842 Days in the Asylum: My Family’s Gift Chapter 08
Lyra’s POV
Papa frowned. “You’re talking as if we sent you somewhere terrible. Your brother and I paid extra to make sure the doctors looked after you. You had a roof over your head, meals brought to you every day, and people taking care of your needs. For all intents and purposes, it was practically a resort. I honestly don’t understand what you’re so upset about.”
I stood so abruptly that my chair scraped violently across the floor. “Vacation?”
My voice cracked. “Vacation?”
I laughed, then I screamed. But no amount of screaming could release the despair clawing at my chest. Vacation?!”
I hurled the empty glass across the room. It smashed against the wall and exploded into countless shards.
I rolled up my sleeves. Needle marks, bruises, old scars.
Then I lifted the back of my shirt.
Mama gasped. Papa fell silent.
Matteo was on his feet instantly. “Lyra-”
He wrapped his arms around me.
I shoved him away. I couldn’t stand his touch. I couldn’t stand anyone’s touch.
“If it was such a wonderful vacation,” I screamed, tears streaming down my face, “then why didn’t you send your pride Lily there instead?”
My voice echoed through the dining room. “Why didn’t you send Lily?”
“Why me?!”
“Lyra, we-”
“She’s right.” The words came from Lily.
Everyone turned.
Tears were already pouring down her face.
“It should’ve been me,” she sobbed. “This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have come to the Kane in the first place. I’m sorry, Lyra. I’m so sorry.”
And just like that, the moment Lily cried, everyone forgot about me.
Mama rushed to her side and pulled her into a hug.
“Nonsense,” she whispered, stroking Lily’s hair. “None of this is your fault. Do you hear me? None of it is your fault.”
I stood there surrounded by my own pain, my own tears, my own scars. And somehow, they were all comforting Lily.
When Mama looked back at me, the guilt and sadness in her eyes were gone. All that remained was hurt, as if I were the one who had done something wrong again.
“Lyra,” she whispered through her tears, “why do you have to make everything so miserable? Why do you…”
Her voice broke into sobs.
Papa’s expression darkened even further.
“You always have to make everything about yourself, don’t you?” he snapped. “Your mother asked
everyone to eat dinner first and talk afterward. But no-you had to make a scene.”
He let out a frustrated sigh. “If you insist on blaming someone, then blame me. Fine.”
For a moment, he fell silent. Then he shrugged, as if discussing something trivial.
“I don’t know what went wrong. The doctors were supposed to let you stay there peacefully. But maybe…” His gaze settled on me. “Maybe you did something yourself. Maybe there was a reason they treated you that way.”
For one brief moment, I thought the truth would change everything. Now that they knew I had suffered, I
was their real daughter, surely they would regret what they’d done, right?
They would feel guilty. They would finally see me…?
But I had underestimated how much they loved Lily. And how little they cared about what happened to
Something inside me cracked beyond repair.
“We’ll discuss your condition later,” Papa continued. “Right now, apologize to Lily. You had no right to say those things to your sister.”
“She isn’t my sister.” My voice came out cold and flat. “She never was, and she never will be.”
“She’s right,” Lily cried out even louder. “This is all my fault. Auntie, Uncle, just let me leave. My mother is already gone. I shouldn’t stay here and tear your family apart.”
Mama pulled her closer.
“Don’t you dare call me Auntie. I am Mama, remember?” Her voice trembled. “I promised Alice I would take care of you. And I will.”
Papa nodded firmly. “Lily, you’ll always be our daughter. Nothing will ever change that.”
Then he turned back to me. “Now that you’re back, we can finally move on from all of this and be a family again. Isn’t that enough, Lyra?”
“No. It’s not enough.”
The room fell silent.
“From the moment I turned fifteen, everyone treated me like a stray.” My voice shook. “Everyone looked at me like I was trash.”
I pointed at Lily. “She got the love, the family and the future.”
I laughed again, tears streaming down my face. “She lived in paradise while I was thrown away.”
My voice cracked. “She was never the one suffering. I was.”
The years of pain finally spilled out.
“If we’re talking about enough, then only after she has lived through everything I endured can we even begin to have this conversation-”
Slap.
The sound echoed through the dining room.
For a moment, everything went still.
My head snapped to the side, a burning sting spread across my cheek.
Slowly, I looked up.
Mama stood frozen in front of me. Her hand was still raised in the air. Her eyes were wide with shock, as if she couldn’t believe she’d just slapped me.
She had ignored me after Lily was brought back. She had looked away when Papa punished me. But she had never raised a hand against me before. That had always been Papa’s job.
But now she had done it. She had slapped me.
Looking around the room, I barely recognized any of them anymore.
I moved before anyone could stop me.
My hand shot out, grabbing a steak knife from the table. In the next second, I had Lily pinned against me, the blade pressed tightly against her throat.
The room erupted into screams.
“If all of you want me so badly,” I shouted, my voice shaking with years of hurt and rage, “then pick one of
us Right now.
I pressed the knife a little closer to Lily’s neck.
She cried out in terror. “Don’t hurt me! Please, Lyra, don’t hurt me!”
Mama, Papa and Matteo all looked horrified.
“Lyra, calm down,” Matteo said carefully. “Please, just calm down.”
“Lyra, I begged you to put that knife down. Please, Lyra!” Mama cried as she begged.
“Choose!” I screamed. “Choose one of us!”
The room fell silent.
Ten seconds later, Mama broke. “Lily!”
Her voice cracked. “We choose Lily!”
The words echoed through the room.
Papa closed his eyes. Matteo froze. But neither of them argued or corrected her.
I wasn’t surprised. If anything, I had been waiting to hear those words.
A strange calm settled over me.
“Alright.” I smiled. “Since you’ve made your choice, I want a recording.”
Everyone stared at me. “A recording saying that Lyra Kane has nothing to do with the Kane family anymore. Starting today, we cut all ties. Biological and legal.”
“Lyra!” Papa took a step forward.
I immediately pressed the blade tighter against Lily’s neck.
A thin line of red appeared.
“Another step,” I said softly, “and I’ll slit her throat. She won’t make it to the hospital.”
