Chapter 6: The Other Daughters
I stared at the file in front of me.
Five names.
Five students.
Five futures interrupted.
For a moment, I couldn’t speak.
“Are these all connected to my mother?”” I asked.
Dr. Anderson nodded carefully.
“We can only confirm what appears in our records.””
I opened the folder.
Each page told a different story.
A student who gave up an engineering scholarship.
A student who declined a music program.
A student who never attended the university after receiving acceptance.
Different years.
Different dreams.
Same reason.
Family obligations.
My hands went cold.
“My mother did this to all of them?””
Dr. Anderson folded her hands.
“Ava, we don’t know every detail. But the pattern is concerning.””
I looked down at the names.
Then one caught my attention.
A name I recognized.
Emily Mitchell.
Of course.
The first.
The one who tried to warn me.
“I need to talk to them,” I said.
Dr. Anderson looked surprised.
“Are you sure?””
“Yes.””
Because for the first time, I understood something.
My mother had convinced me I was alone.
That was how people like her kept control.
They made you believe nobody else understood.
But there were others.
That afternoon, I found Emily.
She lived only thirty minutes away.
I had never visited her because my mother always said she “preferred distance.””
Now I wondered why.
When Emily opened the door, she froze.
“Ava?””
I nodded.
“Hi, Aunt Emily.””
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then tears filled her eyes.
“She told you.””
I swallowed.
“She tried to destroy my scholarship.””
Emily closed her eyes.
“I knew this day might come.””
Inside her small apartment, I saw paintings on the walls.
Medical books stacked in corners.
A life that looked unfinished.
Like someone had started building a dream and walked away halfway through.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“You don’t have to apologize.””
“Yes, I do.””
She sat down.
“I should have warned you sooner.””
“Why didn’t you?””
Emily looked at the floor.
“Because I was afraid you would hate her.””
I almost laughed.
“I think she made that decision herself.””
Emily looked at me.
“She wasn’t always like this.””
“Maybe not.””
I sat across from her.
“But she chose this.””
Emily nodded slowly.
“That’s the hardest part to accept.””
We talked for hours.
She told me how she lost her scholarship.
How she spent years wondering what her life could have been.
How she watched Karen repeat the same behavior.
But she also told me something important.
“You are not me, Ava.””
I looked up.
“What do you mean?””
“You still have a chance.””
I shook my head.
“My mother already ruined it.””
Emily reached across the table.
“No. She tried.””
That sentence stayed with me.
She tried.
Not succeeded.
Tried.
When I returned home, Karen was waiting.
She was sitting in the living room with her arms crossed.
“You went to see Emily.””
It wasn’t a question.
“Yes.””
Her face tightened.
“She filled your head with lies.””
“No.””
I stepped closer.
“She told me the truth.””
Karen stood.
“You have no idea what she did to this family.””
“Then tell me.””
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
For once, she had no explanation.
Then my phone rang.
I looked down.
It was Dr. Anderson.
I answered.
“Hello?””
Her voice sounded serious.
“Ava, I found something else.””
I walked away from my mother.
“What?””
A pause.
Then:
“The scholarship withdrawal request was not the only thing submitted from your account.””
My heart stopped.
“What else was submitted?””
Dr. Anderson took a breath.
“Ava… someone also requested a change to your emergency contact information.””
I frowned.
“Why?””
May you like
Her answer made my blood run cold.
“Because someone was preparing for you not to leave home at all.””
