"There’s a new apartment building in the north of the city, close to the subway, and only half an hour from the main house…"
Before he could finish his sentence, the ringtone that belonged only to Emily rang. "What? Swollen feet? Wait, brother’s coming soon."
After hanging up, he remembered I was still in the car.
He touched his nose, feeling a little guilty. "Vivian, Emily sprained…"
"Okay," I interrupted with a smile. "I’ll go myself."
Andrew hesitated, looking at my thin, lonely figure and suppressing his irritation.
He thought he’d wait until Emily’s birthday party was over before coaxing me properly.
After all, to him, I was easily moved by even the smallest favors.
I pushed open the dress shop.
But my steps stopped at the door.
At the counter, Emily, holding a pair of scissors, was haphazardly cutting a dress.
It was the coming-of-age gown my mother had designed for me before she died.
This is all I have left of her.
For so many years, I kept it carefully wrapped in my closet, afraid it would fade or snag, afraid even of light.
Now, the packaging lay torn on the floor, the dress shredded into pieces. I felt like I'd been slapped hard, my head buzzing.
"Who allowed you to touch my things?" I practically yelled.
Emily, startled, stepped back.
The scissors in her hand ripped along the front of the dress, tearing it in two.
My mind exploded with a bang.
My hand instinctively shot up, but before I could touch Emily, Andrew shoved me away.
I crashed into the decorative cabinet behind me,
and several ceramic ornaments toppled, shattering around me across the floor.
This time, Andrew glared at me, no longer pretending to defend me.
"Vivian, are you crazy? You're going to hit someone over a dress?"
Emily hid behind him, a look of innocence softening her face. "Sister, I just thought the dress was too old-fashioned, so I wanted to alter it. I didn’t mean to."
She covered her arm and hissed.
Andrew nervously stared at the thin scratch left by the broken porcelain. His face darkened, furious.
"I knew you were such an ungrateful person, rotten to the core. What kind of upbringing could you possibly have?"
"You lose control over the smallest thing. You’re not even as good as a strand of Emily’s hair. I’m glad I left you out all these years. If you’d been married into the Walker family, your behavior would have been enough to make your parents shudder."