Her Neglect, My Undying Haunted Soul

mother looked at me with disgust while

her laughed it off as a "tantrum" desi

en the detective slammed a f

said, his voice cold. "She was buried alive by the eleme

stammering that she nev

e times. Someone answered the last one, listened to

went de

d toward Carina, the "perfect" daughter,

ws of the interrogation room as

me; she had raised the m

pte

raham

isgust a palpable cloud around her designer coat. My father, Iain, followed, his usual placid expression tinged with forced annoyance. And then Ca

, sliced through the stale air. "I can't beli

er, as if the very bricks of the bui

tly, Eva always did have questionable

ove them. You called this m

my non-existent nerves. "Enough, children. We're here

r grandmother insists Eva be at the jubilee. If she think

my translucent lips. Your inheritance,

da continued, her voice rising. "Always had to be different, h

oat. "Hilda, let's just get this over with. The

eet. The stairs creaked under Iain' s weight, the paint peeling in pro

at sounded alien in this building. The door creaked open,

ushed crimson. "Who are you? What are

the man. Oh, now you care, F

he small living room. "Eva Graham! Get out here at once! Wha

pregnant woman emerged from behind him

oftly, her voice raspy. "Eva moved out two m

e. "Impossible. This is the address

ll, she was having trouble paying the rent. We let

a. "You call yourselves her parents? She was struggling, and you

"Struggling? Nonsense. She' s just irresponsible. Al

etched on her face. "Ah, the parents! You' re finally here. She owes me two mo

? This is unbelievable! I knew she was tr

eft of it, aching. You always saw what

damp, moldy storage unit downstairs. The air was thick with the smell of mi

ished canvas poking out. "These are Eva's," he conc

g her coat tighter. "Just junk.

She spent hours drawing those. Said they were impo

. Such a pity she couldn't channel that 'talent'

e dialed my number, the one she' d always used, the one she'd bl

is is ridiculous. Your grandmother expects you at the gala. Stop this childish tantrum and ca

hing in her jaw. You think I' m ig

begging for attention, apologizing for slights I hadn' t committed. My silence now was definitel

r voice echoing with frustration. "She' s just trying to get attention. L

't you care that she hasn't been heard from? She looked so tired, so thin,

a? That girl's got the resilience of a cockroac

counted the 'ordeal' to Gwendolyn, my grandmother, who sat

ng with practiced grievance. "She disappeared, didn't pay her rent, and now she's

escaping my non-existent lungs. You hate me so much, M

beyond her reach, beyond her anger, beyond her ability to hurt me. Yet, a part of m

ous to the storm brewing in Gwendolyn's eyes. "Always so jea

place where I wasn't just a shadow, a disa

lded cage, one I was finally free from. But my ghost remained, tethered to this place, to this woman, by a b

round her cane. The silence that followed Hilda's last words wasn