My eyes stung. I turned and walked away in silence.
If you already have your perfect child...
Why did you come looking for me?
——
By the time I reached the ground floor, heavy snow had begun to fall. Cold wind sliced through my collar, and I couldn't stop shivering.
"What beautiful snow!"
The familiar voice belonged to Cynthia Henson—Mom's perfect child.
She strolled over in a mink coat, catching snowflakes in her palm. "Ten years ago, when Mom and Dad brought me home, it was snowing just like this."
My heart clenched.
Ten years ago, Dad told me to wait under a tree while he went to buy me roasted sweet potatoes.
I waited through the falling snow. I waited until dark. I waited until I couldn't feel my hands or feet anymore.
He never came back.
Now I knew why. They had gone to adopt Cynthia Henson.
"Mom and Dad said they'd spoil me like a princess!" she continued. "When I wanted to draw, they bought me hundreds of digital art tablets. When I wanted to learn music, every instrument appeared in our house the next day. When I wanted to get into a prestigious school, the invitation letter arrived that same afternoon."