The Heiress They Ignored

Chapter Two

The walk home had never felt so long.

Gosh! I hated myself and the way I allowed Daniel to play me.

I always had a feeling, but because he was the only one who made me feel... normal, I stayed.

I feel like such a fool thinking about everything now.

It all makes sense now.

"Oh... it's more romantic to go out at night."

Amera, you're a big, fat—

I caught myself halfway.

I shouldn't beat myself up for someone who doesn’t deserve it, or even anyone else for that matter.

"But I... I tried."

I felt a knot forming in my throat.

"Why are you crying, Amera?"

I tried to tell myself that he wasn't worth it, that it was his loss and he would regret it, but deep down, I knew the truth.

To be honest, being with someone like me would feel like settling. Managing until he probably felt distant and asked to break up.

Finally, I got to the gate of the house.

I'm certain I've lost a few pounds from the heartbreak and the walk down the street.

I just need my bed right now. That would make everything better.

I opened the gate, trying to be as quiet as possible because everyone was usually asleep by this time.

I'd made it past the living room by sneaking and taking light steps.

But barely a few meters away from my bedroom, I heard my parents' voices.

The shock I received moments ago began with hearing voices and eavesdropping.

Since I'm clearly not out to get my heart broken twice in one night, I'm definitely not listening in.

My parents argued a lot. It was nothing new.

Alice Paul always had something to nitpick about, and her husband, Alex, was never one to give up without a good fight, so this was no new behaviour.

"Oh, my goodness, Alex, it's been twenty-one years. We can't keep doing this," my mother's voice rose slightly.

There was a pause, and then Dad spoke.

"I know, Alice. But it would be too harsh to tell her under these conditions."

"Oh, please," she interjected.

Here I am, standing in front of my door, doing the thing I said I wasn't going to do—eavesdrop.

Just as I lifted my foot and reached for the doorknob, I heard it.

It was too clear to be a misunderstanding on my end.

"We have done our best for Amera!"

What do you mean you've done your best for Amera? Amera is your child.

I'm Amera. Your child.

I walked quietly towards their room for answers.

"Bring your voice down, Alice!"

"You dote on her too much for no reason."

"That's not true. I treat her the same way I treat—"

"Your biological children, Alex?" Mom cut him off.

"All she does is eat all the food, go out with that boyfriend of hers, then go to bed, wake up, and repeat the same process."

What is going on today? Did a veil mysteriously come off their eyes today? I've always been this way, for God's sake.

"She couldn't even get a job after high school to support us and her... well, her siblings."

"But she doesn't know the truth yet. We can't just ask her to leave. Where will she go?"

"She might as well go to the heavens, but she isn't spending another night in this house!"

Completely distraught by what I'd just heard, I froze in place.

I couldn't move even as I heard footsteps heading for the door.

"Honey, wait! Please."

Daddy seemed to be trying to persuade her.

The door opened and they saw me.

Mom especially seemed surprised to see me, given that she had just been making her way to my room.

With tears in my eyes, I looked at her.

"Wha... what are you doing here?" she stuttered.

"You're not supposed to be—"

"You were coming to my room, weren't you?" I cut her off.

"Amy, how much of that did you hear? Your mother didn't mean the things she said."

Dad tried to defend her.

"What part didn't you mean, Mom?"

The knot I felt in my throat earlier suddenly tripled in size, and I couldn't speak.

"Amera, your mother and I were—"

"You're not my parents!" I fired back.

"You jj... juu... just said it there. That all I do is eat all your food when I'm not even your child, and that I don't support my sib—"

I caught myself.

"Your children!" I said, raising my voice and sobbing profusely.

At this point, my heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to explode in my chest.

"Amera, you need to bring your voice down. I told you, your mom was just angry. She didn't mean the things she said."

Mom flashed him an angry look.

"Until when will you keep babysitting her?"

"I didn't plan for you to find out this way, Amera. I'm sorry."

"Wow. How exactly did you plan for me to find out, Mom?"

I asked, my voice heavy with tears.

For someone saying she was sorry, Mom sure looked unbothered and unfazed by the immense pain I was in.

"Look, Amera... the truth is out now, so we might as well deal with it. We have no idea who your biological parents are, but Amera... we won't be able to continue... housing you."

Housing me?

Oh God! What is actually happening today???

If you wanted to take my life, you could have just taken me in my sleep.

Why rip out my heart like this?

"What do you want me to do? Get a job? Two jobs? Go to college..."

"Heh."

Mom chuckled dryly, much to my shock.

"On whose pocket are you going to college, Amera?"

"But you both said you were saving up for me to go to college. It's been three years since I graduated high school. You said you were saving!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

They assured me that I was going to college after high school.

"Amera, you've been asleep for far too long. We can't send you—no, we won't send you to college."

"So, you were just lying to me? For three whole years?!"

"Enough with the victim theatrics, Amera. You should be grateful to us for accommodating and feeding you all these years! I mean, look at you! You're the biggest person in this house, and you're not even a Paul biologically."

Has this woman always been this way?

Or has a veil also come off my eyes?

"You have to leave today. Right now."

Those words jerked me back to reality.

"Right now?!"

"It's 12 a.m. right now. Where will I go?"

"Please don't do this. I promise you, I'll get a job. I'll work two jobs. Please."

I fell to my knees, pleading.

Mom scoffed.

"Come on now, Mera. Who would want to employ you?"

"You'll just be a liability to them, and they'll end up laying you off. You're just too bi—"

"Okay, fine!" I cut her off.

"I'm big. I know. But please give me till the weekend to figure something out. I really have nowhere else to go. Please!"

I begged, but my pleas seemed to be falling on deaf ears.

"Dad... say something, please."

I tried to look at him, but my eyes were filled with tears. I could barely see.

"Are you going to pack, or should I assist you?"

"Moooommm, please!!!"

"Ugh! I'll assist you then."

In what seemed like the shortest five minutes of my life, Mom came out with my suitcase.

"Mom, Dad, please! I beg you. Let me leave in the morning at least. Pleaasseee!"

As I was begging, Mom began dragging me out of the house like I was a common maid.

Dad just stood there watching while his wife threw me out of the house.

And just like that, I was single and homeless on the same day.

I sat by the gate for a long time, mostly rethinking my life's choices and wondering why I didn't have more money saved up, wondering why I never tried to get a job, and why I kept eating the way I did with no exercise at all.

Not long after, the light in my parents' room went off.

Wow.

They really meant it.

I feel like I got dumped twice in a day.

Hmm.

I'm really on my own in this world now.

I got up, dusted myself off, and with the little energy I had left, I began my missionary journey, pulling my suitcase behind me.

Thankfully, the streetlights on Harlow Street were all working, as my phone battery had also decided to dump me.

It was an excruciatingly long walk, but I was finally at the end of the street.

I gave one last look at the Pauls' house and kept moving.

Towards the end of the street, there was a faulty streetlight flickering non-stop.

I felt uneasy and began walking faster.

I started hearing footsteps behind me.

I walked even faster.

Just then, a scruffy, tall man reeking of alcohol materialized out of the shadows and walked towards me.

Clutching my side bag tightly, I kept walking.

"Hey, thickness... going somewhere?"

He spoke, but he didn't sound drunk.

I walked even faster, trying to get away from him, but his long strides made it seem like I wasn't.

"Don't you know it's rude to ignore people?"

He sounded irritated this time.

In a split second, he grabbed my arm.

I forced myself out of his grip and tried to run in the other direction, but I bumped into two other men with a similar build to the first.

"We just want to talk to you, honey. What do you have in your bag?"

The second guy spoke.

My heart rate increased, but I didn't want to show fear.