Dad Rejected Me, Mom Was a Star

Chapter 2

I sat huddled on the cold floor, my knee scraped raw and bleeding.

Mom, Dad doesn't believe me.

The pill bottle she'd carried everywhere was right at his feet.

He stared at it for what felt like an eternity, not moving a muscle.

Finally, he bent down and grabbed the bottle, turning it over and over.

His brows drew together in a deep frown. "Painkillers? Why do you have these?"

I wiped my tears with the back of my grubby hand.

"Mom took these when her stomach hurt too badly to breathe."

His hand trembled, almost imperceptibly.

Vera snatched the bottle from his grasp, shook out a white tablet, and popped it into her mouth without a second thought.

My eyes went wide with shock.

She chewed it, her face twisting into a strange, disgusted expression.

"Asher, these aren't pills. They're milk tablets."

Dad froze.

He took the bottle back, shook out a few more, and sniffed them cautiously.

"What is this supposed to be? Some new scam?"

He looked at me, his eyes turning icy again.

I stared at my scuffed shoes, kicking at a loose thread on my sock. "Mom's real medicine ran out a long time ago."

"What?"

"Last summer. Mrs. Ellis said those pills were so expensive that we could never afford more. The bottle was just empty after that."

Tears blurred my vision again, but I blinked them back hard, just like Mom taught me.

"I didn't want Mom to be in pain. Mrs. Ellis gave me milk tablets and said sweet things make the hurt go away.

"So I filled the bottle with them and told Mom they were new medicine from the doctor.

"She'd take one and say, 'Stella's medicine works wonders. The pain is gone now.'

"After Mom died, I kept the bottle with me. It felt like she was still there, holding my hand."

Dad stared at the bottle in his hand, his face shifting through a dozen emotions I couldn't name.

He threw the bottle into the trash can by the couch.

"Your mother was a liar. And you're a little liar, too."

I ran toward the trash can, desperate to get it back.

"I'm not lying! That was Mom's pill bottle!"

Dad stepped in front of me, blocking my way, his frame towering over me.

"A pill bottle full of milk tablets? You've got the whole act rehearsed, haven't you? Go tell your mother this doesn't work on me."

I pushed against his chest with all my might, but he didn't move an inch.

I tilted my head back and screamed through my tears.

"You threw away her medicine! What will she take when the pain comes back at night? She won't be able to sleep!"

I remembered the nights Mom would lie in bed, her face white as a sheet, but still pat my back gently.

"Don't cry, Stella. I'm fine. Your dad hated seeing me hurt.

"Once I scraped my knee, and he fussed over me for days. He said he'd find the best medicine in the whole world if it meant I'd never feel pain again."

But now Dad had thrown her "medicine" in the trash.

I shoved him as hard as I could, grabbed the bottle from the trash, and clutched it to my chest like a treasure.

"You're all mean! I don't want to give you the Father's Day present anymore!"

I glared at him, then at Vera, who was watching with a satisfied smirk.

"You're both horrible! I hate you!"

I turned and ran out the front door, the pill bottle pressed tight against my heart.

Vera's voice drifted after me, sweet as poison.

"Asher, shouldn't we send someone with her? It's not safe for a child to be alone this late."

"Let her go. She's not my daughter. Not my problem."

I walked down the long, tree-lined driveway, not knowing where to go.

Mom, Dad has a new house and a new lady. He doesn't want me anymore.

Tears streamed down my face, no matter how hard I wiped them away.

Mom had said Dad would be so happy when he found out about me.

She said he'd lift me up on his shoulders and show me the whole world from up high.

She said he'd buy me all the pretty dresses and make me a real princess.

Mom had said so many things.

But now he didn't want me. He called me a liar.

Mom, I miss you so much.

I crouched down by the side of the road, hugging the pill bottle, and cried until I could barely breathe.

The sky turned dark gray as the sun dipped below the horizon.

I stood up and kept walking, my feet dragging on the pavement.

My legs felt like lead, and my head was spinning.

I reached for a tree to steady myself, but my hand slipped.

"Stella!"

Was that Dad's voice? But why would he come after me?

He'd said I wasn't his daughter.

I tried to open my eyes, but they were too heavy.

Then, everything went black.