The Invisible Daughter Ruined Chapter 07
Late summer in Southport smelled like salt and sea air. A breeze
rolled through campus.
I stood outside the gates with my suitcase and looked up at the gold
letters that spelled Southport University.
For the first time in years, my chest didn’t feel tight.
The full scholarship covered tuition. Work–study covered the rest. I
put the money from the house into a savings account and didn’t
touch it.
After Grandma was diagnosed, the only person she worried about
was me.
She’d sit there and sigh. “Elena, your mom and dad aren’t going to
step up. Neither one of them. You’re so young. When I’m gone,
who’s going to take care of you?”
I’d just started at the magnet school then. Between the commute
and studying, I only made it home every other weekend.
She was skin and bones by then, but every time I came home, she
dragged herself to the kitchen and made me a hot bowl of chicken
noodle soup.
She’d watch me eat with those cloudy eyes, saying the same things
every time.
“Elena, you need to make something of yourself. Work hard, get into
a good school, and then you can write your own ticket. You hear
me?”
“I fought your parents tooth and nail to get this house put in your
name. Don’t you ever let them sweet–talk you into giving it up.
Promise me.”
“I put every penny of my life savings into the down payment for
this house. It’s worth a lot of money now.”
“They didn’t raise you. This is what they owe you.”
Her rough hands gripped mine so tightly that her calluses pressed
into my skin.
“They’ve got their new families now. They’re not going to think of
you.”
“You’ve got to take care of yourself. This house is your safety net.
You understand?”
Back then, I didn’t understand.
I told myself they were just busy. New jobs, new lives. They’d come
around when things settled down.
I thought if I was good enough, quiet enough, smart enough, one
day they’d finally notice me.
Now I knew better.
The home I wanted broke in half the day they signed the divorce
papers.
They each had new houses, new kids. The love I kept waiting for
was never coming.
From now on, I only had myself.
Once classes started, I picked up a work–study shift at the library.
My days settled into a rhythm.
I got a new phone number. Only a handful of professors and
classmates had it.
One afternoon. I was walking out of the library when my phone
rang
It was my high school guidance counselor.
She’d been good to me all through high school. I owed her an
honest answer. Im doing well”
“It’s different from North Crest, but I’m settling in.”
‘Good‘
She paused, then chose her words carefully. “Your parents reached
out to the school They say they can’t get in touch with you. They’re
worried‘
I didn’t miss a beat
‘Do me a favor and tell them something for me? I’m done with
them.*
“We’re going our separate ways from here on out. We have nothing
left to talk about.”
I could hear her trying to find the right thing to say, so I cut in.
“Think about it. Three years of high school Did either of them show
up to a single parent–teacher conference?*
“They never asked about my GPA. Never checked if I had what I
needed. Never once asked how I was doing.”
“So why should I care about them?*
She was quiet for a long time.
In the end, she didn’t push it. Just told me to take care of myself.
I thought that was the end of it. A few days later, Julian tracked me
down.