Twisted Love

Chapter - 2

Evening time ( 6:30 PM )

Ashley Brontë sat in the living room of her grandparents cozy house, staring blankly at the cup of green tea in front of her. Windows open that were present in the living room with so many plants around them as her grandparents love to have nature surround them, the fresh air filling the air, but Ashley's mind was wandering through the overwhelming thoughts that had been building up in her whole life.

Her grandmother, a kind and gentle woman with silver hair pulled up in a bun, hummed a tune under her breath while doing dishes. Her grandfather sat in his usual spot in the living room
As he was checking out some cross overs in newspaper, he loves that. The whole house was filled with love and care, maybe the only good thing for Ashley in her life. But today she doesn't know why she felt a stinging pain in her heart.

As she was about to take her first sip of green tea, her phone buzzed on the table. As Ashley glanced down to see who messaged her, she saw her mother's name, with a heavy heart she looked at what her mother have texted her and saw a cold brief text: "Louis will be enrolling at Boston University next semester. Your father and I are so proud of him."

(Louis is the older brother of Ashley)

Ashley felt the pain again it was like her wound that was healing back was cut again with a knife. Her parents never accepted her they only neglect her with unacceptable excuses eventhough she was far better than her jerk brother who doesn't know how to respect others and he is so spoiled that he is not even a top student but still her parents always choose him over her. She did everything in her will to make her parents proud of her, she got scholarship in Boston University and everyone knows how hard it is to get enrolled there but see here it was her brother who is getting enrolled with the parents money and still they are saying that they are proud of her. She just hates it.

She hadn't even finished reading the message before her tears welled up in her eyes. It wasn't just the news about Louis, it was everything in her life. These all years being overlooked, being sent away to live with her grandparents even when her parents were alive while Louis her brother was being showered with love and all the attention, she proved herself in so many ways still got dismissed as an afterthought.

Ashley immediately wiped her tears, not wanting her grandma to see her cry. But she knew her grandchildren better than anyone as she always did.

"Ashley, dear," her grandma said softly, leaving the dishes to face her. "What's is troubling my child huh?"

Ashley just shook her head trying to dismiss the topic, "it's nothing, Grandma. I'm just a little tired because the owner of café is giving me headache these days since he raise our salaries." Ashley replied with a half lie and half truth because she is apparantly facing work stress.

Her grandmother wasn't that easy to lie but she didn't press the topic further. "You work too hard, honey. We are so proud of you, you have accomplished so much already. You should be proud of yourself."

But nonetheless pride was the last thing Ashley felt at the moment. All she felt was betrayal, dismissed, and unloved and unable to achieve something. She knows that no matter what she did, it would never be enough for her parents. They would never acknowledge her the way they saw Louis.

After thinking for awhile she couldn't bear to stay in the house another second, not with all the burden and these swirling thoughts in her head.
The walls felt like they are suffocating her and closing on her. To release the tension building inside her she wants to leave the house right now.