Chapter 5: The Truth Mia Never Wanted To Admit
Three weeks passed.
Aaliyah started college preparations.
Her life moved forward.
But something strange happened.
The more distance there was between her and Mia, the more Aaliyah thought about her.
Not because she missed the cruelty.
She didn’t.
But because she wondered what created it.
People weren’t born wanting to hurt others.
Something usually happened first.
Meanwhile, Mia’s life was not as glamorous as she had imagined.
Before leaving, she believed David’s decision would ruin Aaliyah’s happiness.
She imagined Aaliyah feeling guilty.
She imagined David apologizing.
She imagined everyone realizing Mia had been treated unfairly.
But reality was different.
Nobody chased after her.
Nobody begged her to come back.
And that hurt more than she expected.
At her new apartment, Mia sat on her bed scrolling through old photos.
Pictures from the past.
Birthdays.
Family dinners.
Moments she never appreciated.
She stopped at one picture.
It was from Aaliyah’s acceptance celebration.
David was standing behind Aaliyah, holding a cake.
Mia remembered that day.
She remembered being annoyed because everyone was congratulating Aaliyah.
But now, looking back…
She noticed something.
David had saved a piece of cake for her too.
He had included her.
She just never saw it.
Her phone rang.
It was Lauren.
“You okay?””
Mia sighed.
“Yeah.””
“You sound upset.””
“I’m not.””
Lauren was quiet.
Then she said something unexpected.
“You know… maybe your father was right.””
Mia sat up.
“What?””
“I defended you too much.””
Mia didn’t speak.
Lauren continued.
“I always told myself I was protecting you. But maybe I was just avoiding admitting when you were wrong.””
That was the first time Mia heard her mother say it.
You were wrong.
Not misunderstood.
Not attacked.
Wrong.
And somehow, that hurt.
“I hate that she always had Dad,” Mia whispered.
Lauren paused.
“Mia…”
“I hate that he looked at her like she mattered.””
Lauren sighed.
“Because you wanted him to look at you that way?””
Mia’s eyes filled with tears.
She hated that her mother understood.
Because she had spent years pretending she didn’t care.
“I just wanted to feel chosen.””
The words came out quietly.
And once they were spoken, she couldn’t take them back.
A few days later, Aaliyah received a message.
It was from Mia.
She stared at the screen for several minutes.
She didn’t know if she should answer.
Finally, she opened it.
The message was short.
“I know you probably don’t want to hear from me. But I need to say something.””
Aaliyah waited.
Another message appeared.
“I was jealous of you.””
Aaliyah looked surprised.
Not angry.
Just surprised.
“I hated that everyone saw you as the good one. But the truth is, you weren’t trying to compete with me. I was competing with you.””
Aaliyah read the message twice.
Then another appeared.
“I’m sorry about the dress.””
That was it.
No excuses.
No blaming.
Just an apology.
Aaliyah looked at the screen.
She didn’t forgive everything instantly.
Some wounds needed time.
But she appreciated the honesty.
She typed a response.
“Thank you for apologizing. I hope you figure things out.””
Mia replied almost immediately.
“I hope you do too.””
For the first time in years, their conversation didn’t feel like a battle.
It felt human.
But neither of them knew…
The hardest part was still coming.
May you like
Because while Mia was trying to repair the damage she caused…
Someone else was preparing to reveal a secret that would change the entire family forever.
