On Thanksgiving, my parents forgot about my nut allergy again.
The pumpkin pie on the table was covered in chopped pecans, made especially for Sofia. It was her favorite.
While I stood on the back patio, letting the cold wind bite at my face, my five-year-old daughter, Chloe, sent me a text.
“Mom, don’t be sad. I’m going to buy you your favorite molten chocolate cake!”
Tears pricked my eyes.
But that same night, Chloe disappeared.
I searched for her in the rain for three days. In the end, the police found her on the other side of the neighborhood.
I ran to hug her, but she screamed and turned away, throwing herself into my sister Sofia’s arms. She wrapped her tiny arms around Sofia’s neck and called her “Mom.”
The doctor said she might have been so frightened that her memory had become confused. If we wanted her to recover, we couldn’t keep upsetting her.
My parents suggested Sofia take my place for the time being, staying by Chloe’s side to help her through this.
My husband, Marco, agreed.
“Beatrice, I think they’re right. The most important thing is Chloe. Let Sofia stay with her for now. Once she remembers, she’ll be fine.”
After that, the doctor said it would be best for Chloe to be around familiar people, so for the past few weeks, we’d all been living at my parents’ house.
I had no choice but to pretend to accept it.
Until one day, I got home earlier than usual. I had just reached the door when I heard voices from the living room.
Chloe’s voice was serious.
“Daddy, does that woman really believe it?”
“If I keep pretending, can Aunt Sofia be my mommy forever?”
My body went rigid.
Marco gave a soft laugh.
“That’s right. Chloe, you’re so smart.”
Sofia pulled her closer.
“Then why do you want me to be your mommy so badly?”
Chloe started counting on her fingers.
“Because Daddy likes you. And Grandpa and Grandma like you better, too.”
“So I want to be like them.”
“I’m so glad you and Daddy thought of this. Otherwise, I’d still have to call that woman ‘Mom.’”
Marco patted her on the head.
“Chloe, no matter what, she is your mother. Don’t call her that. It’s rude.”
My mother came out of the kitchen carrying a fruit salad and chimed in.
“She’s still little. We can teach her. Sofia used to say all the time that she wished Chloe were her child.”
“Isn’t this better? The way things are now?”
The room filled with laughter.
I felt nothing but a deep, spreading cold.
Just then, my father came out of the study. Stupidly, I hoped he might defend me.
Instead, he said this:
“Chloe, be more careful around her from now on. Don’t let anything slip.”
“If she finds out the adults all coached you to fake amnesia, we’ll never hear the end of it.”
Chloe pouted.
My Family Regret When They Lose Me Chapter 17 Chloe froze, then suddenly grabbed my sleeve. “I don’t want her! I only want you! Mommy, come home with me…” Behind me, Leo gave my shirt a little tug. “Mommy… I’m scared.” I stood up and moved Leo behind me, then said to Marco, “Take her
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My Family Regret When They Lose Me Chapter 16 Leo squared his jaw and stepped in front of me. He said to Chloe, “She’s my mommy. She’s not going with you.” Julian moved to my side, shielding both Leo and me behind him without a word. Chloe cried even harder. “No! She’s my mommy! You
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My Family Regret When They Lose Me Chapter 15 “Mommy, it’s me, Chloe. Why haven’t you come to find me?” “Mommy, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lied to you. Come home with me, okay? I really miss you…” Leo shrank behind me, his grip on my hand tightening. I looked down at his trembling lashes,
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My Family Regret When They Lose Me Chapter 14 Being with him was easy. It wasn’t until we reached the restaurant that I snapped out of my thoughts. Julian lowered his head and looked at me, a hint of a smile in his eyes. “What are you thinking about? You look happy.” Heat crept up
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My Family Regret When They Lose Me Chapter 13 When I took him downstairs, Julian was already waiting by the car. He was wearing a dark gray overcoat and holding an insulated bag. When he saw us coming out hand in hand, he strode over and handed me the bag. “I brought you something hot
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My Family Regret When They Lose Me Chapter 12 There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. Then my mother’s voice shot up. “That’s impossible. How could Sofia do those things? She’s always been so kind, so innocent—” My father sighed. “Beatrice, I’m sorry. I was wrong about those things.” “Could you…
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My Family Regret When They Lose Me Chapter 11 I glanced at it and turned off my phone. My time was too precious to waste on them. The day Sofia showed up at my apartment door, London had its first snowfall. She had lost a lot of weight. She wore no makeup and looked exhausted
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My Family Regret When They Lose Me Chapter 10 I never bothered to check what was happening back in New York. But the family group chat notifications wouldn’t stop. At first, every message was an insult. “Don’t ever call us family again.” “After all these years, we might as well have raised a dog.” “You
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My Family Regret When They Lose Me Chapter 09 Marco spent that night in the ER, holding Chloe in his arms until dawn while the IV dripped. Burning with fever, Chloe drifted in and out of consciousness, repeating only one word. Mommy. Marco was reaching his breaking point. He repeatedly tasked his assistant with finding
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My Family Regret When They Lose Me Chapter 08 A few days later, Marco realized that without me, the whole house fell apart. Sofia couldn’t cook. She managed to burn oatmeal, and the kitchen smelled scorched for days. The floors were dirty, dishes piled up in the sink, and Chloe’s laundry sat damp in the
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