I stared at her, my world spinning.
“You erased me.”
I felt sick.
They hadn’t just hidden it. They had erased me.
And the only reason I know now?
Because someone slipped.
I turned, my body shaking, my mind still scrambling to catch up. It was too much—Emily, Nathan, the little boy, my family. The people who were supposed to love me, protect me, had spent years carefully constructing a life that didn’t include me.
My great-aunt scoffed, cutting through the silence like a knife. “You idiots.
You really thought you could just hide something like this forever?”
No one spoke. No one could.
A tense room filled with ashamed faces | Source: Midjourney
Emily stared at the floor, her hands gripping the fabric of her dress like she wanted to disappear into it. My mother looked like she was on the verge of tears.
My father—stoic as ever—kept his gaze locked on the table as if looking at me would somehow make this worse.
But it was already ruined.
And the worst part? It wasn’t just about Emily and Nathan.
It was all of them.
Every single person in this room had known. Every single one had chosen to keep me in the dark.
They had gathered around holiday tables, held that little boy in their arms, and celebrated birthdays and milestones—while making sure I never knew he existed.
They had rewritten our family’s story.
And I was nothing but a footnote.
I exhaled shakily, blinking back the burning behind my eyes. “Wow.” My voice came out hoarse, but I forced out a laugh—sharp, bitter. “I spent years wondering why he left me.” I shook my head, my chest tightening.
“Turns out, the only people who had the answer… were the ones I trusted most.”
Emily finally looked up, her eyes desperate. “Please, just let me explain—”
I held up a hand, cutting her off. “No,” I whispered, my voice barely above a breath.
“You already did.”
Source: amomama
