Promised Home

She was their "almost" daughter. They visited her until she knew the sound of their footsteps and the scent of their clothes. They gave her their word, painting a vivid picture of a room that was waiting for her and a dinner table where her chair was already set. But when the day arrived for her to finally belong, the doors remained closed.
Instead of a home, they gave her a uniform. Instead of a mother's hug, they gave her a scholarship to the same prestigious school their biological children attend. Now, she spends her days in the same hallways as the siblings she was supposed to have, watching them live the life she was promised.
Every day, they send a tiffin packed with the food she once told them she loved. Every day, she leaves it untouched. To them, the meal is an act of love; to her, it is a box of pity. She is close enough to see them, but far enough to be a stranger. As the silence grows, she is left to wonder: why keep her in their sight if they won't keep her in their hearts? She doesn't want their charity or their carefully packed lunches-she wants the truth behind the love that turned out to be a lie.