Cast out, found love

It was a cold Monday morning.

The shrill sound of an alarm clock echoed through a small bedroom.

Still half asleep, Lisa groaned and reached for it.

Her hand knocked the alarm clock off the bedside table.

It fell to the floor with a soft thud.

Lisa pulled the blanket over her head.

For a few more seconds, she tried to ignore the morning.

Then reality returned.

School.

She reluctantly sat up.

Lisa was sixteen years old, a quiet and intelligent girl who had learned to survive by keeping most of her feelings to herself.

She lived with her father, her stepmother Jessica, and her twin stepsisters, Sandra and Sissy.

She reached toward the reading table beside her bed.

Her glasses were missing.

Lisa froze.

Without them, the room immediately became a blur.

She searched the table.

Nothing.

She opened the drawers.

Nothing.

She checked beneath the pillow and searched around the bed.

Still nothing.

Her heart began beating faster.

She couldn't go to school without them.

Just as she was about to give up, something caught her attention.

A small object was lying beneath the bed.

Lisa bent down and reached for it.

Her glasses.

"There you are."

She quickly put them on.

The blurry room became clear again.

Then she looked at the clock.

5:00 a.m.

Her eyes widened.

"Oh no. I'm running late!"

She hurried into the bathroom.

After getting ready, Lisa returned to her bedroom.

Before leaving, she stopped beside her bedside table.

A framed photograph caught her attention.

Lisa picked it up carefully.

The photograph showed her standing between her parents.

She had been only two years old.

Her mother was smiling.

Her father had his arms around them both.

Lisa smiled sadly.

Every morning, she looked at that photograph.

It reminded her of a time when she had felt loved.

A time before everything changed.

Her mother had eventually lost her battle with cancer.

After her death, Lisa's father remarried Jessica.

At first, Lisa believed things would become better.

She was wrong.

After Jessica gave birth to twin daughters, Sandra and Sissy, her father's attention slowly shifted toward his new family.

Lisa felt herself becoming invisible.

The girl who had once been treated like a daughter was now expected to cook, clean, and serve everyone else.

She had a family.

But she didn't feel like she belonged to it.

Lisa carefully placed the photograph back on the table.

She took a deep breath and left the room.

She had breakfast to prepare.

---

The Kitchen

Lisa hurried downstairs.

The house was quiet.

She entered the kitchen and immediately began preparing breakfast.

She knew she had to finish before Jessica woke up.

If Jessica found something wrong, Lisa knew she would be blamed.

As she cleaned the kitchen, she heard footsteps behind her.

She turned around.

"Good morning, Mum."

Jessica stood in the doorway.

Her expression immediately hardened.

"Don't call me Mum."

Lisa lowered her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"I don't want to hear that word from you."

Lisa remained silent.

Jessica looked at her coldly.

"Sometimes you remind me so much of your mother."

Lisa's fingers tightened around the cloth in her hand.

Jessica continued.

"And I don't like it."

Lisa said nothing.

She had heard similar words countless times.

They still hurt.

But she had become very good at hiding her tears.

She glanced at her wristwatch.

Her eyes widened.

"Oh no."

She was running late.

Lisa quickly placed the cloth down and reached for her school bag.

She turned toward the door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Lisa stopped.

"School."

Jessica folded her arms.

"Did I tell you that you could leave?"

Lisa lowered her head.

"I'm sorry."

"Go upstairs and wake my daughters."

"But I'll be late for school."

Jessica's expression changed.

"Did you just argue with me?"

"No, ma'am."

"Then go."

"Yes, ma'am."

Lisa quietly climbed the stairs.

---

The Twins

She reached the twins' bedroom and knocked.

No answer.

She knocked again.

"Come in," someone finally called.

Lisa opened the door.

The room was a complete mess.

Clothes were scattered across the floor.

Books were lying on the bed.

Shoes were everywhere.

Lisa stood at the doorway.

"Mum said it's time to get ready for school."

Sandra looked up.

"And who gave you permission to call us 'guys'?"

Lisa immediately realized her mistake.

"I'm sorry."

Sandra stood.

Before Lisa could say anything else, Sandra struck her across the face.

Lisa stumbled backward.

Her eyes filled with tears.

Sandra reached for her glasses and pulled them from her face.

Lisa immediately panicked.

"Please give them back."

She dropped to her knees.

Without her glasses, the room became blurry again.

Sandra laughed.

"You really need these, don't you?"

"Please."

Lisa reached forward.

Sandra moved them out of reach.

Sissy watched from the bed, laughing.

Lisa tried to stand.

The argument became chaotic, and Lisa struggled to protect herself.

Then she accidentally bumped into Sandra.

Sandra immediately fell onto the floor.

She began crying loudly.

"Mum!"

Lisa froze.

"No. Sandra, I didn't—"

The bedroom door suddenly opened.

Jessica rushed inside.

"What happened?"

Sissy pointed at Lisa.

"She pushed Sandra!"

Lisa's face went pale.

"That's not true!"

Jessica didn't listen.

"You!"

She grabbed Lisa by the arm.

"You ungrateful girl!"

Lisa tried to explain.

But Jessica was already furious.

The confrontation left Lisa shaken and in tears.

Eventually, Jessica left the room with the twins.

Lisa remained on the floor for several moments.

The room was silent.

Then Sandra and Sissy returned.

They stood in the doorway.

Sandra smiled.

"That's what you deserve."

The twins laughed before walking away.

Lisa waited until they were gone.

Then she slowly stood.

She wiped her tears.

She cleaned herself up and changed into her school uniform.

When she looked into the mirror, she could see the evidence of another terrible morning.

Her face was swollen.

Her eyes were red from crying.

For a moment, she wanted to stay home.

But then she looked at her school bag.

Education was her escape.

It was the one thing she could still control.

Lisa took a deep breath.

"No matter what happens..."

She picked up her bag.

"I'm going to school."

She walked downstairs.

Nobody stopped her this time.

Lisa opened the front door and stepped outside.

The cold morning air touched her face.

She looked back at the house.

For a moment, she wished her mother were still alive.

Then she turned away.

She started walking toward school.

She didn't know it yet, but her life was about to change.

Because somewhere beyond the pain, someone was waiting to enter her life.

Someone who would remind her that she was more than the way her family treated her.

And for the first time in years...

Lisa's story was about to begin.