Chapter 6 - Sister Against Sister
The officers stepped forward immediately, placing Richard and Evelyn under arrest for grand corporate embezzlement and tax evasion based on the financial evidence Julian had turned over to the District Attorney that afternoon.
As the police led Richard and Evelyn away through the gasping crowd, Maya was left standing alone beside the abandoned table, clutching her IV pole, her eyes filled with frantic rage.
"You ruined us!" Maya screamed at me, stepping forward, her face twisted in ugly fury. "You ruined everything, Nora! You had to ruin my life just because Dad loved me more!"
I stopped and turned to look at her.
"He didn't love you, Maya," I said softly. "He loved the idea of you. He loved the illusion that your mother sold him to keep her hands on his checkbook."
"You think you’re so smart!" Maya spat, her knuckles white on her IV pole. "You took the house! You took the money! But I have your kidney! Part of you will always be inside me, serving me, keeping me alive! You’re still just my spare part!"
Julian took a step forward to intervene, but I held up a hand, stopping him.
I walked right up to Maya, stopping inches away from her shivering frame. I reached out and gently touched the diamond bracelet on her wrist.
"Did you know where this bracelet came from, Maya?" I asked quietly.
Maya blinked, startled by my calm tone. "Dad bought it for my eighteenth birthday!"
"No," I replied, my voice dropping into a cold whisper. "This bracelet belonged to my biological mother, Victoria. Your mother stole it from her jewelry box the week after my mother died. I have the original insurance appraisal and serial number right here in my bag."
With a quick, practiced motion, I unclasped the diamond bracelet from Maya’s wrist. She reached for it, but I stepped back, slipping the glittering diamonds into my clutch.
"And as for my kidney..." I continued, looking her dead in the eye. "I don't regret giving it. Because every time you take your anti-rejection medication, every time you feel that ache in your side, you will be reminded that the only reason you are breathing, living, and standing on two feet... is because of the girl you tried to throw into a trash bag."
May you like
Maya’s lips parted, but no words came out. The harsh reality of her existence finally broke through her arrogance. She was living on borrowed time, borrowed organs, and stolen diamonds—and the true owner had come to collect.
Maya broke down, sinking onto her knees on the plush ballroom carpet, sobbing hysterically into her hands as the final guests walked past her without offering a single look of sympathy.
