Chapter 2 A Daughter's Guilt

• I had just arrived home when I caught my twin sister Brooke and my mother chatting happily. I had no idea what they were talking about, because they always exclude me.
• My parents named me Theana Brynn while my twin sister's name is Alethea Brooke.
• "Who among the two sons, Mama?" Brooke asked.
• "The eldest, dear! It's Taddeo Locatelli!"
• Even though they mentioned names, I still couldn't follow their conversation.
• "Oh, Ma! Whoever among Aunt Adelaide's two sons is fine with me! Am I the one they want to marry?"
• I stopped walking when I heard Ale's words. ‘Huh? What marriage?’
• "Yes, of course, I would mention you! Otherwise..." Mama trailed off, maybe noticing my presence.
• My twin sister Alethea also glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. She gave me a snooty look like she always did. I secretly rolled my eyes at her.
• "Theana, you're already here. Have you been here long?" Mama asked me.
• I smiled at her. "I just arrived." I acted as if I hadn't heard them earlier. "What were you talking about, Ma?"
• I approached them and kissed my mother on the cheek.
• "Nothing much. I just talked to Adelaide. Remember her? Your dad’s friend? You haven't seen them for a long time, so maybe you don't remember. Anyway, they want to marry off Alethea to their eldest son!"
• I winced at what she said. I wanted to be happy, but there was bitterness in my throat.
• I can see how my mother is so proud of my sister, but it's been a long time since I saw her treat me like this.
• "Anyway, there's still food there if you haven't eaten. You can also wash the dishes; The maid's off today. You can do that, right?"
• I could only nod at her. I can use the dishwasher anyway. Besides, it's difficult to complain because I'll just end up looking bad again.
• My sister eyed me, and she smirked when she saw me looking at her. She gave me a dirty look before chatting with our mother again.
• So that's what they were talking about. Alethea will be married to the son of Papa's friend.
• I sighed and headed to my room to change clothes. I had just come from school, and this is what I'm greeted with, washing the dishes.
• I sat on the edge of my bed and took off my shoes. My gaze landed on a picture of my father. I smiled sadly before approaching it.
• I held Papa's picture and smiled sadly at him. "If only you were here, Pa. Maybe they wouldn't treat me like this." I caressed the picture frame.
• Ten years ago, my father passed away. Car accident. My family blamed me for his death. I ran away because they refused to buy me the clothes I wanted, so to make them regret it, I left for a while. I never expected that in searching for my father, he would get into an accident.
• I grew up being spoiled by my parents, especially by my father. So when there were things I couldn't get back then, it was a big deal for me and I threw tantrums. I am the rebel daughter, while my twin sister is the golden child, even though I know very well the rotten attitude of my sibling.
• Alethea and I were close before, but after the tragedy with Papa, her behavior and treatment towards me changed.
• Now that I’m growing up, I’ve learned that not everything you want, no matter how much you desire it, can be obtained. The death of Papa had a significant impact on me.
• I don't seek pity, nor do I allow myself to be oppressed. When someone bullies me, I fight back. The problem is, when it comes to Mama, I always let myself lose. Because until now, I feel like I need to make it up to her. I am the primary reason why Papa, her husband, is no longer with us. Until now, I carry the guilt of what happened. So even though sometimes I feel like my mother doesn't treat me like a daughter anymore and favors my twin sister Alethea, I don't complain.
• "I'm jealous, Pa," I said to my father's photo. "I wish Mama would love me again like she loves Ale. I'm also her daughter, and I didn't want what happened to you back then. If only I can trade my life for yours, I would, Pa."
• I hugged my father's photo.
• "I miss you, Pa. There's not a day or night that I don't think, if only I didn't run away back then, you'd still be with us."
• I skipped dinner because I lost my appetite. I just washed the dishes in the kitchen and decided to sleep.
• I'm so tired today. I'm juggling school and work. Mama doesn’t know that I am working. Our family is wealthy because of the businesses Dad left behind, but…I want to have my own money. I want to leave here and have my own life.
• Sure, I love my mother and my twin sister even though they are like this to me, but I feel suffocated staying here. I want to create my own identity. Someday, I’ll be a well-known model or actress! Maybe if that happens, I'll get Mama's validation.
• I know Mama is against that. She hates that industry so much. She belittles modeling and acting, but for me, it is a work of art. Someday, I will make my mother proud.
• Somehow, I feel lighter thinking about reaching my dreams.
• I’m only in my second year of college while my sister is in her fourth year now. Why am I left behind? Well, in the past, I tried to intentionally sabotage my schooling. I kept changing courses and dropping out. I also attempted to rebel against my mother, just so she would give me her attention. I preferred her scolding me because it meant she noticed me. When she gets angry with me, I feel like I exist, but it's exhausting too. So now, I just comply with what she wants, even if I don't like it. I'll just finish the course I'm taking in college right now, and after that, I'll follow what I want.
• I woke up early the next morning. I heard some noise, so I immediately went out of my room. I saw Mama with some luggage. My sister was emotional, and my mother was comforting her.
• “I’ll be back, dear. I just really need to leave. Probably for two to three months. You'll be fine here, right?” Mama said.
• ‘Where is she going?’
• “But Mama, I’m going to miss you!”
• Mama hugged my crying sister. “Me, too, honey. Just remember what I told you, okay? Next week, you’re going to the Locatelli's, and you’re going to stay there for a while, so you can get to know your fiancé better!”
• “Ma, where are you going?” I couldn't help but speak up. I walked closer to them and noticed her sudden change in mood.
• “I’m going to Russia. I need to take care of our business there. There seems to be a problem.” She looked at me and greeted me with her stern face. “You’re going to be alone here, Thea. Alethea will go to the Locatelli's next week, and she will stay there for a while. I’ll be in Russia. I’m leaving the house in your care. The head maid is here anyway, so there shouldn't be any problem.”
• She walked towards me. I remained standing by the door of my room.
• “Don’t cause any trouble, understood?”
• I just nodded. Mama was escorted out of our gate, and I watched her car drive away.
• As I was about to go back inside the house, I saw Alethea. She was crossing her arms and looking at me. When she noticed me looking at her, she smirked before turning away.
• I sighed in frustration, thankful that I'm turning over a new leaf because I wanted to please Mama. Otherwise, I would have fought her a long time ago because of her attitude towards me.
• Sure, sibling fights are inevitable, but Ale's attitude is different. Often because she knows Mama would take her side, she tests my patience and makes me look bad even though she's the one with the bad attitude.
• After my part-time job shift, which my family doesn’t know about, I went to the mall. I needed to buy some supplies for a school project. I went straight to the bookstore to get them.
• I also wandered around for a bit and ended up in my favorite shop. My eyes immediately caught sight of the new display of bags that seemed freshly released by this brand. I was tempted to buy, but I quickly restrained myself.
• I bit my lip. While I used to spend money recklessly before, since Papa's death, I've become more aware of things at a young age. Just because you can buy something doesn't mean you should.
• I left the shop before my thoughts could change. There's something more important I need to allocate my money for.
• As I was about to ride the escalator to go down to the ground floor, I heard a familiar voice, my sister's voice.
• “It’s your fault, you bitch!” I saw Alethea slapping a girl. The girl grabbed my twin sister's hair and forcefully pulled her.
• I rushed over there and immediately intervened. "Ale, stop that!"
• She lunged at the girl again despite my attempts to hold her back. She even scratched the girl's arm, a smirk forming on my sister's lips.
• “Serves you right, bitch!” Alethea yelled.
• Some people had started to notice the commotion. They were staring, and some were even calling for security.
• "You're a boyfriend stealer!" the girl shouted.
• "Is it my fault you're an ugly duckling and cheap that your boyfriend is replacing you—"
• The girl grabbed her again in anger. I was pushed by the girl too. They started pulling each other's hair, and I could hear the voices of security approaching. I couldn't stand up because my hand hurt from when it got hurt earlier due to being pushed.
• "You're a flirt!" The girl pushed my sister hard. Alethea's back hit a glass wall, which quickly shattered from the impact of her fall.
• "Ale!" I stood up despite my sore bottom. The security tried to catch her, but Alethea fell to the first floor of the mall.
• I immediately rushed my sister to the hospital. The doctor said there were no broken bones. It was fortunate, they said, that the distance between the second floor and the first floor of that mall wasn't too high, but my sister had some injuries that needed attention. They said she might not be able to walk for a few months.
• The news that some glass shards had fallen on Alethea's face wasn't good either, which led to...
• I heard my sister's loud scream. She had regained consciousness, and I found her looking at herself in the mirror.
• “This c-can’t be…” Alethea said. I approached her, but she quickly pushed me away.
• Alethea had wounds on her face, and the outcome wasn't good. It would take a long time for Alethea's face to return to its previous state. The problem was, it could leave scars.
• “This is your fault, Thea!” she yelled at me.
• I was taken aback by what she said, but even though I was worried about her condition, I couldn't stop myself.
• “Why me?! I just stopped you; I wasn't the one who pushed you!”
• She kept crying. Bandages covered her face because of the wounds she sustained.
• “If you hadn't stopped me, then I would have pushed her instead!” she shouted at me while sobbing. “I will tell Mama about this!”
• I got alarmed at that. Even though I wanted to shout at Alethea for blaming me, my courage quickly faded. Whenever she mentioned Mama, my bravado disappeared. Perhaps because I knew she would believe Alethea and take her side over mine. Ale is her favorite daughter, and I am no one’s favorite.
• “I can't show up at the Locatelli's looking like this! They will surely be disgusted!” She cried even more. “My fiancé might dislike me! Oh, no!”
• All I could hear in Alethea's room was sobbing. I tried to calm her down. I knew how excited she was to meet her fiancé, which is why she was like this.
• “This is your fault, Thea! No matter where you go, bad luck follows you! Now what? I don’t want to disappoint Mama! We’ve been waiting for this, and you're ruining it—”
• “It's not my fault, Alethea.” I calmed down, but I still argued that it wasn't my fault.
• I just let Alethea express her feelings. Then I was surprised when she suddenly held my hand.
• “Thea,” she called. “We look alike, right? We're almost identical. Aside from some differences, it's not that noticeable if we switched places, right? Just temporarily, while I'm healing.”
• I slowly saw a smile forming on Alethea's face.
• “Do you want to make up for what happened to me? Help me, then. I have an idea.”
• I furrowed my brow at what she said. Her eyes were fixed on me. I blinked because I felt like I was being put in a position where it would be hard for me to escape.