“I’ve spent my life trying to impress you, trying to live up to the family name. Trying to be the perfect daughter. I know now that I’ll never be what you want me to be. The good news is that you already have two of those daughters. So you can leave me alone.” Mom’s face pinched. “You’ve always been such a disappointment.” Normally, those words would gut me. Today, they didn’t even register. I no longer needed her approval. “You’re the disappointment.” I breathed deeply and pulled my shoulders back. “After all these years, you’re still insecure and superficial. You’ve pushed me away and you’ve
...more
