Chapter 3: The Secret Behind the Scissors
I stared at the photo on my phone until my eyes started to hurt.
The image was blurry, but not blurry enough.
There was no mistake.
Mia was standing beside my graduation dress.
Scissors in her hand.
A smile on her face.
But the person reflected in the mirror behind her was what made my fingers go cold.
Karen.
My stepmother.
She had been there.
She had watched.
The room suddenly felt smaller.
For years, I had blamed Mia for every cruel thing that happened in our house.
The missing homework.
The ruined projects.
The little comments that made me question myself.
But what if I had been wrong?
What if Mia wasn’t always acting alone?
My thumb hovered over the message.
*“You need to know what really happened before your father finds out the truth.””*
I read it again.
Then again.
My first instinct was to call Dad.
But something stopped me.
Because Dad had just defended me.
He had finally seen what I had been trying to explain for years.
And if I showed him this immediately, I knew exactly what would happen.
He would explode.
Not because of the dress.
Because someone had been lying to him.
I stood up and walked downstairs.
The voices from the living room stopped the moment I entered.
Dad was sitting on the couch.
Mia stood near the window, arms crossed, looking angry and embarrassed.
Karen was beside her, still trying to maintain control of the situation.
But all three of them looked at me.
Dad noticed my expression immediately.
“What happened?””
I held up my phone.
“I got a message.””
Mia’s face changed.
Just slightly.
But I saw it.
“You did?””
The way she said it made my stomach tighten.
Dad stood up.
“From who?””
“I don’t know.””
I walked toward the table and placed my phone down.
“There’s a picture.””
Nobody moved.
Dad picked up the phone.
His eyes scanned the screen.
At first, his expression was confused.
Then it changed.
Slowly.
He looked at Mia.
Then Karen.
The silence was unbearable.
“Karen,” he said quietly.
She didn’t answer.
“Were you in Aaliyah’s room?””
Karen crossed her arms.
“I don’t know what you think you’re seeing.””
Dad looked back at the phone.
“I’m asking a simple question.””
She sighed.
“I was nearby.””
“Nearby?””
“Yes.””
“Mia said she did this alone.””
Karen looked at Mia.
And that one glance said everything.
It wasn’t anger.
It was fear.
“Mia,” Dad said.
She looked away.
“Tell me the truth.””
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Mia whispered:
“Mom told me to do it.””
The entire room went silent.
I felt like the air had disappeared.
Dad slowly turned toward Karen.
“What?””
Karen immediately shook her head.
“Don’t listen to her.””
Mia looked shocked.
“What?””
“You’re upset because you got caught,” Karen said.
“No!””
Mia’s voice cracked.
“You told me she needed to stop acting like she was better than me.””
My heart sank.
Karen’s face changed.
Only for a second.
But it was enough.
Dad noticed.
“What did you say to her?””
Karen looked at him.
“I was frustrated.””
“That’s not what I asked.””
She looked away.
Dad stepped closer.
“What did you say?””
Karen took a breath.
Then her voice became defensive.
“I said Aaliyah gets too much attention.””
I felt like I had been punched.
Not because she admitted it.
Because hearing it out loud made it real.
Dad stared at her.
“You encouraged this?””
“No.””
Mia laughed bitterly.
“Yes, you did.””
Karen turned toward her.
“Be quiet.””
There it was.
The same tone she used whenever Mia said something she shouldn’t.
The same tone that told me this wasn’t new.
Dad heard it too.
“Mia.””
She looked at him.
“Tell me everything.””
Mia hesitated.
Then she sat down.
And for the first time, she didn’t look like a bully.
She looked like a kid who realized she had gone too far.
“Mom said Aaliyah always gets everything.””
I looked at Karen.
She didn’t deny it.
“She said Dad only cared about Aaliyah.””
Dad’s face tightened.
“That’s not true.””
“I know that now.””
Mia wiped her eyes.
“But she kept saying it.””
Karen shook her head.
“She’s twisting my words.””
Mia stood up.
“No, I’m not.””
Her voice grew stronger.
“You told me Aaliyah was going to leave us behind after graduation. You said she thought she was too good for this family.””
I felt my chest tighten.
Because I had never thought that.
Not once.
I looked at Dad.
He looked hurt.
Not angry.
Hurt.
“Mia,” he said quietly.
“I was jealous.””
She looked at me.
“I hated that everyone was always proud of her.””
I didn’t know what to say.
Because this was the first honest thing Mia had ever said to me.
“I thought if I ruined things for her, people would finally notice me.””
Her voice broke.
“But Mom kept telling me I had to stop letting Aaliyah make me feel small.””
Karen immediately interrupted.
“That is not what happened.””
Dad turned toward her.
“Then explain the photo.””
Karen said nothing.
The silence answered for her.
I looked at the woman who had lived in our house for years.
The woman who had made me feel like I was difficult for wanting fairness.
The woman who always found a reason to excuse Mia.
And suddenly everything made sense.
The little things.
The excuses.
The way Mia always knew exactly what would hurt me.
Dad sat down slowly.
“I need some time.””
Karen stared at him.
“David.””
“No.””
His voice was calm.
But firm.
“I need to understand how long this has been happening.””
Mia looked terrified.
“What are you going to do?””
Dad didn’t answer immediately.
Then he looked at me.
“You should go get ready for graduation.””
I shook my head.
“I don’t want to leave you with this.””
He smiled sadly.
“Aaliyah, today is about you.””
“How can it be?””
He walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Because someone tried to take this day from you.””
He glanced toward Karen and Mia.
“And they don’t get to win.””
I wanted to believe him.
I really did.
But as I walked upstairs, I felt something I couldn’t explain.
Because the truth was finally coming out.
But somehow, I didn’t feel better.
I changed into the backup dress Jasmine had brought over.
It wasn’t the dress I had dreamed about.
It wasn’t the one I saved for.
But when I looked in the mirror, I reminded myself that the person graduating was still me.
The dress had never been the achievement.
I had.
A few minutes later, there was a knock on my door.
I expected Dad.
Instead, Mia walked in.
I immediately became cautious.
“What do you want?””
She stood there awkwardly.
For once, she didn’t have a sarcastic comment ready.
“I wanted to say something.””
I waited.
She looked down.
“I’m sorry.””
The words sounded strange coming from her.
Real.
Not perfect.
But real.
“I should never have done that.””
I crossed my arms.
“No.””
She nodded.
“I know.””
A long silence passed.
Then she whispered:
“But there’s something else you need to know.””
My stomach tightened.
“What?””
She looked toward the hallway.
Making sure nobody was listening.
“Mom didn’t just tell me to ruin your dress.””
I stared at her.
“What else did she do?””
Mia swallowed.
“She had another plan.””
“What plan?””
Her eyes filled with fear.
“She wasn’t trying to ruin your graduation.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Then what was she trying to do?””
Mia looked at my phone sitting on the bed.
May you like
Then at me.
“She was trying to make Dad leave you.””
