They weren't worried about me. They were worried about themselves.
Ethel waved it off. "What does it have to do with us? She's a cripple. Nobody would think twice if she killed herself out of despair, right?"
"Back when I was hiding from debt collectors, I saw people off themselves all the time when they hit rock bottom. Nobody ever investigated. Relax."
Sympathy flooded my parents' eyes, but not for me. "Oh, Ethel, you've had it so rough. But better days are ahead now."
The tenderness in their gazes, set against the coldness they'd shown me moments ago, was a stark contrast.
It was like a blade, severing the last thread of hope I'd been clinging to.
"Why?"
The word ripped out of me, raw and shattered.
"All these years, you've only ever cared about Ethel. And now you want me dead. How can you be this heartless? What did I ever do wrong?"
My breakdown only made them recoil in disgust.
My father barked, "What kind of attitude is that? All these years, even a dog would know to wag its tail and show some gratitude. You're nothing but a cripple now. What right do you have to bark at us?"
My mother wavered slightly. "Abigail may have her faults, but she's still your sister. Do we really have to go that far?"
Ethel's expression twisted with venom. "Yes, we do! Our whole lives, she's lorded it over me. Everything she did was better, everything she had was more. Before, she was at least useful as my personal ATM, so I put up with it. But I'm about to rise to the top, and she's nothing but dead weight now. If I don't settle this score while I can, what, am I supposed to let her stick around and dirty my shoes?"
"Mom, Dad, didn't you just say you'd do anything for me? Well, I want her dead. Right now!"
It was still a human life, after all. Our parents hesitated, unable to commit.
But Ethel's expression twisted into something unhinged. "Once Logan and I are married, imagine the headlines: 'CEO's wife has a crippled sister.' That kind of negative press could tank the stock price. What if he divorces me over it? We're talking about the entire Stephens Group!"
That was all it took. Our parents' eyes hardened, filling with a cold resolve.
For Ethel's sake. For wealth and status. They were actually going to kill me.
But I didn't have time to grieve. All I wanted was to survive.
I was alone, injured, and no match for three people.
Run.