Parallel Lies Chapter 08
Third-person POV
The Silverstones finally realized that Rosamund was nothing like the person they had convinced themselves she was over the years. She had no interest in taking pictures in a little white dress or smiling behind a birthday cake. She did not want to be close to Caelan, nor did she even enjoy eating the meals they prepared half the time.
She hated people touching her skin. The curtains could never be fully opened. Even the TV volume could not go above 20.
At first, Amy did her best to be patient. “I know you’ve suffered a lot where you came from, but you have to learn to adapt to our world too!”
Rosamund buried her face in her pillow, her hands seemingly glued to her ears. “I’ve always been like this, whether I was there or here! You’re the ones who have never tried to accommodate me!”
Amy wanted desperately to argue, but she could not stop thinking about the diagnosis.
After hiding the report, she had even thrown away the parenting guide the psychologist had given her. Back then, she had been convinced that her child could not possibly be sick. She had dismissed everything as the result of a modern child being coddled and spoiled.
Now, the poor young woman clawed at the back of her own hand just to distract herself from the pain. Bright red marks covered her skin. Every time Amy tried to stop her, Rosamund would scream.
Roger spent that night smoking alone on the balcony. The following day, he searched Amelia’s old room for her diaries, documents, and even photographs.
Unfortunately, amid the sea of bright pink, nothing remained. Even the little sticky note Amelia used to keep in the corner of her desk, the one that read, “I will be Amelia Silverstone and no one else today, too!, “had already been torn up by Amy before she threw it away.
Amy rushed to rummage through the dumpster, but most of the trash had already been collected. The only thing she managed to recover was a sketchbook, with barely half of it still intact.
Tucked inside was a sticky note that read, “Mom said I managed to resemble Rosamund today. That makes today a good day.”
Amy covered her mouth to stifle a sob.
By the time Caelan arrived, Rosamund was curled up beside the window, shuddering. He brought the notebook containing Amelia’s memo and cautiously approached her.
“Hey, don’t be scared. Amelia said I’m prone to developing stomach problems, so I shouldn’t drink iced beverages.”
Rosamund looked at the notebook, and tears welled in her eyes. “So she gave up on you too?”
He froze.
She shoved the notebook away. “Why do you people keep making her clean up all of your messes?!”
Amy shot to her feet. “She did all of that willingly!”
“Did she? What choice did she have, even if she didn’t want to? Would any of you have respected her
wishes?” Rosamund demanded.
Silence fell over the room once again.
Roger finally spoke. “Bring that app over. Let’s see if we can change this.”
Rosamund snapped her head up. “Who do you want to replace me with now?”
“No! It’s not that we don’t want you!” Amy said quickly.
Rosamund scoffed, her voice trembling. “You didn’t want Amelia either. The truth is, the only daughter you people want is one who doesn’t cry, doesn’t get sick, and never makes you feel like you’ve failed!”
Caelan lowered his head, his eyes rimmed with red. He remembered Amelia’s final wish to visit the sea before she “died.” At the time, he had refused. All he cared about was whether the Replacement would
succeed.
No one dared call Rosamund wild, unruly, or overdramatic anymore. How could they when she was trembling in agony right before their eyes?
Only then did they realize they had erased every trace of Amelia’s existence. There was no longer any way to recover the history of their most obedient, most understanding child.
