Anissa's POV
I sat down in my luxurious living room, surrounded by the opulent decor that I had carefully curated. I cooked myself a simple meal, but my mind was elsewhere. I put on the TV and started watching a movie that Dahlia had acted in. I smirked to myself as I watched her on screen, her beauty and talent undeniable.
But as I watched, my mind began to wander back to the past. I thought about how much I had loved Dahlia, how much I had indulged her because of the guilt that I felt. Our parents had loved us both so much, but Dahlia had always been the gifted one, the one who got all the attention.
I remembered how my mom had signed me up for piano lessons, and how I had excelled at them. I had been so proud of myself, and my parents had been proud of me too. But then, I had made a mistake. I had forced my parents to come to my piano performance instead of taking Dahlia to her acting audition. And on the way to my performance, they had been in an accident.
Dahlia had been just 10 years old at the time, and I had been 15. The guilt and shame that I had felt after that accident had been overwhelming. I had blamed myself for my parents' death, and I had felt like I owed Dahlia a debt that I could never repay.
But now, as I watched Dahlia on screen, I felt a different emotion. I felt anger, and resentment, and a deep-seated desire for revenge. Dahlia had taken everything from me, including my husband and my child. And now, it was time for me to take it all back.
....
I sat in the room waiting for someone, someone who pulled me from the darkness, an abyss of sadness. I looked the black box on the table, I decided to open it to look for some sleeping pills. I saw a picture of myself with Dahlia...we were so young. Surrounded by the memories of my past, I couldn't help but think about the events that had shaped my life. After our parents' death, our aunt Sophie and uncle Jack had become our guardians. But they were hardly around, and I had soon realized that it wasn't just a coincidence.
Aunt Sophie had always loved Dahlia, pampering her and giving her everything she wanted. I remembered how Dahlia would come to me, excitedly chattering about the new dress or toy that aunt Sophie had bought her.
"Anissa, look what aunt Sophie got me!" Dahlia would exclaim, holding up her new treasure. "Isn't it beautiful?"
I would smile and congratulate her, trying to be happy for my little sister. But deep down, I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Why did aunt Sophie love Dahlia so much more than me?
I remembered how aunt Sophie would scold me for the smallest things, while Dahlia was always getting away with everything.
"Anissa, you're so careless," aunt Sophie would say, her voice dripping with disdain. "You're always making mistakes and causing trouble. Why can't you be more like Dahlia?"
I would feel a surge of anger and resentment, but I would never say anything. I just didn't want to rock the boat, didn't want to make things any worse than they already were.
But despite aunt Sophie's favoritism, I had always tried to be a good sister to Dahlia. I had always tried to protect her and look out for her, even when aunt Sophie was being cruel and unfair.
"Ani, don't let aunt Sophie get to you," she would tell me when she came to me and saw me crying already guessing it's about how aunt Sophie was treating me unfairly. "You're a good person, and you deserve to be loved and respected."
But despite my best efforts, aunt Sophie had always been drawn to Dahlia giving only herattention. She in return had always craved her love and approval, even when it was clear that aunt Sophie didn't deserve it. She loved her as a child would love a mother and I could never say anything because it was my fault ours wasn't there..
And now, as I looked back on those years, I realized that aunt Sophie's treatment of me had been just the beginning. It had set me on a path of self-doubt and insecurity, a path that had ultimately led me to marry Clyde and give up my own dreams and aspirations.
But I wasn't that same person anymore. I was stronger now, more confident and more determined. And I was ready to take back what was rightfully mine.