I Was Born For Their Mistakes, Not For Love Chapter 01
People always said parents loved all their children equally.
That was bullshit.
In my family, I wasn’t even treated like a child. I was the dirt stuck beneath everyone else’s
fingernails.
I grew up in the perfect all-American blended family.
My dad never laid a hand on my mom’s kids because he wanted to prove how deeply he loved her My mom did the exact same thing with his children. They were so determined to showcase their selfless love for each other that neither of them ever disciplined the children they brought into the
marriage.
Which left me.
The daughter they had together.
Their living proof of love.
And the only kid in the house they were allowed to destroy.
When my older brother, Caleb Vance, intentionally turned in a blank SAT practice exam, Dad dragged me outside, locked me inside the old dog kennel behind the house, and left me baking
under the brutal summer sun.
Then he pointed at me and told Caleb, “If you don’t want to end up living like an animal, get your grades up.”
When my sister Maya Vance got caught making out with a football player at a party, Mom drugged me that same night and dumped me in a downtown alley crawling with addicts and homeless men.
She yanked Maya by the hair and pointed at me curled beside a pile of garbage.
“Look carefully,” she warned. “This is what happens to girls who don’t respect themselves.”
But the worst came later.
Mom was cleaning out the kitchen trash when she found a pizza receipt.
Without hesitation, she grabbed me by the throat and forced slice after slice of pizza down my mouth. The cheese and sauce had been mixed with industrial-strength rat poison.
“You kids love junk food so much?” she snapped, forcing me to swallow. “Then let’s see exactly
how garbage ruins a person.”
I vomited blood within minutes.
My stomach felt like it was being shredded apart from the inside, but Mom didn’t even blink. While I writhed on the floor screaming in pain, she dragged me into the basement storage room they used
as a punishment chamber and locked the door behind me,
Only then did Caleb and Maya panic.
Both of them rushed to confess at the same time, begging Mom to let me out.
But Mom simply wiped her hands with a dish towel, calm and composed.
“This lesson is important,” she said coldly. “She stays in there until the two of you learn honesty
and self-control.”
I collapsed against the concrete floor as blood soaked through my shirt.
And while my consciousness slowly faded, I finally understood something.
Mom’s final lesson for them…
Required a corpse.
“M-Mom, please!” Maya grabbed at her sleeve, sobbing. “Let Hazel out! She’s throwing up blood!”
Mom gently pulled her arm away.
“No. The two of you need to see what happens when people break the rules. Otherwise you’ll never learn. I’m doing this for your future.”
Caleb stumbled forward, eyes bloodshot.
“Mom, I ordered the pizza! Hazel had nothing to do with it!” His voice cracked. “Punish me instead! I swear I’ll never order delivery again! Please, just let her out!”
Mom smiled.
Not warmly.
Proudly.
“Oh, now you admit it?” she asked, “Funny. When I showed you the receipt earlier, you lied straip to my face,”
Caleb froze.
“Tell me,” she continued softly, “how am I supposed to believe a liar?”
The color drained completely from his face,
Curled up in the corner of the dark storage room, I could barely breathe. Every inhale tasted like
rust and blood,
My entire body trembled.
Still, I forced myself onto my tiptoes and pressed my face against the tiny basement window.
“Mom…” My voice shook violently, “It hurts so bad. Can you please let me out?”
Her expression instantly darkened.
“How selfish can you be?” she snapped, “You’re suffering a little so your brother and sister can become better people. That should make you proud. Stop whining. Once they learn their lesson, you can come out,”
can
My eyes burned.
Tears pooled instantly.
But I didn’t dare cry.
Mom always said crying was a sign of weakness,
And weak people didn’t deserve love.
So I blinked furiously until the tears retreated, even though my nose burned and my chest ached
Then I forced myself to smile.
“Okay,” I whispered obediently, “I’ll be good, Mom/
Caleb finally broke.
He dropped to his knees in front of her.
“Mom, please! Hazel’s still a kid! Her body can’t take this!”
But instead of softening, Mom became furious.
“Caleb!” she shouted, chest heaving, “I raised you better than this! A real man does not get on his knees so easily!”
She pointed at him with trembling rage.
“Did everything I teach you go in one ear and out the other? I’m not opening that door today! Not for anything! You can stay on your knees until tomorrow morning and it still won’t change my mind!”
Every trace of blood disappeared from Caleb’s face.
Suddenly, something burst violently inside my chest.
I coughed up a mouthful of blood that splattered across the basement window.
Maya screamed.
Mom instinctively stepped forward before catching herself.
Then she let out a cold laugh.
“Oh please,” she scoffed. “Stop pretending. You think acting pathetic will get everyone’s attention? You think you can ruin the results of my parenting with this little stunt?”
Her eyes turned icy.
“This is your purpose, Hazel I gave birth to you so your brother and sister would have an example
of what not to become. The more you act like this, the less I want to let you out.”
Maya stood frozen for half a second.
Then she wiped away her tears and bolted for the front door.
“Hazel, don’t be scared!” she cried. “I’m getting help! Just hang on!”
