After Naomi Parker, my eldest daughter, became successful, she cut ties with the family. My wife, Rachel, urged me to calculate how much money we spent on her so that she could repay us, including interest. While searching for paper and a pen to make the calculations, I stumbled upon Naomi’s diary. It was filled with her grievances against the family. As I started reading, I found myself blaming her for being unreasonable and immature. But as I continued, I couldn’t stop my eyes from welling up with tears. I have two daughters. Naomi, my eldest, was born to my ex-wife, Evelyn Harper, while Ella, my younger daughter, is the child of my current wife, Rachel. Ella was born premature and has always been frail and sickly. Because of Ella’s delicate health, I often asked Naomi to take care of her younger sister. Most of Naomi’s complaints in her diary are about how I favored Ella. It started with small things, like buying Ella a Barbie Doll but not buying anything for Naomi, or only picking Ella up from school while leaving Naomi to walk home alone. One entry, from when Naomi was twelve, stuck with me. It was her birthday. She understood that our financial situation was tight and knew that toys and dresses, if we ever bought them, would go to her younger sister, Ella, who was sick more often and still a child. Naomi had her eye on a dress that wasn’t expensive, but she knew we wouldn’t buy it for her. So, she spent a whole year collecting bottles to save up enough money to buy that dress as a birthday gift for herself. On her birthday, Naomi was thrilled to wear that beautiful dress, and Ella immediately became envious. “That dress is so pretty, Naomi! Can I wear it too?” Ella asked. Naomi’s reaction was fierce. She hugged the dress protectively and snapped, “No! Dad and Rachel buy you all those toys and dresses, and this is the only one I have! Why do you always have to take what’s mine?” Naomi’s lips trembled as she spoke, tears welling up in her eyes. Seeing this, I felt a pang of sympathy for Ella, so I told Naomi, “Ella is your little sister. What’s wrong with letting her wear the dress for a few days?” But Naomi stood her ground. “She’s never shared her toys or dresses with me. Why should I share mine?” Her defiance made me furious, and my expression darkened. Ella tugged at my sleeve and said, “Dad, it’s okay. Don’t make Naomi upset. It’s my fault.” Ella was always so considerate, and I gently patted her head. “Ella, you’re such a good girl.” But Naomi’s anger only grew. She glared at Ella. “It’s because of you I lost Dad’s love! You take all the toys and pretty dresses! I hate you!” Ella’s eyes welled with tears, and she started trembling, gasping for breath. “I’m sorry, Naomi! I didn’t mean to make you mad.” As she cried, her breathing became more labored, and her face paled until, suddenly, she fainted. Her head hit the corner of the coffee table, and blood gushed from the wound. Rachel immediately called an ambulance. Furious, I kicked Naomi in the chest. “You know your sister is weak and can’t handle stress. It’s just a dress! How could you make her pass out over something so trivial?” Naomi fell to the floor, clutching her chest in pain, her face contorted. Tears welled in her eyes as she sobbed, “Dad, Ella is your daughter, but aren’t I your daughter too?” “Is it so wrong to want to keep my own dress?” I was too angry to hear reason. I raised my hand again, shouting, “After what you did to your sister, you dare talk back to me?” Naomi, terrified, started trembling, biting her lip as her eyes filled with tears. Rachel grabbed my arm. “Don’t! She didn’t mean to, Donovan.” At that moment, Ella regained consciousness and, weakly, tried to explain, “Dad, don’t blame Naomi. It was my fault for fainting.” I rushed to Ella’s side, cradling her gently. “You’re hurt so badly, Ella, and still you defend her? Naomi doesn’t care about you at all.” From the corner of the room, Naomi sat curled up, watching us with tear-filled eyes. After that incident, my relationship with Naomi visibly deteriorated. She never initiated conversations with me again, and her smiles became rare. Whenever she looked at me, her eyes were filled with fear and mistrust. That was the first time I hit her, and afterward, I regretted it. It was just children being children. How could I, as an adult, lose control like that? But as a parent, I couldn’t bring myself to apologize. From that point in her diary onward, Naomi’s entries became more frequent, almost daily. It seemed that every time she saw me, she was reminded of that day, and every little thing would make her sad again.
I continued reading, and the entries soon reached Naomi’s eighteenth year. Ella had started dating a street thug and was considering dropping out of school. When I found out that Naomi had introduced Ella to this boy, I was furious. I stormed into the school and slapped Naomi in front of the teachers and students. “Naomi Parker, what are you thinking? How could you introduce such a scumbag to your sister? She’s your flesh and blood! If you’re angry at us, fine, but why ruin her life?” Naomi held her cheek, looking at me in disbelief. “Dad, who told you I introduced Derek to Ella?” I turned to Rachel, who looked away guiltily. “Ella told me. She said Derek was your friend and that you had vouched for him, so I didn’t worry.” Naomi’s face went cold, and she pulled out her phone to show me their messages. Derek had pursued Naomi first, but she had rejected him several times. He eventually turned his attention to Ella, and Naomi had even warned Ella multiple times, telling her Derek hadn’t gone to college and didn’t have a proper job. She begged Ella not to be fooled by his sweet words. Only then did I realize I had wrongly accused Naomi. But with the teachers and students still watching, I couldn’t swallow my pride. So, I stammered, “Even if that’s true, you’re still her sister! You go to the same school. Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier? You should’ve helped her out sooner!” The moment the words left my mouth, I felt my face flush with shame. The judgmental stares from those around us only intensified. Naomi didn’t cry this time. She just clenched her fists in silence. I pulled her aside and quietly apologized. “Naomi, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have blamed you. But please, she’s your sister. Can you help convince her to leave him?” After much persuasion, Naomi finally agreed to talk to Ella. By that time, Ella had already realized who Derek really was and wanted to break up with him, but Derek refused to let her go. In a desperate move, he and his gang kidnapped Ella, and when Naomi tried to intervene, she was taken too. Derek and his gang demanded a ransom of one million dollars for each girl. At the time, I had just started my business, and I only had one million dollars available. I would have to choose between my two daughters. When the time came for the exchange, Naomi and Ella were both tied up. Ella, with tears streaming down her face, pleaded, “Dad, please save me. I don’t want to die.” Naomi, however, remained calm, staring at me without a word. I knew that Naomi had been dragged into this situation and that I was more responsible for what had happened than she was. That million should’ve been used to save her. Derek pushed me to make a decision. “Who’s it going to be?” I looked at Naomi, ready to say her name, but Ella fainted from the stress. Seeing her pale face and fragile body, my heart wavered. I couldn’t bear to lose her. My resolve crumbled, and I painfully uttered the words, “Save Ella.” For the first time, a flicker of emotion crossed Naomi’s calm eyes. After a long pause, she spoke in a dry, raspy voice, her laughter hollow and bitter. “So, you never loved me. I’m just a stranger to you.” Tears welled in her eyes as she whispered, her voice breaking. I couldn’t bear to look her in the eye. I turned away and said, “Naomi, I’m sorry. But Ella is weak, and she passed out. I have to save her first. Don’t worry, I’ll find another million to save you.” And with that, I left with Ella.
After getting Ella to the hospital, I had planned to start raising the money to save Naomi. But Ella’s condition was critical, and the doctors said she might need surgery. Then, Rachel fainted from the stress, so I stayed to sign the paperwork. It wasn’t until five days later that I was finally free to focus on getting Naomi back. But by then, Naomi had already returned. She was found unconscious on our doorstep, her clothes torn and her body covered in bruises. The men who were arrested later confessed to beating Naomi with steel rods, burning her with cigarettes, and feeding her scraps of leftover food. They had been planning something far worse, but she managed to escape under the cover of night, walking three days and nights through wilderness. Her feet were bloodied from the journey, and she survived by eating leaves and drinking muddy water. By the time she reached civilization, she resorted to rummaging through trash for food. After those horrific five days, Naomi was never the same. She was plagued by nightmares, waking up in terror. Even the slightest touch made her flinch, and she would drop to her knees, begging us not to hurt her. Then, she fell gravely ill with a fever that lasted for three days and three nights. When she finally recovered, she had lost all her memories of what had happened. From that moment on, she became a different person. She was quiet and obedient. Anytime there was only one of something, Naomi would give it to Ella without hesitation, even before Rachel or I could say a word. The more she did this, the more guilt I felt. The truth was, the person Naomi had become was entirely my fault. Just as I reached this realization, Rachel interrupted my thoughts with a pat on my shoulder. “Donovan, have you finished the calculations?” “She’s rich and successful now, all thanks to us raising her. We should add up every penny and make her pay us back, with interest.” Before I found the diary, I might have agreed with Rachel. But now, having read Naomi’s diary, I couldn’t help but question whether we had ever truly “raised” her in the way a parent should. And after everything, how could we demand that she pay us back? Just then, Lucas Foster, Ella’s husband, walked in and told us that Ella had been diagnosed with kidney failure and urgently needed a transplant. Without hesitation, Rachel and I rushed to the hospital to get tested, but neither of us was a match. Crushed by the news, Rachel slumped in her chair. But suddenly, her face lit up with an idea. “Naomi. Naomi is Ella’s sister. She must be a match.” My heart sank. Naomi had cut ties with us. She wanted nothing to do with our family anymore. Even if her kidney was a match, I doubted she would agree to help. Rachel grabbed my arm, desperation in her voice. “Donovan, we can’t lose Ella. We have to convince Naomi to get tested.” Lying in her hospital bed, Ella looked frail and tearful. “Dad, I don’t want to die. Please, please save me.” “Naomi is kind. If her kidney is a match, I know she’ll save me. Please, go find her.” Both of them were my daughters, and I didn’t want to lose either of them. After much deliberation, I finally decided to go to Naomi. I just prayed she would help, for the sake of sisterly love. As we drove to her apartment, with Lucas at the wheel, I couldn’t help but feel a deep, gnawing guilt. In fact, Lucas was originally the boyfriend of his eldest daughter, Naomi, and was already talking about marriage at that time.
Lucas Foster was a promising young executive at a large company, and Naomi had graduated from a prestigious school, making them a perfect match. I wholeheartedly supported their relationship. Who would have thought that Ella would come between them? To make matters worse, Ella became pregnant with Lucas’s child. Her explanation was that they got drunk at a party and things just happened. Both Ella and my wife, Rachel, knelt in front of me, pleading for me to let Ella be with Lucas. Ella was sobbing, her face streaked with tears. “Dad, I really love Lucas. Even if you won’t think of me, at least think about the baby. Your grandchild can’t grow up without a father.” “Naomi listens to you the most. I’m sure if you talk to her, she’ll agree to let Lucas go.” Rachel chimed in, “I know our Ella did Naomi wrong, but what’s done is done. We can’t ask Ella to get rid of the baby, can we?” “Naomi has always been so mature and understanding. She wouldn’t want to see her sister in this situation. Besides, Naomi is so accomplished—she’ll have no problem finding another man.” Their pitiful expressions made me soften, even though I knew I was betraying my eldest daughter once again. That evening, Rachel prepared all of Naomi’s favorite dishes and invited her over for dinner. After we had eaten, Rachel gave me a subtle nod, signaling it was time. Swallowing my pride, I explained the situation to Naomi. “Naomi, sweetheart, you’ve always been so good to us, never causing any trouble. You’ve worked hard and deserve the best. But your sister… Ella, she’s fragile, and it’s harder for her to find a match.” “Now, because of a misunderstanding, she’s pregnant with Lucas’s child. Could you possibly let Lucas go for her sake?” Even as I spoke, I felt too ashamed to meet Naomi’s eyes. I expected her to explode in anger, to curse us out and storm off. But to my surprise, she remained calm. After a brief pause, she quietly agreed. And just like that, Ella, pregnant with Lucas’s child, became his wife. Out of guilt, I bought Naomi a car to use for her commute to work. But two weeks later, Ella got into a car accident while driving Naomi’s car, and she lost the baby. I immediately assumed Naomi had lent Ella the car, leading to this tragedy. Outside the hospital, I lashed out at Naomi. “You knew Ella was pregnant, yet you still lent her your car. What were you thinking? You caused this accident! This is all your fault!” My anger was uncontrollable as I glared at her. Rachel tried to calm me down, biting her lip as she spoke, “It wasn’t Naomi who lent Ella the car.” “How could that be?” I snapped. “I bought that car for Naomi. If she didn’t lend it to Ella, how did she get her hands on it?” Rachel lowered her gaze, speaking hesitantly. “Ella and Lucas were getting married soon, and they had everything but a car. I mentioned it to Naomi, and she agreed to let them use it.” Shocked, I turned to Naomi. “I gave that car to you. Why would you give it to them?” Naomi looked down, her voice quiet but firm. “Dad, how many things that you’ve given me have I actually been able to keep? They’re always taken away eventually. It’s just a matter of time.” At that moment, I realized how poorly I had treated Naomi as a father. I had always tried to balance things equally, but somehow, the scales always tipped in Ella’s favor. Over time, I got used to expecting Naomi to sacrifice for her sister. But the truth is, both girls were my daughters, and Naomi never had an obligation to give up what was hers for Ella.
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