You owe us your life
1200 Words
You owe us your life,” he continued. “We kept you here when no one else would. You should be grateful.”
Grateful.
The word echoed in her mind.
Behind him, Valeria lowered her gaze, but the corner of her lips lifted slightly.
“I will teach you a lesson you will never forget,” Enzo said coldly.
Valeria stepped forward quickly and touched his arm.
“Brother, please,” she said softly. “Perhaps she was only upset.”
Elena stared at her, disbelief burning through her tears.
“You said I owe my life to you,” Elena whispered, her voice raw. “Because your mother saved me.”
Her hands trembled at her sides.
“Have you forgotten what really happened at the lake?”
The room went still.
“Valeria pushed me,” Elena said, her voice shaking but steady enough to be heard. “She pushed me into the water. She jumped in after me because she did not want to be blamed. She slipped.”
Valeria’s eyes widened instantly.
“That is a lie.”
“All these years,” Elena continued, her shoulders trembling, “I have worked in this house without complaining. I have cleaned, cooked, and accepted every punishment you decided I deserved.”
She looked directly at Enzo.
“Every time she accuses me, you believe her. You have never once asked me what truly happened.”
Enzo’s expression hardened further.
“Why would I doubt my sister?” he asked. “She is well behaved. She would never lie.”
A hollow sound escaped Elena’s throat.
“Of course,” she said quietly.
Her cheek throbbed from the slap. Her wrist burned under his grip. Her stomach twisted painfully from hunger.
Yet none of it hurt as deeply as standing in front of him and realizing she would never be believed.
Elena lifted her head slowly.
“I know you have never considered me your sister,” she said, her voice trembling but steady enough to carry. “But do you even know how cruel your real sister is?”
The second slap came harder than the first.
Her face snapped to the side. For a moment she saw nothing but white light.
“If you ever speak ill of my sister again,” Enzo said, pointing a finger inches from her face, “I will make sure you regret it.”
Elena pressed her palm against her burning cheek. Her ears rang, but she forced herself to meet his eyes.
“You will make me regret it?” she asked, her voice cracking. “The biggest regret I have ever had is being adopted by your family.”
Rain hammered against the windows. Thunder rolled somewhere in the distance.
“You did not even allow me to attend school,” she continued, her voice rising. “Every morning I watched Valeria leave with her books while I stayed behind to scrub floors and wash dishes.”
Her chest heaved.
“At nine, I was already waking before sunrise to cook breakfast. At ten, I was cleaning the entire house alone. At twelve, I was working outside.”
Enzo’s jaw tightened.
“I worked in the grocery store after cleaning here. I washed cars in the afternoons. I cleaned tables at the café at night. Five jobs,” she said, holding up her trembling hand. “Five.”
Valeria’s fingers curled slightly, but she remained silent.
“The money I earned never stayed in my hands,” Elena continued. “Valeria used it to buy dresses, shoes, perfume. You praised her for looking elegant while I wore the same faded clothes for years.”
Her voice broke, but she did not stop.
“When I fell sick at fourteen, you said I was pretending. You locked me in my room without food because you thought I wanted attention.”
Enzo’s eyes flickered, but he said nothing.
“When your friends visited, you told them I was a distant relative who owed your family a debt. You never once introduced me as your sister.”
Her hands shook violently now.
“You said your mother died saving me,” she said, her voice turning hoarse. “You made me believe I killed her. Every birthday you reminded me that I was alive because she was not.”
Her tears streamed freely.
“I was eight when I came here. I am eighteen now. Ten years of scrubbing your floors. Ten years of eating leftovers after everyone else finished. Ten years of sleeping in a storage room while Valeria had the largest bedroom in the house.”
Silence filled the kitchen except for the rain.
Enzo’s expression hardened again.
“If you do not want to stay here anymore, then say it,” he said flatly.
Elena let out a hollow laugh that shook her shoulders.
“You are right,” she said. “I am done.”
The words hung in the air like something fragile.
“That is wonderful,” Enzo replied coldly.
Before she could react, he stormed down the hallway toward her small room.
She heard drawers being yanked open. Wood scraped against wood. Her suitcase hit the floor.
Valeria took a hesitant step forward.
“Brother, perhaps we should—”
Enzo ignored her.
He returned, dragging Elena’s worn luggage behind him. The wheels scraped across the tiles.
He walked straight to the front door and pulled it open.
Cold wind rushed inside. Rain poured heavily from the dark sky.
Without looking back, he threw her suitcase outside. It landed in a puddle, water splashing over the fabric.
Elena stared at it through blurred vision.
Enzo grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her toward the door.
“Get out,” he said.
She stumbled as he dragged her across the floor.
“Get the f**k out of our house.”
Valeria rushed forward and caught Enzo’s sleeve.
“Brother, please. It is raining.”
Enzo shook her off.
“She said she is done.”
He pushed Elena hard.
She stumbled over the doorstep and fell onto the wet pavement. Cold rain soaked through her thin clothes instantly. The impact sent pain shooting up her knees and palms.
The door slammed shut behind her.
The sound echoed louder than the thunder.
For a moment she remained on the ground, rain beating against her back. Her suitcase lay a few feet away, already drenched.
She slowly pushed herself up.
Her hair clung to her face. Water mixed with her tears, but she could still taste salt on her lips.
She looked at the closed door.
Through the blurred glass she saw a faint shadow move away.
Her chest ached, not from the cold but from something deeper.
“I was eight,” she whispered to the empty street. “I did not even understand what adoption meant.”
Lightning flashed across the sky.
“I tried so hard,” she said, her voice shaking. “I tried to be good. I tried to be useful. I tried to deserve staying.”
Her fingers curled into fists at her sides.
“But nothing was ever enough.”
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