Chapter 2 Not One of Us

In a house full of warmth, Anaya felt colder than ever.

Every morning, the family's maid-turned-daughter would wake up before sunrise.

She'd fold Rina's uniform. Make her bed. Even pack her lunchbox if the cook was late.

But not once... did Rina say thank you.

At school, they called Rina "princess." She had branded shoes, the latest iPhone, and a driver who waited with chilled juice in the car.

Anaya? She carried a second-hand school bag, hand-me-down shoes, and walked two kilometers to save fare.

But she always came first in class.

That only made Rina hate her more.

"She's showing off," Rina snapped once at dinner, slamming her spoon.

"She's trying to be better than me!"

Mrs. Mehra said nothing. Just sipped her soup.

Anaya looked down at her plate, whispering,

"I didn't mean to..."

But it didn't matter.

To them, she was a charity case. A guest.

Never family.

She wasn't allowed in family photos.

She ate after everyone else.

She never called them Maa or Papa, even though her heart wanted to.

One rainy evening, while Rina played with her friends in the living room, Anaya stood at the kitchen window, watching.

The cook gently asked her,

"Do you miss your mother?"

Anaya simply nodded.

"I don't think anyone even remembers she existed," she said quietly.

And maybe... they didn't.

To be continued...

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