Six months later, I was sent to an orphanage while my aunt sold my parents flat on the black market.
I was only five when I lost my parents. The responsibility for me fell to my aunt, my fathers sister. While my parents were alive, we wanted for nothing. They held high-ranking positions, and we lived in a spacious flat with a small countryside cottage. After their deaths, everything changed.
My aunt already had her own daughter, Emily, but we never got along. Emily mocked me constantly, even though she was younger. Aunt Clara, pleasant as she seemed to outsiders, was petty and scheming. She never missed an opportunity to benefit herself. I never received a single kind word, let alone affection, from her.
From childhood, my duties included cleaning the house and washing dishes. I wasnt allowed to watch television, and sweets were bought only for Emily. Soon, Aunt Clara sold my fathers car. My mothers clothes and jewellery vanished, while she and Emily dressed more expensively. They dined in cafés and restaurants but never took me along.
As a child, I didnt realise Clara had sold everything, claiming the money was for my upbringing. A few years later, we moved into her cramped one-bedroom flat on the outskirts of town. Half a year after that, I was handed over to the orphanage, and she sold our family flat.
Adjusting was hard, but I soon adapted. I received a decent education and, after finishing school, rented a small flat. I worked as a cleaning assistant at a supermarket, though I was promised a promotion. One day, the owner visited.
When Mr. Thompson saw me, he asked me to his office after my shift. There, he asked about my life and what my parents had done. I told him everything from the beginning.
He smiled and said he remembered me as a little girlhe had been my parents friend. Years ago, hed started a business, building a chain of shops, and was now developing a new shopping centre. Once construction finished, theyd need a manager. He offered me the role, but I lacked the qualifications.
I was about to refuse when he promised to help me get the necessary training. Under those terms, I couldnt say no. Studying wasnt easy, but it was fascinating. I completed the course without trouble and, in time, received the promised positionwith a generous salary.
Years passed. I bought a two-bedroom flat. One day, Emily turned up at my door. I dont know how she or Aunt Clara found me, but she demanded I let her in and help her find work.
Since she had no higher education, I offered her a temporary cleaning position. Outraged, she refused and immediately called her mother. Aunt Clara screamed over the phone that I owed her for raising me, that without her, who knew where Id be. She threatened revenge if I didnt help Emily.
My feelings were mixed. All these years, she hadnt changed a bit. But I had. I was no longer that helpless little girl. Some people dont deserve a place in your lifeeven if theyre family.
