, making my skin crawl.

Craig crossed his arms over his chest, his scrutinizing eyes fixed on me.

The Sainsbury family were multimillionaires. They lived in a mansion spanning over ten thousand square feet. Yet, I deliberately chose the storage room as my bedroom.

Why? Because it was tucked away, out of sight. I wanted the entire Sainsbury family to forget I even existed.

But of course, Craig wasn't about to let me have my peace.

"Still daydreaming, princess? You've humiliated us enough with this illegitimate pregnancy. You're going for an abortion today. No discussion."

His oppressive tone was suffocating.

"And who do you think you are to order me around?" I spoke calmly without any expression.

For weeks, the whole family had been pressuring me to get rid of the baby. But something primal and protective within me wouldn't let go of this tiny life—even if they all called it a illegitimate child.

Craig's eyes widened in anger. "Who am I? I'm your brother, that's who!"

"My brother?" I let out a snort. "You mean the same brother who dumped me at the amusement park 16 years ago?"

"How dare you?" Craig raised his hand as if to hit me.

But before he could, a young lady dressed like a princess rushed over and clung to his arm. Her affection was unmistakable.

"How can you talk to Craig like that, Cindy? He's spent 16 years searching for you. He has done everything he could to bring you back."

This was Eden, my so-called sister. My parents adopted her after I went missing.

She did resemble me in some ways. I had heard that when I went missing, the whole family was devastated, nearly unable to go on.

Paula picked a little girl from the orphanage, around my age and resembling me, to offer some solace.

For 16 years, Eden had basked in their love, slept in my room, played with my toys, and taken everything that should have been mine.

Everyone adored her. She was charming and perfect to the world, but I knew better.

I knew how vicious and manipulative she could be, how much she hated me, and how many traps she'd laid for me.

"Eden, don't waste your breath reasoning with such a shameless woman," Craig said coldly.

I looked at them and suddenly started laughing. "A shameless woman? Me?

"Don't you all remember? When the abductors demanded a ransom, you only wanted to save your other precious daughter. You decided to let me 'learn a lesson.' You called it an illegitimate child. But it's not. It's the abductor's baby!"

My parents and Craig stared at me, their faces drained of color.

Paula collapsed onto the couch, mumbling, "It can't be. We just wanted to teach you a lesson, so you'd stop bullying Eden. I didn't… We didn't know…"

I fixed my eyes on Paula. "You didn't know that the abductors would violate me, did you?"

Without waiting for her reply, I continued, "Let me ask you this. Do you think a few kidnappers would have morals and ethics?"