The year my parents divorced, they both hugged me.
“Sabine, it’s okay,” they said. “Mommy and Daddy still love you.”
“Most people only get one home. Now you’ll have two.”
In my first life, I chose my mother, since she was better off.
After she remarried, she had Penelope.
Then she started forgetting to pick me up from school.
She forgot my birthday.
She didn’t even remember I had asthma.
That life ended when I died in a practice room at the community music center.
It took a janitor three days to find me.
The police asked my mother where I kept my rescue inhaler.
She stared at them for a long time.
“She has asthma?”
The second time around, I chose my father. He didn’t have much money, but he’d always loved me.
He drove long-haul trucks, but he never missed a single parent-teacher conference.
Every day, he picked me up in that old Honda. In the winter, he’d warm up the car first so my seat wouldn’t be cold.
I thought this time would be different.
On the first day, Dad told me to take the bus home because his new stepdaughter, Chloe, had just moved in and wasn’t adjusting well.
The second day was the same.
A week passed. Then a month.
I stood at the school gates, watching that old car drive past me, again and again.
Chloe was always in the passenger seat.
That day, I stopped waiting.
I got on the bus by myself and watched the streetlights flicker on, one by one.
Mom had a new life.
Dad did, too.
I had chosen twice, and neither of them had saved a place for me.
You Thought My Turn Could Always Come Later Chapter 18 Ronan’s eyes reddened first. “I know you’re not coming back,” he said, his voice thick. “I just wanted to drive you one more time.” “These past three years… every time I close my eyes, I think about that day.” “If I’d
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You Thought My Turn Could Always Come Later Chapter 17 Three years later, I was accepted to Harvard as the top science student in the state. The day the news broke, reporters crowded the school gates. Ms. Ward hugged me, crying harder than I was. “You did it, kid. You really did
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You Thought My Turn Could Always Come Later Chapter 16 Caroline’s jaw was tight. “Do you hate me that much?” “I don’t hate you.” “Then why won’t you come home?” I looked at her. “Because if I go back, I’ll just be waiting again.” “Waiting for you to remember
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You Thought My Turn Could Always Come Later Chapter 15 Caroline refused to sign the long-term housing consent form. She hired a lawyer and demanded the school release me into her custody. As soon as Ronan heard, he drove back to the school. In the meeting room, their argument grew louder and
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You Thought My Turn Could Always Come Later Chapter 14 After the ceremony, reporters swarmed my mother. “Your daughter’s grades are so outstanding! You must be very involved in her education.” “When did she first show an aptitude for math?” “Does her asthma ever affect her ability to compete?” Caroline opened
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You Thought My Turn Could Always Come Later Chapter 13 A week later, the school held a scholarship ceremony. The state news station sent a camera crew. Caroline arrived an hour early, carrying a new dress in a garment bag and a bouquet of flowers. She found me backstage. “Sabine, put
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You Thought My Turn Could Always Come Later Chapter 12 Those words struck Ronan silent. It was his favoritism. It was he who had chosen Chloe, over and over again. Throwing Megan and her daughter out wouldn’t change what Sabine had already endured. That night, while cleaning Sabine’s room, he found
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You Thought My Turn Could Always Come Later Chapter 11 Chloe instinctively glanced toward the kitchen. Megan came out, stepping in front of her daughter. “She’s a kid, Ronan. She was joking. You can’t possibly believe her?” “The inhaler.” “What?” “Did she crush Sabine’s inhaler on purpose?” Megan’s expression
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You Thought My Turn Could Always Come Later Chapter 10 After the paperwork was signed, Ronan didn’t leave Boston. He sat on a bench across from the school gates all day. When Ms. Ward finally came out, he stood up and intercepted her. “Is Sabine… is she doing okay in there?”
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You Thought My Turn Could Always Come Later Chapter 09 The color drained from Caroline’s face. Then I looked at Ronan. “You can never remember when the school holds parent-teacher conferences.” “You couldn’t remember what time my awards ceremony was.” “But you remembered that Chloe wanted a cake for the weekend.”
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