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Novel Catalog
Chapter 18
Catherine felt a cold lump form in her throat as she listened to Sally’s voice on the phone. It was the same tone she used whenever Catherine had disappointed her.
“Don’t call me ‘Mom’. I don’t have such a cruel daughter!” Sally’s voice crackled with fury, and it stung more than any physical blow ever could. Catherine’s hand gripped the steering wheel tighter, her nails biting into her palm.
“Come back and apologize to your sister right now!” Sally commanded, her words sharp like daggers.
Catherine’s mind raced. Apologize? For what? For standing up for herself? For not quietly accepting the way things were always set for her and Rebecca to follow in a silent line?
“I won’t apologize,” Catherine said, her voice calm despite the anger that boiled beneath the surface. “Not to Rebecca, not to anyone. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You’re unbelievable!” Sally’s voice grew louder, almost hysterical. “After everything, after the way you’ve treated her, you still won’t admit your mistake? You have no place in this family anymore. You’ve made your bed. Now lie in it.”
Catherine’s breath caught in her throat, and she could feel the sting of rejection burning through her chest. She had been cut off so many times before, but each new hurt from her family seemed to feel deeper than the last.
“You think I care?” she spat, her voice growing cold and sharp. “I’m done, Mom. I’m done with all of you. I’m not your punching bag. And if you want me to beg, you’re going to be waiting a long time.”
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line before Sally let out a disgusted laugh. “You’re no better than the rest of them. So full of yourself, so stubborn.”
“I guess we both know where I got it from,” Catherine retorted bitterly. “Look, I’m not going to apologize for standing up for myself. You and Rebecca can think whatever you want, but I know what I’m doing.”
Sally’s voice dropped to a venomous whisper, “Fine. Stay away then. You’ve made your choices.”
With that, she hung up abruptly. The harsh beep in Catherine’s ear echoed in the quiet car, and for a moment, she sat there in stunned silence, staring at the phone in her hand.
Her heart was a storm of emotions—anger, betrayal, but mostly, a crushing sense of isolation. She had never wanted things to go this way. She had tried to keep the peace, to fight for her place in a family that never truly accepted her, but in the end, nothing had changed. They didn’t want her to stand on her own. They just wanted her to fit their mold, to be someone she wasn’t.
Catherine wiped a tear from her cheek, swiping it away like it was just an annoying speck. She didn’t have time for weakness. She had bigger battles to fight now. There was no going back.
She started the engine, her mind swirling with a thousand thoughts. She didn’t know where she was going or what she was going to do next, but the road ahead felt like the only option left. The road away from them. Away from everything that had held her back. She was done playing their game.
Done being the daughter they never truly wanted.