Chapter 154 Battle for Mommy's Love Part I

Chapter 154 Battle for Mommy's Love Part I
Ashley's POV

I might be young, but I'm far from stupid. Living with Anna taught me to pay attention to everything that might give me an advantage. So when I listened to Michael and Sarah talking, I quickly pieced together the truth: Mommy got married again. Michael was her new husband, and Lily was supposedly their daughter. Well, if Carmen was telling the truth, she wasn't really their daughter.

The old woman leading me to my room had to be Sarah's mother. She treated me much better than Michael did. Michael clearly preferred Lily.

"Are you my grandma?" I asked as she showed me to a bedroom.

"Yes, sweetie. You can call me Grandma Linda." Her voice was much gentler than Anna's constant irritation.

"Where's my real daddy?"

Linda's expression tightened slightly. "I don't know, honey. And it's better if you don't ask Mommy about your father, okay? It makes her sad."

"Is Mommy really having a baby?"

"Yes, she is. That's why you need to be a very good girl. No making Mommy upset. Can you promise me that?"

I nodded solemnly, though inside I was calculating. A baby. Another competitor for Mommy's attention. "I promise, Grandma Linda."

After Linda left, I examined the room. Much better than Anna's cigarette-filled dump. But even as I appreciated the upgrade, darker thoughts were taking root.

I'd watched enough family drama shows during my lonely afternoons at Anna's. I knew exactly how this story went: the original child gets pushed aside when the new baby arrives. Always.

Well, not me.

The next morning, I woke early and peered through my door gap. Michael emerged from across the hall and then headed to the kitchen. Later, Linda appeared with Lily.

So Mommy was making Lily sleep elsewhere now that she was pregnant. This just proved my theory—when push came to shove, biological children came first.

Michael was saying something about Sarah still sleeping, that he had to leave for work early. I heard the front door close and smiled. With the man of the house gone, it was time to make my move.

I walked out of my room, putting on my most innocent expression. "Good morning!"

Linda smiled at me. "Good morning, sweetheart. Are you hungry?"

"A little. Can I play with Lily while you make breakfast?"

"Of course."

I approached Lily, who was arranging stuffed animals on the coffee table. They were clearly expensive. "These are pretty," I said, picking up a unicorn with a silver horn.

"Thank you! Daddy bought that one for me last week."

I examined it more closely, then grabbed its horn and twisted hard. The fabric tore with a satisfying rip.

"Hey!" Lily reached for it, but I was already grabbing the others, pulling at seams, yanking off accessories. "Stop! You're breaking them!"

"They're mine now," I said calmly, continuing my destruction. "I live here, too."

Lily's face flushed red, and she lunged forward. "Give them back!"

She tried to grab the unicorn, but I shoved her hard. She stumbled backward, then came at me again, this time managing to get hold of one of the damaged toys.

"Let go!" I snarled and slapped her across the face as hard as I could.

Lily staggered, her hand flying to her reddening cheek.

Linda rushed from the kitchen, still holding a spatula. "Ashley, what are you doing? Give those back to Lily right now!"

"They're mine," I repeated, clutching the damaged toys. "Nobody wrote Lily's name on them. Finders keepers."

"Ashley, apologize to your sister this instant!"

I crossed my arms, meeting Linda's stern gaze without flinching. "She's not my sister. And these were just sitting here. If they were really hers, she should have put them away."

Lily's sobs were getting louder, and sure enough, Sarah appeared in the doorway, her face confused and concerned. "What's going on?"

"Ashley took my toys and broke them!" Lily managed between tears.

Sarah knelt down, examining the damaged stuffed animal. "Ashley," she said slowly, "these toys belong to Lily. You need to give them back and apologize."

"They were just sitting there," I insisted. "Nobody told me I couldn't touch them. How was I supposed to know they were special?"

Sarah stared at me for a long moment, and I could see her struggling with something. Finally, she shook her head slightly.

Linda stepped forward. "Sarah, don't worry too much. She's young, and this is all new to her. Maybe she just needs time to adjust."

"Mom, could you watch Lily for a minute? Ashley, come with me. We need to talk."

I followed Sarah to her bedroom. Sarah sat on the edge of the bed and gestured for me to sit beside her. "Ashley, I need you to understand something. I know I haven't been part of your life, and I'm so sorry about that. But now that you're here, I want to do better. I want to teach you right from wrong, help you become a good person."

"Anna never taught me rules about toys," I said, letting some genuine resentment creep into my voice.

"Well, I'm telling you now. Taking someone else's belongings without permission is stealing. Breaking other people's things is wrong. I need you to understand that respect and kindness are the most important things in our family."

I studied her face, noting the earnestness there. She really believed she could fix me, mold me into some perfect daughter.

"But Lily has so many toys, and I don't have any in my room," I said, letting my voice get more pitiful. "It's not fair. Do you love her more than me?"

Sarah's expression softened immediately. "Oh, Ashley, no. I'm going to make sure you have everything you need. We're moving to a new house soon, and your room will have all the toys and clothes a little girl could want. I promise."

"Really?"

"Really. But you have to promise me you'll be kind to Lily, okay? She's your little sister now."

"Okay, Mommy. I promise."

The lie came so easily. I had no intention of being kind to Lily, but I couldn't make Mommy angry, or she might not want me either. Right now, agreeing was just a temporary strategy to make Sarah lower her guard, so I could better deal with Lily.

After our talk, Sarah called Lily into the room. I couldn't hear everything they said, but I caught phrases like "sharing" and "being patient with your new sister." When Lily emerged, she approached me hesitantly.

"Do you want to play with my toys?" she asked quietly. "I have lots. We could share."

I looked at the peace offering, calculating. "Where did you get all of them?"

"Some Mommy bought me, some were from Daddy, and some from Grandma Linda and Aunt Jessica..."

Jealousy flared hot in my chest. All these people were showering her with gifts. "I don't want your used stuff," I said coldly. "I want my own things."

Lily's face fell, but she nodded. I felt a small stab of satisfaction.

"Mommy," I said, turning to Sarah with my most innocent expression, "can you take me shopping? You promised I could have new toys."

Sarah looked tired. "Oh, sweetheart, I'm not feeling very well right now. I need to rest a bit more."

I felt my chest tighten with disappointment, but Linda stepped forward quickly. "I can take the girls out for a while, Sarah. Let you get some rest."

Sarah smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Mom. That would be perfect."

Soon, we were getting ready to leave. I watched as Linda helped Lily into a beautiful white dress with tiny blue flowers, then clipped matching barrettes into her hair. When we reached the lobby, the security guard smiled widely.

"Well, look at you, Miss Lily! Don't you look pretty today?"

"Thank you, Marcus!"

I stood beside them in my plain clothes, invisible. The guard barely glanced at me.

At the department store, Linda told us we could each pick out some toys. I headed straight for the most expensive section, grabbing an elaborate dollhouse. "I want this one."

Linda looked at the price tag and winced. "Ashley, honey, maybe something a little smaller?"

"But you said I could pick anything," I protested. "Lily probably has tons of stuff like this at home."

I glanced over at Lily, who was examining a simple display of colorful ribbon spools. "I just want these," she said, holding up a few ribbons.

I stared at her in disbelief. "Ribbons? What are you, two? Those are baby toys!"

Lily shrugged, unbothered by my mockery. "I like them."

Stupid girl. She could have anything she wanted, and she chose ribbons. It just proved she didn't deserve all the advantages she'd been given.

I grabbed a cart and started loading it with expensive toys, games, and a bag of premium chocolates. Let Linda try to say no now, when Lily had made such a modest request.

As I dragged the cart around the corner, I collided hard with someone coming the other direction.

I looked up to apologize, but the words died in my throat.

It was Carmen.