Chapter 70
Chapter 70
“Izzy, this.” Amalia gritted her teeth. She thought Izzy would quickly accept her apology as long as she showed how sincere she was. Why was she not budging? Was Izzy serious this time? Was she really going to abandon them? No! That’s impossible!
“Let’s stop wasting each other’s time,” Izzy said as she rose from her seat. “I am not going back. Instead of coming here, you should waste your energy looking for another accommodation.
“Are you are you really going to kick us out?” Amalia got up. She frowned as she tried to touch Izzy’s arm, but the latter took a step back, avoiding her hand. “Izzy, I’am your aunt. I am your mother’s sister. How could you just kick us out on the streets after I took care of you all these years? Is this how you plan to honor your mother’s memory?”
“Memory?” Izzy snorted. “You want to talk about memory?”
Amalia took a step back, her shoulders tightening. “That’s not what I meant,” she said, forcing a strained smile. “There’s no need to bring up the past. I’m trying to mend things between us
Izzy’s gaze darkened as she moved forward, one step at a time. “Don’t bring up my mother,” she said.
“Your mother is a kind woman that would never abandon her own sister!” Amalia asked, her lips trembling. “Does it make you guilty? Does thinking about her make you feel bad about how you’re treating me–your mother’s only sister?”
Izzy snorted. “Guilty of what, exactly?” she asked, taking another step closer. When Amalia didn’t answer, Izzy continued. “It doesn’t make me guilty, Amalia, but it does remind me. It reminds me of my own stupidity.”
Amalia blinked rapidly, pretending not to understand. “I don’t know what you mean,” she said, shaking her head.
“Don’t you?” Izzy’s tone was sharp as she took another step toward Amalia. “Do you remember how you raised me, Amalia? Let’s start with a simple question: How many clothes did you ever buy for me? Do you remember the ones that fit or weren’t your daughter’s hand–me–downs? Or the ones that she doesn’t like?”
“That’s not fair–You- You had your grandfather and he-”
“Fair?” Izzy interrupted. “Was it fair that I stayed in the smallest room in the house while Monica’s room had space for a king–sized bed and a wardrobe big enough to hold my life twice over?”
“Your room was cozy,” Amalia said, her voice defensive. “And it had a balcony.”
Izzy took another step forward, closing the distance between them. Amalia instinctively backed up, her hip brushing the
and you edge of the table. “Cozy,” Izzy repeated, her voice laced with mockery. “Like those cozy camps, you sent me to every vacation? You remember those, don’t you? The ones where I learned to pitch tents and clean mess halls while Monica toured Europe? Did you even bother to check how I was doing? Or were the postcards I sent enough proof that I was alive?”
Amalia raised her hands slightly, trying to placate her. “Izzy, it wasn’t like that- And you- you agreed to stay in those camps. It wasn’t like-”
“Wasn’t it?” Izzy shot back, her expression cold. She leaned slightly forward, forcing Amalia to press back against the table. She observed Amalia’s flushed face as she wondered what the woman was thinking. “Right… of course, I agreed. I even let you use my card to book your own flight, right?”
“I— Izzy can we stop?”
“Do you even remember anything about those camps?” Izzy continued. What surprised her was the fact that, talking about the past didn’t make her feel anything at all.. She expected to at least feel sad about it. Instead, she felt. nothing. “Do you remember the hives, the swelling after the camps? You don’t, right? You don’t fucking remember anything. You don’t remember that you actually forgot to tell them what I was allergic to because you were so busy packing for… Switzerland.”
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Chapter 70
Amalia opened her mouth to respond, but Izzy added, “Oh, and how could we forget–when I fell and broke my arm, who took me to the doctor? Oh, wait, that’s right. No one. I wore a makeshift sling for days because you convinced me I didn’t need a doctor, that it was just a scrape. And I actually listened to you!” Pathetic!
Amalia’s face was drained of color. “You don’t understand the pressure I was under-”
“No,” Izzy cut her off, stepping even closer. “What I don’t understand is how you spent my parents‘ money, the money they left for me, on vacations, luxury, and Monica’s private education while I was treated like a second–class citizen in my own home. What I don’t understand is… how you were able to convince me to do it all without asking questions.”
Amalia’s voice rose, desperate. “Izzy, you’re scaring me.”
Izzy stopped abruptly, a smile breaking across her lips. She tilted her head, her eyes glinting. “Scared? What are you scared of, Amalia? Me? Or the truth?”
Amalia’s breath hitched as she pressed herself harder against the table, her hands gripping the edge. She stared at Izzy’s smiling face.
“This will be the last time I waste my time on you,” Izzy said, her tone eerily calm. “I don’t want to see you again.” “Izzy, wait!” Amalia grabbed Izzy’s wrist. “At least give me six months. That’s all I’m asking. You owe me that much.”
Izzy didn’t pull away immediately. Instead, she looked down at Amalia’s hand, then up at her face, her expression unreadable. “Six months?” she asked, her voice sharp.
Amalia hesitated, her voice faltering. “Because I raised you. I took care of you when no one else was there. You can’t just throw us out like this.. Six months. I deserve to at least stay for six more months before I can find something better!”
A dry laugh escaped Izzy as she stepped back, forcing Amalia to release her wrist. “Alright,” she raised an eyebrow. “I’m giving you a chance. But here’s the condition: you bring me the titles to the properties you pawned. Then I’ll consider giving you those six months.”
Amalia’s eyes widened, her mouth opening and closing as she struggled to respond. “What… what are you talking about?” she stammered, her voice laced with panic.
Izzy’s lips curved into a cold smile. “You want me to spell it out for you?” She leaned slightly closer. “You stole the titles of a few of my properties and pawned them. Now, I want them back.”
“You’re mistaken!” Amalia exclaimed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never-”
“Amalia, if you’re going to lie, at least put some effort into it. You’re not even convincing.” Izzy rolled her eyes.
Hearing this, Amalia clutched the edge of the table, her knuckles turning white. “Izzy, please… this is a misunderstanding.
I
“You have three days,” Izzy interrupted. She turned toward the door without another glance. “If I don’t have everything by then, I’ll call the police. Let’s see how you explain yourself to them.”
Amalia’s breath hitched as she watched Izzy walk away, her heart pounding with fear and disbelief. “Izzy, wait!” she called. out desperately. “Please, you don’t understand—”
Izzy stopped at the doorway and turned her head slightly, her expression icy. “Three days, Amalia. Not a minute more.” Then she walked out, the sound of her heels echoing in the silent room.
Amalia sank into the nearest chair, her hands trembling as she buried her face in them.
Chapter 71
